Myeshia Napier
(5/31/16)
Reading #1
Satchmo:
This poem title is autobiography about an American jazz musician named Louis
Armstrong. Louis was all about the jazz and blues. I could tell this in this poem because
he talks about all these famous singer, pianist and composer. Starting In stanzas eight
he talks about where is Bessie Smith who is blues singer, known as the Empress of the
Blues. The way he compared heart being big to the blues of truth. Then he talks about
where Mister Jelly Roll is. Who was known as American jazz pianist with a Cadillac and
diamond tooth? Then he goes into talking about Papa Handy who took his blue notes
with him to bar to bar because he was a composer. Who was known as the Father of
the Blues. Then he talked about bulletproof Leadbelly who had tall tales and a guitar. He
was a known singer of blues and a master of guitar.
My thoughts:
I really enjoy this poem because it showed how much Armstrong liked blues and jazz.
Blues and Jazz was a well-known music back then during the 1900s era. Jazz music
was well known in African Americans. That shows why many of great relatives like jazz
and blues type of music. It’s because that’s what they grow up listening to. Other reason
I find this poem interesting is because it talks about all these other famous people that
could have helped him be the jazz musician he was during that time, and I like when
people can look up to others and make them self-succeed by having a role model and
them famous people was like his.
Invisible Man:
It starts out talking about he is not like spook that haunted Edgar Allan Poe, or one of
the Hollywood-move ectoplasm. He was a man of substance, of flesh and bone, and
fibers and liquids and even possess a mind. Just the beginning of the prologue goes
into deep details about this invisible man. Then the prologue goes into talking about
how he only invisible cause people refuse to see him. How he called his new home a
hole in the ground. Saying he is better in the ground then on earth.
My Thoughts:
This Prologue was very deep. It makes you think about how blacks got treated during
that time. Like they was invisible. The way it describe him as a human being that only
can be seen by who wanted to look. It just seem like he was worthless to all the other
people and he was not standing right in front of them. But this makes me think how it is
to be Mexican and how people look at them and call them names. It’s like being black
and invisible. It’s just not fair how people treat people in society. Society has been
messed up since day one not only for blacks but ever culture and for women and men
too. So everyone had a point in time that they felt like invisible man.
