Rick Najera Plays and Assignments

Done by: Chantel Raymond and Sean Tucker

Rick Najera – Captured by Feministas AND You Know How to Whistle, Don’t You?


1) What genre is each play? Explain why.

· Captured by Feministas = is considered Tragicomedy. It combines a mixture of comedic lines and tragedy because they ultimately murdered the main character.

· You Know How to Whistle, Don’t You? = is considered Melodrama because the play did not involve any tragedies nor was it very comedic. This genre of melodrama contained a very serious situation between two lovers. We were able to identify the protagonist and the antagonist and it contained a sense of moral judgment bases on the situation.

2) How does his choice of diction affect your reading of the plays? Be specific in your response. Use examples as support.

His choice of diction affected our reading by misleading us and not being clear as to what was directly going on between the characters. When we read the play we both got two different meanings or occurrences from the plays. For example in the play, “You Know How To Whistle, Don't You?”, if the reader did not pay attention to the word choices used you would get an image of a couple discussing sex, but then we realized it was a prostitute attempting to give herself to a man, instead of actually selling herself.

3) What is the theme for each play? Provide reasons to support your answer.

The theme for the play “Captured by Feministas”, expressed the breaking down of male dominance and the realization of the female importance in a males life. This was evident because Alejandro started off as being dominant and macho and the feministas had completely broke him down and realize the importance of women in his life.

The theme for the play “You Know How to Whistle, Don’t You?”, is basically survival, doing what you have to do to survive. This was made clear because of her persistence to sell herself for money and the want to escape harsh environment in Cuba.

4) Define the antagonist and protagonist in each play. Explain how you know.
The antagonist in “Captured by Feministas” were actually the feministas themselves because of them capturing Alejandro, doing harm to him and ultimately killing him which caused the problem. The protagonist was Alejandro, because he was basically defenseless begging for his life.

The antagonist in “You Know How to Whistle, Don’t You?”, was the female prostitute because she was constantly trying to throw herself on this man that did not want anything to do with her and she was being very forceful and leaving him without an option. and the Man the in play was the protagonist due the fact that he did not want to get involved with her due the many issue that may follow.

5) What is your opinion of each play?

My opinion of they play that they were both very opionated. they were very easy to understanding the meaning behing the story although at certain points in the play it tended to be very misleading. Rick Najeri has a way about writing that wants you to know the outcome of the story and leave you wanting a little more at the end.

Is Music Poetry

Is music poetry?

A musical selection that I also consider poetry is by Common, “I Used To Love H.E.R., and a musical selection that I do not also consider poetry is Soulja Boy, “Crank that Superman”.

I Common- I Used To Love H.E.R.

Verse 1: She was old school, when I was just a shorty Never knew throughout my life she would be there for me ont he regular, not a church girl she was secular Not about the money, no studs was mic checkin her But I respected her, she hit me in the heart A few New York niggaz, had did her in the park But she was there for me, and I was there for her Pull out a chair for her, turn on the air for her and just cool out, cool out and listen to her Sittin on a bone, wishin that I could do her Eventually if it was meant to be, then it would be because we related, physically and mentally And she was fun then, I'd be geeked when she'd come around Slim was fresh yo, when she was underground Original, pure untampered and down sister Boy I tell ya, I miss her

Verse Two: Now periodically I would see ol girl at the clubs, and at the house parties She didn't have a body but she started gettin thick quick DId a couple of videos and became afrocentric Out goes the weave, in goes the braids beads medallions She was on that tip about, stoppin the violence About my people she was teachin me By not preachin to me but speakin to me in a method that was leisurely, so easily I approached She dug my rap, that's how we got close But then she broke to the West coast, and that was cool Cause around the same time, I went away to school And I'm a man of expandin, so why should I stand in her way She probably get her money in L.A. And she did stud, she got big pub but what was foul She said that the pro-black, was goin out of style She said, afrocentricity, was of the past So she got into R&B hip-house bass and jazz Now black music is black music and it's all good I wasn't salty, she was with the boys in the hood Cause that was good for her, she was becomin well rounded I thought it was dope how she was on that freestyle shit Just havin fun, not worried about anyone And you could tell, by how her titties hung

