Spoken Word Poetry Assignment

Robin A
1/13/2014

 

   "The the impotence of proofreading" by Taylor Mali is a comical spin on a very common error, spelling mistakes. This poem, yet hard to decipher, gives a very clear message, "Proofreading your peppers is of the the utmost impotence." Failure to proofread your paper can lead to spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, and a general lack of flow. Thus, negatively affecting your writing in a broad scale and making you look idiotic. Mali uses the time old approach of comedy in his writing, making the poem much more enjoyable and eye/ear catching. He also reads with a passion and feel giving it even greater appeal. Taylor Mali set out to address the lack of proofreading that is done and did so extremely well.

  Jared Singers "A Letter to Arizona" is a powerful poem criticizing Arizona and the U.S as a whole. Jared speaks this poem from the point of view of the American flag. He is stating that the flag was "designed as a symbol of freedom... [It] will never be an excuse for [their] racism again". Jared makes this poem standout because of the  powerful way he delivers it, he is largely know for this. Jared shows how little America has lived up to its motto "The land of the free" and that all that they had fought for throughout their history had been wasted. Jared encourages change, in a hope that America can be the land of opportunity once more.

 

Cover Letter

Robin Andrews

250-486-6101

December 17th 2013

Dear Mr. Sir

 Hello, my name is Robin Andrews. I would like to tell you a little bit about myself by way of my interests, strengths, and goals in life.

As for my interests, I'm very compelled by music, history, and downhill biking. I've been a musician for over a decade; it has always been my greatest passion and joy in life. Music is most likely the biggest part of my life.  As for history, it's always been a very compelling thing to me. I often think of what it was like to live around these times. Downhill biking has always been a great way for me to stay fit and have fun. I was introduced to a higher level of biking by my mother when I was about 9 years old. I have enjoyed it ever since.

There are strengths that I hold and I am very happy to have them.  I have always been a quick learner and a hard worker throughout my life. I can often be taught a concept and I'll know it instantly. I`m also a hard worker. The way I view work is that I've been told to do it, I'm going to try my best to get it done. This, I feel, is a very good attribute to have.

 My main goals in life are to have a strong family and become a professional music composer. I want to have a family that lasts, with a loving wife and great children who I can be proud of. My dream job is to make music. And I'm getting very close to reaching that goal. I plan to get my bachelor’s degree in music composition; going on to make music for movies or TV shows. As long as I'm making music, I’m happy.

Letter of Concern

Robin Andrews

2550 Wiltse Dr.
Penticton, B.C.
V2A 7X5

December 16th 2013

Jane Watchingu
123 Main St. Penticton, B.C.
V2A 3W8

Dear Mrs. Watchingu:

Hello Mrs. Watchingu, my name is Robin Andrews, I am a employee of yours at Student Pro Painters. I feel that I have some concerns regarding your nephew, Joe Talksalot's working habits. I am hoping that we can all come to a reasonable understanding as to what is happening. I would also personally like to thank you for taking some time to hear our concerns.

I feel that Joe might be using his time at work unfairly. I feel that he often arrives late to work, weather this is because of more important matters I cannot say. I notice that he also takes extra breaks to smoke and leaves the cigarette butts around, making the workplace very dirty. In addition, he very rarely helps with clean up, making the workdays longer and more strenuous. He can, at times, be confrontational with other workers, making him very hard to work with. Joe sometimes decides to leave early as well. I was hoping that you would take the time to discuss these matters with Joe; if you feel it is necessary.

I am hoping that we can all come to a reasonable solution to these concerns. I would like to thank you immensely for your time.

Topic: Certain events change our impression of life.

Robin Andrews
12/12/13

The Night

 

     I reached camp. Never had I been so eager to meet new people as I was now. There they were, my new squad. These were the men I would proudly be representing the Third Reich with. My squad consisted of Franz, Joseph, Wolfgang, Dieter, and me, Rolf. While we were chatting, the speaker came on and blared, "All SS soldiers are to report to the operation's room for briefing". When we arrived we were told of our first assignment. Our Regiment was to be assaulting the French controlled city of Lyon; our squad was meant to go in and help deal with the civilians.

    We arrived in the city. Horror struck me when I saw dead parents being dragged away by their own young. How could any of this be right? I now started to question the directive of my own country, the Third Reich, and its men. A sickness came about me, leaving me lightheaded. Then came my commanding officer. He seemed to have noticed my uneasiness and was ready to make me pay for it. With him was a young Jewish man. These were the people my country was teaching me to hate, why? The man had a fear in his eyes that caught me. He meant no harm, he just wanted life. Bang! My commanding officer had shot him in the head. I was told to dispose of the body. Never had I felt so conflicted in my life. My country, the country I loved, now disgusted me. I needed to get out

    While lying in my quarters, I overheard my squad mates speaking of an escape. I turned my attention to them. I then asked, "Are you men planning to go AWOL?" with a bit of restraint in my voice. Dieter replied, "After the events that came about in Lyon, yes". Me and my squad talked throughout the night; discussing how we would manage to escape this camp. We managed to come up with a plan. We were to sneak into the vehicle pool just before midnight and leave in the ammunition's convoy. If all went well we would find ourselves near the edge of Nazi controlled Europe from where we would flee to wherever we felt safe. Time to start packing, we left tomorrow night.

