Easy:
When Stonewall Jackson was killed in battle,
this man said, “I have lost my right arm.”
Medium:
This element has the shortest name
of any on the Periodic Table.
Cruel:
Crucial to Alexander Graham Bell’s experiments
was one of these, procured by a doctor friend.
These clues are from the TV game show Jeopardy!, which belongs to Sony.
Yesterday I voted. I suppose its no secret who I voted for as I wrote a previous post entitled “Why Muslims Should Vote for Obama.” (http://asad123.wordpress.com/2008/08/31/why-muslims-should-vote-for-barack-obama/) I didn’t have a pressing reason for voting early, but I like to avoid crowds and long lines.
If I voted on Election Day, I would have had to vote at the Naper Boulevard Library but because I decided to vote early I voted at Naperville’s CIty Hall on Eagle Street. (What obvious symbolism there – a city hall on “Eagle” Street.) But if my objective was to avoid lines, I was not totally successful. When I arrived, there were thirty people ahead of me. An older white pollworker said to someone near me, “Don’t worry. You’re only about twenty minutes away from voting.” That estimate turned out to be pretty accurate.
Luckily I had my trusty iPod with me. I used to have a silver 4 GB model but I updgraded to a jet-black 80 GB unit after nearly filling up the memory of the old one. The track that was playing as I entered City Hall was “FBI and Black Muslims,” a speech by Malcolm X about the federal government’s antagonistic attitude toward members of the Nation of Islam.
It’s interesting to reflect upon the changes in African-American leadership since the 60’s. In nearly fifty years, the African-American community has gone from Malcolm X and Martin Luther King to Barack Obama. Malcolm X, who was later known as Malik al-Shabazz, was pretty radical in his views and argued that blacks had the right to defend themselves from violent segregationists. King was clearly more nonviolent in his ideology but was considered an agitator in his time. Obama seems much more palatable to the mainstream today than his predecessors for several reasons. First, he has always worked within the American legal system. Second, he is actually bi-racial, the son of a white mother and a black father. I think growing up in an ethnically diverse family gives him a broad perspective that allows him to connect with a wide variety of people. Third, the changes he proposes do not represent radical revolutionary reforms but instead gradual, progressive steps. It’s bizarre to me to hear Obama labeled as a socialist for saying that we need to redistribute wealth. The nature of taxation is to redistribute wealth. When income tax is structured progressively, the wealthy pay a greater share of what they earn than the poor. SInce taxes fund hospitals, schools, infrastructure, and other aspects of our society, the poor probably benefit more from them. Also, Republicans are hypocritical to label Obama a socialist while supporting a massive governmental bailout of major banks that represents major federal intervention in the economy. If we really believed in capitalism wholeheartedly, wouldn’t we allow banks to succeed or fail on their own without any intrusion from Washington? The irony is obvious but it seems to fly completely under the radar of Republicans.
For those of you who dislike politics and prefer my lyrical analyses or my poetry, don’t worry. I promise my next post will not be political in nature.
This story is very disturbing and shows how some people are totally unwilling to accept a Barack Obama presidency even if the electorate decides in favor of it.
I have two versions of the story linked here. If you want the Cliffs’ Notes, just the facts without a lot of context – check out CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/10/27/obama.plot/index.html
For a more in-depth look at the story, the possible motives of the men involved, and some more detail, check out the Trib.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-skinhead-plot,0,71623.story
This is going to be one of my most difficult song analyses yet. But I want to attempt it just to show how freaking incomprehensible Goo Goo Dolls’ lyrics are.
|
Baby’s black balloon makes her fly
I almost fell into that hole in your life
And you’re not thinking about tomorrow
‘Cause you were the same as me
But on your knees
[Wikipedia is helpful on this song, saying that, "This song, according to the band's frontman Johnny Rzeznik, is about a woman with a heroin addiction and how her lover is desperately trying to save her. He has also said that is about ‘seeing someone you love that is so great just screw up so bad." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Balloon) Urbandictionary confirms that a "black balloon" is a device used to inject drugs into a vein. So when the balloon makes her fly, it is heroin getting her high. Clearly, a stereotypical heroin addict is not "thinking about tomorrow" and has little concern for her future. But the singer feels a connection to this woman, telling her that she was the same as him but on her knees. Being on her knees could symbolize the way she has become enslaved to her addiction.]
