Blog #2 https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Call-Us-Dead-Poems/dp/1555977855/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=1RBSMNSD7OMC8&keywords=dont+call+us+dead+danez+smith&qid=1550681882&s=gateway&sprefix=dont+call+us+dead%2Caps%2C-1&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

I think this poem has alot of different characteristics. The poem is very descriptive but its hard to completely 100% understand, im not the type of person to really read poetry, so i have a hard time analyzing the poem and the meaning of the poem.

I like the fact he describes what he’d wear on a summer day while with his friends and etc. Like he said he’d play football, look at different girls, and etc. One of my favorite quotes was “Waves all day, white beater and our best basketball shorts, the flyest shoes.”

I also like when he says “cutting heads round the corner, cutting eyes at the mother of girls i pretend to praise. I showed off for girls but stared at my stupid bony crew.”

My reaction towards Smith’s reading was very powerful. The way he says he recites his poem is so blunt and moving, it gives me goosebumps. He is also entertaining so it makes it easier for me to like the poem. He reads with so much passion and not a lot of people do that, I admire it. I like how he communicates with his audience, it like they have been friends. His not shy, he lets his personality out. I could listen to him read the whole book with no complaints. He doesn’t like that the fact that he has HIV hold him back. Some people in his position  don’t have the courage to do that.

You can really feel the pain and the passion coming through his reading. If I was one of the audiences I would really have hype this man up. His great he really had me feeling him. His sassy attitude, had me yelling “yaaaasssssssss”. I would not mind being his friend. I like the way he changes his tone, to catch your attention and also to entertain the audience.

The way his poems are written is so different from the way he recites his poems.  His poems are serious and the way he ways communicating with his audience is much different. I am just so amazed by the way he presents his work and that takes passion and he has it. He is not afraid to show who he is in is performances and he says it as it is and I like that.

I never cared for poetry, but for some reason Danez Smiths poems have interested me. I read the poem “recklessly” and it took me a few times to read and actually fully understand what he was trying to say, even though i am not fully sure i get what he is saying. Smiths was mentioning a boy a lot and i think he is talking about his sexuality or about being in love with a boy or more like a love story. I think the boy was confusing Smith but he did not care. The tone makes me feel he is desperate about something or like worrisome. What i liked about this poem also was that in a way it had me on the edge of my seat, i did not know or expect what he was going to say next or what he meant about everything until i digested it and went back to the beginning. I was not at all disappointed by this poem and i look forwards into reading more by him, he is very unique and it has a very big impact on how he writes because you can almost feel how he feels through his word which is extremely powerful. https://vinylpoetryandprose.com/2017/09/danez-smith/

The book “DON’T CALL US DEAD” and the reading from Danez Smith was a very passionate. The title of the book and the picture on the book cover makes the poems in it all make since. Basically the different poems are putting a shining light on racism and how it is for a African American in the United States. “history is what it is. it know what it did” A very profound quote from the author basically saying we know the history but the history will never change it will always be the same no matter how u twist it. Maybe there’s a more deeper meaning where the author is hinting at we should move on from the past knowing that we can never change what has happened.

As the author Danez Smith reads some of these poems in the online reading he is very passionate and ecstatic while reading. It’s almost as he’s acting some of these poems out. In a way you can imagine how these poems can happen in everyday life from the way he’s reading them. For some reason when I think of somebody reading different poems I think of somebody nonchalantly reading a poem but this was the complete opposite. In fact the energy he is reading these poems with almost grabs your attention even if you don’t want to pay attention to what he has to say.

Yes these poems could be looked at as very controversial but these same arguments that the author makes in these poems are arguments that people have everyday. The author gives an inside glimpse on not only how his life is but a bunch of other people as well. The author is speaking up for people who are going through the same thing he has and is going through that’s why these poems will connect well with lots of people. I like the author is not scared to voice his opinion and while reading these poems he is very animated. To me that shows that he is confident in what he is saying and having no fears of what somebody else might have to say about it.

Zachery Ali-Yallah

Dr. Perry

English 1102

Introducing Zachery Ali-Yallah

January 27, 2019

Zachery Ali-Yallah

Early Life

Hello my name is Zachery Ali-Yallah. I was born in DeKalb county Georgia. My parents lived in Saudi Arabia at the time of my birth so my mom and I travelled to Saudi Arabia soon after birth to join my dad. We lived in Saudi Arabia for about 2 years before returning to Covington, Georgia. I attended Cousins Middle School where I played basketball. I graduated high school in 2018 from Salem High School. I now attend Georgia State University, Perimeter campus.  I am looking to transfer after I finish my 2 years at this school. I am majoring in journalism here at Georgia State Perimeter. My goal is to graduate from a four year college in 2022 and either join the Air Force or continue to graduate school.

Family

My father is from Ghana, West Africa. Although I have never visited Ghana, I look forward to going there one day. My mother is from Decatur, Georgia hence our attachment to Georgia. My father has a Ph.D. in Computer Science so I want to be like him one day although I do not necessarily like computers beyond just using them for basic things like surfing the web or playing games. I am from a very educated family. My older sister is in Law School. My sister who comes after me is taking college classes in 11^th grade. My mom has a nursing degree. I have a lot to look up to education wise.

Personal interest

In my spare time I am usually either playing basketball or watching basketball. I have been playing basketball since elementary school so it is something I’ve always loved to do. In my freshman year of high school, I played varsity basketball but sadly broke my ankle which kept me out for the rest of the season. When I returned in my second year I broke my pinky finger. I was never able to fully recover and get back to full strength. I still enjoy playing basketball even after all the injuries I had. My favorite player to watch in the NBA is LeBron James and whatever team he is on. I support whatever team he is on because I like the player and not the team necessarily. If I am not playing basketball or watching it, then I am usually at my part-time job or hanging with my family. ffffffffff

My name is Jelysa Edwards and I am Jamaican. Both my parents are from Jamaican and we try to visit every year. I like to visit and help my family anytime we get an opportunity to go. Not only do i like to go there to see my family but the food there is more than delicious.

I’ve played tennis since the 7th grade and that is my favorite sport. I’ve played soccer, basketball, and volleyball but tennis is my favorite so that’s what I kept doing. I played tennis all of high school and been in 3 championship games. I decided not to play in college to focus more on my goals i wasn’t really interested in keeping up with it.

My major is psychology. I plan on using my psychology degree to obtain a marketing/ advertising job. I’m really interested with study human behavior and development which could help me in sales by understanding how the human brain works in order to help grow business. If my major were to change i would major in a marketing degree and minor in psychology.

blog-1.docx