   It was surprisingly easy for us to sneak into the vehicle pool, since it was left unguarded. Now we found ourselves cramped in the back of the convoy truck, on our way out of this fascist place. All was going well, until we reached the checkpoint. The guard had spotted us. With one swift shot, Franz had shot him in the head. We only had a few minutes until support showed up. We spotted a half-track and ran for it. Now on the run we found ourselves being chased. We drove through the side roads at insane speeds. Trying our hardest to get out of their sight. After what seemed to be an hour of chasing, we finally lost them. Looking over the hills we saw the city of Paris. We had made it.

  After spending the night on the outskirts of Paris, we all went our seperate ways. I had managed to flee to Cuba before the war went into full affect. I was never to see Franz, Joseph, Wolfgang, or Dieter again. But I knew that I would never forget them. These were the men that helped me escape what I had realized was hell.
  

University Application

Robin Andrews

 

 

   What defines me? Greatness defines me. Bravery defines me. Love defines me. Basically the entire world envies me. My name has resonated from the peak of K2 to the valleys of Alaska. I've run with Jesus and his cause; he did not die in vain. I've even stopped a moving train. My fingers are silver and my voice is gold. Russian roulette is my favorite game; I've only lost twice. I'm organized.

 

   I've defeated the knights of cydonia with one swift move of my blade. I am the gate keeper of the world's secrets. My touch leaves people smiling with the greatest happiness they can ever experience. I control all weather patterns, summoning hurricanes when I'm angry and rainbows when I'm in love. I am the cult of personality. I taught Bruce Wayne how to fight crime. I can bust a move. The North Star is a visual representation of my imagination. I traveled around the world in seventy-nine days. I'm debt free.

 

  I invented lying in the year 3. The clothes I give away are then sold in auction houses for an always record breaking price. Writers block was a curse I put on all mankind. I brought the economy up after the Great Depression. I have found the center of the earth. I do not need soap; I'm self cleaning. I do not need hope; I'm am hope. I do not need light; I see in the dark. But i do need a university education.

Waiting...

    Waiting...

I sat slouched in the stiff, outdated chair covered with scratches from the people who sat here before 
me. The chair held me to the harsh stench of freshly bleached floors and disinfectant sprays; it stung my nose. The walls looked to be covered in motivational posters in an attempt to lift the spirits of those waiting. The silence was a gatekeeper for my family and I. It was a silence none of us dared to break. Then came a shrill creak of a door. My parents rushed to them in way like never before. I watched as the doctors swarmed around my parents like school kids. All I could hear from them were faint whispers. When they had finished talking my parents came over to tell me what they'd heard. I looked up at them; never had I been so tense in my movements. To my relief it was news of reassurance not news of agony and pain. My sister of only 6 years old would live another day.

Option 1: It's important to keep learning throughout life.

 Robin Andrews
Dec 2nd, 2013

Learning throughout Life

       

     The search for knowledge is one of the greatest things a person can strive for. It is a seemingly endless challenge yielding priceless rewards. So, why would one ever want to stop learning? Take the examples of Wolfgang Mozart, Nelson Mandela, and Bill Gates. These men are some of the most influential men this world has ever known. And they wouldn't have done what they had if they didn't have the same drive to learn throughout their whole lives.

 
 

   Wolfgang Mozart has been considered as one of the greatest composers of all time. His music has been a great influence to the world in many ways. But this would have never come about if he didn't want to learn. Wolfgang started showing an interest in music at the early age of 4. Whether it be the piano or the violin, it all grasped his attention. His father, Leopold Mozart, who was a teacher and composer of music, was astounded to find his son writing his own scores at the age of 5. When Wolfgang's talent became more evident, Leopold decided to give up composing in order to teach his son. As Wolfgang got older, his music became more complex. He was constantly bringing new and exciting dynamics to his music; All in the search of perfection. It was this search that made him so great. He wanted to be the best he could be no matter how hard it was to find. If Mozart hadn't put the same drive into learning what he had, the musical world could be very different today.

   
  Nelson Mandela, in many peoples eyes, is seen as the most important man of the past 100 years. He is known to have single handedly stopped the biggest possible civil war from ever happening. He was a man who brought a fight to apartheid (segregation) in South Africa. His main goal was to have equality between all races,not just his own. This goal carried with him his whole life. In his early years he was telling people that violence was the only way to make progress; he was then charged with treason. At the Rivonia trial in Johannesburg he gave a 4 hour long speech on equality between all peoples. He was sent to many prisons such as Robben Island and stayed in jail for a total of 26 years. During this time he was learning a lot in the name of peace from Canada. He was amazed with this country who stood up against apartheid and had done it peacefully. When he was released he had the chance to start the biggest civil war this world would have ever seen. But because of what he learned in the ways of peace, he stopped it. If Nelson Mandela hadn't learnt to deal with things in a peaceful manner, the world might be in a lot worse shape today.


  Bill Gates is possible one of the most influential men to the modern world. He made so many technological advancements throughout his life that greatly changed the world as we knew it. He was a very prominent student and started getting interested in programing around the age of 13. He was a amazed by the way the computer worked in code. Gates went through school and scored an 1590/1600 on his S.A.T. He then enrolled at Harvard college in 1973. Gates never really had a set study plan while at Harvard and ended up dropping out to go start his own computer software company. This company was Microsoft which he and Paul Allen founded in 1976. The companies biggest success was their launch of Microsoft windows. Throughout the years Microsoft grew as a company and greatly changed the way the business worked as well as personal life. If Gates hadn't shown such an interest in learning about computers when he was young, the world may not be as technologically advanced as it is.

  
  As one can see by these 3 examples, learning should be someones main priorities throughout life. It can be shown that it brings great success in ones life no matter what it might be in. From music to politics all the way to technology, we always need to be learning to make the best of them and of ourselves.