A thousand other boys could never reach you
How could I have been the one
I saw the world spin beneath you
And scatter like ice from the spoon
That was your womb
[It starts to get fuzzy here. The line about "a thousand other boys" could be referring to all her ex-boyfriends, ex-lovers, etc. The number "a thousand" almost certainly cannot be literal. Alternatively, he could be talking about her having a baby and there being thousands of other sperm trying to fertilize her egg. I am reluctant to accept this alternative but it does seem to take care of the "womb" at the end here. When he says, "I saw the world spin beneath you" he may be expressing his attempt to put her on a pedestal and seeing her on top of the world. Next, he uses a metaphor to describe something that scatters "like ice from the spoon." Some readers see this as another drug reference as sometimes heroin is heated on a spoon before it is injected. I question this interpretation because it suggests that "ice" means heroin when in fact, "ice" is street slang for amphetamine - a drug that is totally different from heroin. The Goo Goo Dolls may be playing fast and loose with their drug jargon, hoping no one will notice. Or they may be trying to say that the world was spinning like ice scattered from a spoon? But who scatters ice with a spoon? And then like a fly ball from left field comes this unexpected line, "that was your womb." What am I to make of that? I really haven't the foggiest notion of what that could mean.]
Comin’ down the world turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I go on as you get colder
Or are you someone’s prayer
[I don't really know how to deal with "the world turned over." The last stanza spoke of the world spinning and now it's turned over. Of course I know that the earth rotates. Maybe he's using that rotation as a symbol of how quickly life changes. The line "angels fall without you there" is sort of sweet, implying that this girl is so great that she holds heaven together. Angels do not fall in the Islamic tradition, but in Christianity, my understanding is that there are "fallen angels," rebels of heaven who joined Satan when he turned against God. When he says, "as you get colder," I wonder if this is not another drug reference, alluding to the chills addicts get when they are in withdrawal. When the singer asks if this addict is "someone's prayer," it seems that he is saying that someone out there is wishing for a person like this. I suppose there's someone for everybody, but unless someone is terribly codependent, would he wish for a heroin addict? As a side note, the line brings to mind an Urdu expression - "Ap ki dua hai" which literally means "It is your prayer." The expression is used to say "I am well (because you pray for me)."]
You know the lies that they always told you
And the love you never knew
What’s the things they never showed you
That swallowed the light from the sun
Inside your room
[He seems to reveal some of the addict's backstory here. Perhaps her father walked out on her as a kid and her mom lied about what really happened. Is he referring to a black hole -"that swallowed the light from the sun"? ]
Comin’ down the world turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I go on as you get colder
And there’s no time left for losin’
When you stand they fall
Comin’ down the world turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I go on as you grow colder
All because I’m
Comin’ down the years turn over
And angels fall without you there
And I’ll go on to bring you home
All because I’m
All because I’m
And I’ll become
What you became to me
[I think it is significant that he talks about bringing her home. One of the most universal elements in storytelling is the idea of homecoming. Look at any of the great epic poems (Odyssey, Iliad, Divine Comedy, etc.) or major works of literature (Canterbury Tales, Huck Finn, Don Quixote, etc.) and you'll see this theme of leaving home and coming back. Homecoming means coming full circle, and returning to one's roots. He ends by saying he'll "become what [she] became.” What she became was a strung-out female heroin addict. I hope that’s not what he wants to become. Seriously though, I think he’s saying that he wants to be as important to someone as she was to him.]
Hey all,
I just wrote a poem and I really need your feedback. Benedictine is having a Poetry Slam on Friday night and I want to share my work. Check it out and tell me what you think.
A Life Eternal
We were dead before we lived
We will live after we die
A life eternal
Awaits each mortal
Hell lies as a place of ambush
A trap set for the neglectful
A fire fueled by men and stones
A melancholy of infinite sadness
A place where there is nothing to drink
But a boiling tea of pus
Nothing to eat
But a thorny fruit tasting of brass
Per me si va ne la citta dolente
Through me is the way to the woeful city
No lawyers, no doctors, no admen here
Only pitiful souls united in desolation
At the opposite pole lies Heaven
Vineyards and gardens of delight
Green trees and flowers of every hue
Luscious fruits of every flavor
A place where every desire is fulfilled
And the greatest desire
The longing to see the face of God
Will finally be realized
Young knights and maidens
Lying on couches of ease
Melodies sung by angels
And cups filled with clear wine
Is this nothing but a lie?
Are these ancient fables?
