Slam+peotry

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The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued: "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

He reminded the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers: "Those who can...do. Those who can't ... teach."

To corroborate, he said to another guest: "You're a teacher, Susan," he said. "Be honest. What do you make?"

Susan, who had a reputation of honesty and frankness, replied, "You want to know what I make?"

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face if the student did not do his or her very best."

"I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence."

"I can make parents tremble in fear when I call home"

"You want to know what I make?"

"I make kids wonder."

"I make them question."

"I make them criticize."

"I make them apologize and mean it."

"I make them write."

"I make them read, read, read."

"I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, and definitely beautiful over and over and  over again, until they will never misspell either one  of those words again."

"I make them show all their work in math and hide it  all on their final drafts in English." "I make them understand that if you have the brains,  then follow your heart...and if someone ever tries to  judge you by what you make, you pay them no  attention!" "You want to know what I make?" "I make a difference." "And you? What do you make?"

I think this peom is a very powerful one and cam show that what people make is not a representation of how important they are. The poem starts with a CEO trying to argue that teachers are unimportant, and the only reason they teach is because they arn't good enough for any other job. Taylor Mali makes a strong point in dismissing this statement as false with a sarcastic yet also frustrated chuckle. Taylor says in a more angry tone "you want to know what i make?". Then goes on to list off all the things he does to kids to get the best out of them. He makes the kids the best they can be. In the poem he says " I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence, I can make parents tremble when I call home". Then he continues onto say that he makes them wonder, question, criticize. To me it resonates that his message is that teaching is a job of passion and is not a job in which to fall back on but one that requires persistence. Although he sits at the same table with a CEO who likely makes much much more than him, he tries to convey that that man isn't more important. Just because the CEO's salary is more doesn't make his job any more important. Teachers are tasked to make the future generations smarter. Without them or without a descent education nobody would advance in life. They teach the next generation of CEO's and without that education that person wouldn't turn out to be a CEO. So who's more important the man running a company or the man teaching people how to run companies, teaching life skills which they will use for the rest of their lives. He truely proves with his poem that teaching is not a job for uncpable people it is a job for passionate people, poeple who care about the future. In the last few lines is a great example of this, it says "You want to know what I make? I make a difference. And you? What do you make?".  In my opinion he tries to prove that the reward for teachers in their job is not their salary but the change they make in children. So what teachers is not a number but instead a diffrence.

I chose this poem because out of all the poems I viewed it spoke to me the most and in my opinion was the most powerful and commanding of all. It's purpose was to prove a point and it did that in the most convincing way. Thats why I chose it because it is captivating and makes you want to hear more yet is still so convincing in the way that it is presented. I aslo chose this poem because it is provocaive and intruiging because the title suggest's the poem will possibly be about teachers wages yet it is really about the teachers task in shaping the young minds of the future. Thats why I like this poem because it command respect and tentilizes my feelings leaving me wanting for more.

In the poem the author Taylor Mali uses analogies to describe the relationship between the students grades and what he can make them feel like. Saying "I can make a C+ seen like the congressional medal of honour and an A- seem like a slap in the face, how dare you give me anything but your best. The author also uses amplification to really hit home the point that he is trying to make. He re-states the sentence "You want to know what I make?" over and over to prove a point and every time he says it he puts more emphasis into it. The author uses the poetic devise, point of view to make his point seem more clear and more attractive if you will and make the CEO's point of view seem obsolete and also in a way mean. In the beggining of the poem the author also uses satire to attract the audience and keep their attention. The poet also uses mood and tone in his poem almost in a way to back up his ideas. His tone is very upset yet at the same time commands respect from the listener which makes his points even more clear and even more well received. And in my opinion a great use of poetic devises to capture and keep the readers attention.