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Writing Prompt:
Writing Prompt:
Revise and resubmit (here on our blog) your first REVISION of your summary of Taylor Mali's "Totally Like Whatever, You Know?" NOTE: This will be your third draft--make it count.
NOTE:
After posting on the blog, open up the CANVAS assignment (by the same name) and
DO copy and paste the URL address into the CANVAS "WEB URL" text box
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The poem Totally Like Whatever, you know? Written by Taylor Mali delves into todays society and elucidates how we are no longer able to speak with conviction. Society often uses hollow words such as “You know?” and “totally” at the end of each sentence. In today’s society it is viewed at “uncool” to sound intelligent. Taylor Mali states that “ to say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks the determination with which you believe it”. He tests the reader to speak their thoughts with poise and well-expressed words because often times it is not enough to “simply QUESTION AUTHORITY”, one must be able to carry out a conversation with it too.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem “Totally like whatever, you know?” the author, Taylor Mali, addresses how in today’s society it is common for people to talk using language that is vague and unclear. He establishes the idea within the first stanza claiming that it is now “uncool to sound like you know what you’re talking about or believe strongly in what you’re saying”. Towards the end of the poem Mali takes a more serious approach and shows just how strongly he feels about the current “aggressively inarticulate generation”. I agree with Mali in his opinion and viewpoint of our generation. I also reaffirm his point that we often speak with uncertainty out of fear that someone will disagree with us. The last stanza states “it is not enough these days to simply question authority. You have to speak with it, too”, which perfectly summarizes the poem. Instead of using hollow words such as “like”, “uhm”, or ending a statement with “you know?”, we must take power over our words, because they are just that: our words. Society as a whole must start communicating with authority and conviction in our voice, as well as believe in the words we speak.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is about how as a society, we no longer speak with conviction. Mali argues that it is almost as if people are afraid of sounding intelligent. We have adopted a tone of uncertainty and the fear of upsetting someone is forefront in our minds. The author uses words such as whatever and you know? To illustrate his point. He challenges us to be confident and speak with authority, not just question it.
ReplyDeleteThe poem Totally Like Whatever written by the brilliant poet Taylor brings a message for his audience to speak with more conviction in any statement. Mali states that the new generation is 'inarticulate' to where everyone questions what they have to say before stating the idea for everyone to hear. Mali wants more conviction in all of the new generations dialogue and he wants them to succeed stated in the poem, "I challenge you, to speak with CONVICTION." Mali's point is to help others speak with more confidence, he does not want them to fail.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Mali in his poem “Totally Like Whatever” argues that people used to declare what they believed and why they believed it, however, he deplores that now this generation doesn’t even speak what’s in their minds. Taylor Mali goes to explain that all people do is question what people have to say and are always uncertain about what they actually believe. He then asks why people have just given up on what they believe and why they can’t speak for what they believe in. Mali uses boy language to express his confusion of the current generation and strong moments to express his yearning for this generation to speak their minds. Mali speaks on how this generation has become the most “aggressively inarticulate generation” for a long time and and all this generation does is go with the crowd. At the end of the poem Mali implores this generation to speak with conviction and to believe in what we say and do, “not just question authority but to speak with it.” The author wants this generation to break the monotony of being inarticulate.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Mali made a few points in the poem that he wrote/performed. His major thesis for this poem was that our generation doesn’t stand out and speak up enough. We let the society and the government chose what we say and do. We let the people around us give us hell for trying to accomplish things in life and actually learn and progress because that’s what society tells them to do. Society wants us to believe that learning is actually a con and that standing up for yourself and trying to be heard should be shamed. Society also wants us to believe that living the way they want us to is the best thing for us. A line that really stood out to me was “Like, don’t think I’m uncool just because I’ve noticed this”. This stood out to me because that line ties into to a lot of issues in our would still happening today. Kids of our generation are getting picked on for figuring out what’s wrong and called “uncool” for acting on it. They’re getting called “uncool” for reassuring others around them. His main topic to me is that he wants us to know that our generation doesn’t speak with much reassurance.