Verse Three: I might've failed to mention that the shit was creative But once the man got you well he altered the native Told her if she got an energetic gimmick That she could make money, and she did it like a dummy Now I see her in commercials, she's universal She used to only swing it with the inner-city circle Now she be in the burbs lickin rock and dressin hip And on some dumb shit, when she comes to the city Talkin about poppin glocks servin rocks and hittin switches Now she's a gangsta rollin with gangsta bitches Always smokin blunts and gettin drunk Tellin me sad stories, now she only fucks with the funk Stressin how hardcore and real she is She was really the realest, before she got into showbiz I did her, not just to say that I did it But I'm committed, but so many niggaz hit it That she's just not the same lettin all these groupies do her I see niggaz slammin her, and takin her to the sewer But I'ma take her back hopin that the shit stop Cause who I'm talkin bout y'all is hip-hop


Soulja Boy “Crank that Superman”

Yoooouuuu! )Soulja boy I tell 'emHey I got a new dance fo you all called the soulja boy(Yoooouuuu! )You gotta punch then crank back three times from left to right(Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh yeeeeaaaah! )
[Chorus: x2]Soulja boy up in the holeWatch me crank itWatch me rollWatch me crank that soulja boyThen super man that hoeNow watch me you(Crank that soulja boy)Now watch me you(Crank that soulja boy)Now watch me you(Crank that soulja boy)Now watch me you(Crank that soulja boy)
[Verse 1:]Soulja boy off in this hoeWatch me lean and watch me rockSuper man that hoeThen watch me crank that RobocopSuper fresh, now watch me jockJocking on them haters manWhen I do that soulja boyI lean to the left and crank that thang(Now you)I'm jocking on your bitch assAnd if we get the fightingThen I'm cocking on your bitch assYou catch me at your local partyYes I crank it everydayHaters getting mad cause"I got me some bathing apes"
[Chorus x2]
[Verse 2:]I'm bouncing on my toeWatch me super soak that hoeI'm gonna pass it to ArabThen he's gonna pass it to don loc (loc)Haters wanna be meSoulja boy, I'm the manThey be looking at my neckSaying it's the rubber band man (man)Watch me do it (watch me do it)Dance (dance)Let get to it (let get to it)Nope, you can't do it like meHoe, so don't do it like meFolk, I see you tryna do it like meMan that shit was ugly
[Chorus x4]
[Hook:]Aim to clean off in this hoeWatch me crank itWatch me rollWatch me crank that RooseveltAnd super soak that Hoe [x10]
Aim to fresh up in this bitchWatch me shuffleWatch me jigWatch me crank my shoulder workSuper man that bitch [x6]

The song by Common is also considered a poem to me because when you read you are able to see many of the components that make up a poem in this song. For instance you see many metaphors and simile’s all throughout this song. The way this song is assembled you are able to understand it and read it as though it is a piece of poetry. There are also many lyrical consonance and rhymes occurring throughout. Although this is a song I look at it as poetry because when you read you can see his point of view and understand where he is coming from unlike to songs comings from other song artists.

The other song is considered a poem to me because it just absolutely makes no sense. No matter what form you try to read it in, it does not resembled any piece of poetry.

1) Is Rap/Hip-Hop music poetic expression? Why or Why not?
Ans. Yes, I do believe that Rap/Hip-Hop music is a poetic expression. Poetic expressions
have evolved throughout the years to include music and much more. Within the musical
lyrics you see many elements of poetry which would ultimately make it a poem. A poetic
expression allows you to express your point of view, your true deep feelings, and anything
that just comes to mind. No one ever said that you could not put the poem with a musical
background.

2) What literary characteristics does this music express?
Ans. The literary characteristics music express is different emotions, music must express
emotions and it must move the listener. Also another literary characteristic that music express
are simile’s, metaphors, and also even using personification. Using all of these literary terms
makes you piece of work a better read.

