Original Poem Analysis
I wrote this poem not just to evoke emotion in the reader, but to make a point about our culture. Every week, it seems that a new study has been issued about how uninformed Americans are. Whether it is because of the decline of printed publications or for some other reason, I have always felt that the problem ran much deeper than that. It is not simply that we lack information, but that we lack the will to do anything about it. Simply put, we don’t care. We too often discard problems, even within the Chicagoland area, as foreign and out of reach. Despite our being cognizant of the issues, we fail to recognize that they are our own problems.
The inspiration for this poem comes from my reading of the obituary notices in the Chicago Tribune. While this may sound morbid and frightful for some, it is a wonderful way to understand social issues on a very personal level. These are real people that were affected by these problems, problems that we can help fix. However, we have become numb to the violence and problems that plague our city. When relatives come to visit, one of the first things they here on the local news is the latest murder or gang-related shooting. Normally, they are shocked and horrified while we sit there and continue to eat dinner happily. We have become so immersed in the violence that we push it away and declare that it doesn’t have anything to do with us. However, it is that stagnant attitude that prevents us from working to solve the issue. These problems aren’t foreign; they’re happening a few miles away.
In my poem “Page Twenty-Nine,” I used a variety of techniques to capture the reader’s attention. One such technique was proposing questions to the reader about social issues and if they’ve been solved by the status quo, such as when I wrote “Have our problems and issues / Been solved just by knowing? / Or moved a nation to action / Despite it reading the news?” I tried to use personal examples in order to relate the problems to the reader; bringing such issues down to the personal level can often evoke ethos and emotion. Lastly, I contrasted actual, military war with the “war here at home” (Line 8). By doing this, I propose to the reader that one might extend the typical definition of war to the war that Chicago faces every day.
This entire poem is placed under the category of final goals because I desire to make a difference with my life. My life will not be valued in money or real estate, but in my accomplishments and people I have helped. I may not be able to do much, but change has to start somewhere. It is no longer enough to be informed; we as a society must be empowered to solve these issues.
-Robert Chun
Picture Source
The inspiration for this poem comes from my reading of the obituary notices in the Chicago Tribune. While this may sound morbid and frightful for some, it is a wonderful way to understand social issues on a very personal level. These are real people that were affected by these problems, problems that we can help fix. However, we have become numb to the violence and problems that plague our city. When relatives come to visit, one of the first things they here on the local news is the latest murder or gang-related shooting. Normally, they are shocked and horrified while we sit there and continue to eat dinner happily. We have become so immersed in the violence that we push it away and declare that it doesn’t have anything to do with us. However, it is that stagnant attitude that prevents us from working to solve the issue. These problems aren’t foreign; they’re happening a few miles away.
In my poem “Page Twenty-Nine,” I used a variety of techniques to capture the reader’s attention. One such technique was proposing questions to the reader about social issues and if they’ve been solved by the status quo, such as when I wrote “Have our problems and issues / Been solved just by knowing? / Or moved a nation to action / Despite it reading the news?” I tried to use personal examples in order to relate the problems to the reader; bringing such issues down to the personal level can often evoke ethos and emotion. Lastly, I contrasted actual, military war with the “war here at home” (Line 8). By doing this, I propose to the reader that one might extend the typical definition of war to the war that Chicago faces every day.
This entire poem is placed under the category of final goals because I desire to make a difference with my life. My life will not be valued in money or real estate, but in my accomplishments and people I have helped. I may not be able to do much, but change has to start somewhere. It is no longer enough to be informed; we as a society must be empowered to solve these issues.
-Robert Chun
Picture Source
