You Talkin To Me

Purpose

This is a wonderful poem by LindaMichelleBaron. The poem consists of two parts; the first is the voice of a young person on the street, the second is the voice of a person who is trying to talk to him. We read the poem aloud and then ask the class to identify sub-personalities in the first. We then ask how the second person is "seeing the light instead of the lampshade."

Materials

The poem is available for purchase from the author in the book "For the Love of Life" You Talkin' to me? The text of the poem can be viewed on the poster on that web site.

Procedure

Choose a class member to read "You talkin' to me?" and a second to read "Yes, I'm talkin' to you."

Discussion

  1. Who are the two voices in the poem?
  2. What sub-personalities (roles, masks) do you see in the first poem? Students usually generate a list including tough guy, bully, arrogant, intimidator, insecure, etc.
  3. Do you see any similarities in the second poem and the concept of "seeing the light instead of the lampshade?" Do you see how the second person is seeing the masks but is trying to reach beyond the mask to the core self?
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