ReplyDeleteIn the summary of Taylor Mail's poem, Totally Like Whatever, we see that Mail is portraying his view on how humans have changed and rearranged words in statements about opinions and beliefs on everyday topics to avoid ridicule from peers. He states that in our generation, we do not want to take authority in what we believe or know to be true just because we do not want to be ridiculed for sounding smart. We are afraid of not fitting in to society. In the video, we can see by Mail's body language and hear in his tone of voice how people sound in our generation. He demonstrates how we adjust the ending of our sentences to form questions rather than state opinions so we will be accepted by our friends; when in reality, Mail is showing us how crazy we really sound. We should stop sounding so crazy and speak our minds and hearts and show our peers and others in our generation how great it is to be smart and show off what we know.
ReplyDeleteThis reading was really trying to tell us that we should have freedom of speech. Also, when you’re speaking to someone, you should talk to them in such a determined manner that you will always have evidence to back up anything you have to say. In the second paragraph, it’s clear that they want you to use sentences that are mostly facts but at the same time don’t let people change your opinion on certain things. Lastly, people shouldn’t think that you’re uncool because you are very confident in what you are saying.
ReplyDeleteThroughout Totally Like Whatever the author, Taylor Mali, pushes the point that people are becoming more inarticulate. He urges this by arguing that it is “uncool to sound like you know what you’re talking about.” Mali in his live performance shows us how the “cool” speak with questioning tones in unneeded areas. He questions where our conviction has gone. “Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?” In the end Mali leaves us with the challenge to speak our minds with authority and conviction.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Mali is making the point that we need to speak with conviction. He makes the point first in a joking manner which grabs the audience's attention. An example of this is when he says, "It has somehow become uncool to sound like you know what you're talking about." He continues throughout his speech to hold their attention with humor by talking like a teenager using a lot of "likes". He is saying that everyone needs to quit talking like they're afraid and talk with purpose. Ending statements with questions shows that the person isn't really confident about what they're saying. If the speaker isn't confident about their topic chances are the listeners aren't going to pay attention.
ReplyDeleteMali Summary
ReplyDeleteThe poem Totally like whatever, you know, is trying to tell people how to speak with authority and strongly believe in what they are saying. People these days sometimes talk like they question what they are saying and do not stand behind what they want to say. When people say “totally” or “you know” they use them as filler words because they do not know what to say. Mali, also says that in this day in age it seems to be “uncool” to sound like you know what you are talking about and “believe strongly in what you are saying.” As Mali said in the poem it’s not enough to just “question authority”, you have to speak with conviction as well.
Speaking with conviction and communicate with compassion is not a really well known topic in the heads of young people. How should we use language in these days? The time is running quickly and with that language is coming more developed. But we must not forget what language was intended for and how it is used properly. Taylor Mali points this out in his poem: “Totally like whatever, you know?” In the first stanza, he criticizes people dealing with the language without thinking of a deep background. This thesis is confirmed by “[i]nvisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)’s”(cf. v. 5). The meaning of declarative sentences is wrong understood by using it to show the opposite in his mind. His example is based on a double negotiation to show that these sentences are often badly used. The next stanza is mainly used for explanations by putting rhetorical questions into the context. Taylor Mali criticizes that the current generation isn’t able to talk clearly about several topics. The language doesn’t work anymore to convict people. The author primary uses rhetorical questions to challenge the daily used language: “Has society become so, likely, totally… I mean absolutely… You know?” (cf. v. 23/24). A really important part of his poem is the poem at itself. Mali knows to use the language as an example for his concern.
ReplyDeleteIn Taylor Mali's Totally Like Whatever, Mali makes it known that our articulation has drifted from what it once was. Before, people would speak with conviction, and they would have strong beliefs about what they said. Nowadays, we use filler words to avoid truly saying what we believe. We never want to go out on a limb or make a stand for what you believe. we speak as if we are not even sure about our own opinions. Have we not invested time enough to develop such opinions? We are missing the confidence with which we once spoke. Instead, we speak with uncertainty and actually, it sounds like we have no idea what it is that we are saying. Mali makes us think about just how bad it has become when he calls this generation "the most aggressively inarticulate to come...". Then Mali challenges his readers to "speak with conviction..." because "...it is not enough these days to simply question authority.
ReplyDeleteYou have to speak with it, too."
This poem by Taylor Mali states and questions why the world has changed into a place where people can not openly and confidently talk about their belief and or opinions to other people. Taylor also points out that some people hide their beliefs because they don’t want to seem “uncool” to others surrounding them. He states that people should not have to question their religion or beliefs just because someone else does. People with strong beliefs should be able to express those beliefs without being criticized by others and have them be told that what they believe in is wrong
ReplyDelete