Look into the eyes of a newborn baby
That perfect innocence
That pristine beauty
Then tell me now is all we have.
Three Englishmen are talking about the growing Muslim population in England. One says, “I don’t like these stupid Moslems. I think I’m going to move to Ireland where there aren’t as many Moslems.” The next guy says, “Yeah I don’t like these dirty Moslems. I think I’m going to move to Australia, where there aren’t as many Moslems.” The third guy says, “Yeah that’s a good idea, I think I’m going to move to New Zealand, where there aren’t as many Moslems.” A Muslim guy who has overheard the whole conversation finally decides to say something, “Why don’t you all go to Hell? There aren’t any Muslims there!”
Q. What did the pious whale say to the greedy lobster?
A. You’re so shellfish.
One of my readers suggested that I write an analysis of this song, “Love for a Child.” I love the song and thought it was a great idea.
There’s a picture on my kitchen wall
Looks like Jesus and his friends involved
There’s a party getting started in the yard
There’s a couple getting steamy in the car parked in the drive
Was I too young to see this with my eyes?
[He's thinking back to his childhood. He sees a picture that might be a print of Da Vinci's "The Last Supper." He sees a couple making out in a car in the driveway. He's wondering if he was too young to see what he saw. I'm not sure if he means that he shouldn't have seen the couple because he was so young or that he couldn't possibly have remembered what he saw because it happened so long ago.]
By the pool last night, apparently
The chemicals weren’t mixed properly
You hit your head and then forgot your name
And then you woke up at the bottom by the drain
And now your altitude and memory’s a shame
[It sounds like someone, probably one of Mraz's parents, had an accident in a swimming pool. Anyone who's owned a pool knows you have to add chemicals regularly to keep it clean. But the chemicals, which include chlorine, can be pretty toxic to humans. The last line in this stanza is a bit cryptic. If one's memory is "a shame," that could mean that the accident damaged the person's brain. Or it could mean that the accident in the pool became a shameful memory.]
What about taking this empty cup and filling it up
With a little bit more of innocence?
I haven’t had enough, it’s probably because when you’re young
It’s okay to be easily ignored
I like to believe it was all about love for a child
[He's talking about growing up and losing his innocence. He wishes he could get some of it back.]
And when the house was left in shambles
Who was there to handle all the broken bits of glass?
Was it mom who put my dad out on his ass or the other way around?
Well I’m far too old to care about that now
[He's recalling his parents breaking up. He can't even remember who threw whom out of the house. He's saying that now he's an adult he shouldn't care about that, but he seems to be saying that ironically since a divorce can affect a person for the rest of his or her life.]
What about taking this empty cup and filling it up
With a little bit more of innocence?
I haven’t had enough, it’s probably because when you’re young
It’s okay to be easily ignored
I’d like to believe it was all about love for a child
[He's talking about how he lost his innocence which makes more sense now that he's mentioned his parents' divorce. Clearly when parents divorce while the child is at a young age, it can affect the child's ability to believe in things like happiness and miracles. He says he'd "like to believe it was all about love for a child." He means he wants to think that his parents divorced out of love for him because they thought it was the best decision for the family.]
It’s kinda nice to work the floor since the divorce
I’ve been enjoying both my Christmases and my birthday cakes
And taking drugs and making love at far too young an age
And they never check to see my grades
What a fool I’d be to start complaining now
[As he gets older, he looks at the divorce differently. In some material ways it is better for him, as evidenced by "both my Christmases and my birthday cakes." But he also sees negatives. Without the stability of a two-parent household, he's left without supervision. He turns to drugs and sex. No one seems to care about how he does in school. Please note that it's not me that's saying this about divorce - it's Jason Mraz. Also, this is just an artistic impression of one divorce and it does not mean that all divorces necessarily have the same results. He says he'd be foolish to complain about the divorce now, presumably now that he's an adult. But there's irony here too. Isn't it possible that he'd be a happier, more well-adjusted adult today if his parents had found a way to stay together? There's really no way to know.]
What about taking this empty cup and filling it up
With a little bit more of innocence
I haven’t had enough, it’s probably because when you’re young
It’s okay to be easily ignored
I’d love to believe it’s all about love for a child
I'm Asad Jaleel. I'm a law student at DePaul in Chicago (Downtown Campus). My family is from Karachi, Pakistan. I'm a Muslim. I enjoy working out, playing video games, reading, and blogging.