3) What type of critic are you? Explain why.
Ans. I am a social relevance critic. A social relevance critic is a person that feels that words in
poetry should have some social relevance to the times and adequately define the times. I believe
that I should be able to relate to the words in the poem/song in order to better grasp or uncover the true meaning behind the lyrics. If lyrics are dominated by emotion, Ifeel that they should tie in somehow to some social factor. When the lyrics of a song/poem relate to me I understand and get more of a personal feel of the write and their point of view.

Poetry Image Writing

After Reading “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”, I had a feeling of death and uncertainty about why these people were trying to avoid something that was going to eventually come to pass. Also, there was a sense of rage and anger about death and a feeling that is was too soon to die.

The chosen image reflects the emotions conjured by the poem by expressing the sense of death and not wanting or ready to die. I also get a sense of despair.

After Reading “ We Real Cool”, I felt a sense of freedom and limited stability. Also certainty that death was a common occurrence to doing things that make you sin and also no one can avoid death. You should just accept it.

The chosen image reflects the emotions conjured by the poem by expressing a sense of friendship and how close they are and the part in the poem that’s state “we sing sin”. The picture shows people smoking and drinking and giving a care about how that can cause death.

After reading “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” I had a sense of cluelessness and uncertainty. I felt that the person was unaware of what was going on in the world around them and felt over-whelmed by their life.

The chosen image reflects the emotions conjured by the poem by expressing their world and how their brain was overworked and about to explode.

What is poetry

Poetry is the artistic revelation of one’s inner true feelings through rhyme and is used to let others know how you feel and to also evoke their emotional response.

Personally, what determines and does not determine a poem for me is how it is put together. Especially referring to the stanzas and how it is put together lyrically; meaning if it is rhyming. To me a poem should not be written as a story and should be short and sweet and to the point.

Two poets of interest to me are W.B. Yeats and William Blake

William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1865, the son of a well-known Irish painter, John Butler Yeats. He spent his childhood in County Sligo, where his parents were raised, and in London. He returned to Dublin at the age of fifteen to continue his education and study painting, but quickly discovered he preferred poetry. Yeats became involved with the Celtic Revival, a movement against the cultural influences of English rule in Ireland during the Victorian period, which sought to promote the spirit of Ireland's native heritage. Appointed a senator of the Irish Free State in 1922, he is remembered as an important cultural leader, as a major playwright, he was one of the founders of the famous Abbey Theatre in Dublin, and as one of the very greatest poets, in any language of the century. W. B. Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1923 and died in 1939 at the age of 73.

Never give all the heart
by W. B. Yeats

Never give all the heart, for love
Will hardly seem worth thinking of
To passionate women if it seem
Certain, and they never dream
That it fades out from kiss to kiss;
For everything that's lovely is
But a brief, dreamy, kind delight.
O never give the heart outright,
For they, for all smooth lips can say,
Have given their hearts up to the play.
And who could play it well enough
If deaf and dumb and blind with love?
He that made this knows all the cost,
For he gave all his heart and lost.


William Blake was born in London on November 28, 1757, to James, a hosier, and Catherine Blake. From early childhood, Blake spoke of having visions—at four he saw God "put his head to the window"; around age nine, while walking through the countryside, he saw a tree filled with angels. Although his parents tried to discourage him from "lying," they did observe that he was different from his peers and did not force him to attend conventional school. He learned to read and write at home. In 1782, he married an illiterate woman named Catherine Boucher. Blake taught her to read and to write, and also instructed her in draftsmanship. Later, she helped him print the illuminated poetry for which he is remembered today. Blake was a nonconformist who associated with some of the leading radical thinkers of his day, such as Thomas Paine and Mary Wollstonecraft. Blake believed that his poetry could be read and understood by common people, but he was determined not to sacrifice his vision in order to become popular. Blake's final years, spent in great poverty, were cheered by the admiring friendship of a group of younger artists who called themselves "the Ancients."



A Poison Tree

by William Blake
I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears
Night and morning with my tears,
And I sunned it with smiles
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright,
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,--

And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning, glad, I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

These poems are an example of what poetry is to me because it has stanzas, it rhymes, and it has a greater meaning behind the words. These two poems are the types of poems that keep me interested to read because it talks about everyday life and refers to how I am feeling at the time.