Blue Lipstick Concrete Poems by John Grandits



BIBLIOGRAPHY: Grandits, J. (2007). Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN:978-0-618-56860-4
SUMMARY: A 15-year-old girl named Jessie voices typical and not so typical teenage concerns in this unique, hilarious collection of poems. Her musings about trying out new makeup and hairstyles, playing volleyball and cello, and dealing with her annoying younger brother are never boring or predictable.
ANALYSIS: This crafty collection of poems is an expression of Jessie’s, a fifteen-year-old girl, words and thoughts about the world and people around her. The poems express her emotions of having a bad hair day, choosing friends, and even her super annoying brother. Her laughable, sarcastic take on high school life is shown through concrete poetry: words, ideas, and design that combine to make pictures and patterns. The illustrations and text really make each poem magical. Blue Lipstick is a great example of young adult poetry, the poems are told in the first person and it is a poetry book by a single poet, John Grandits. His interpretation of Jessie’s thoughts keeps the reader enjoying each poem.
USE:  Grandits' poem BAD HAIR DAY effectively employs the conversational style of speaking that is unique to teenagers. “Lisa had this cool idea to do my hair a totally extreme way” (1). By Jessie using words like ‘totally’ and ‘cool’ and overdramatizing when she discusses her life young readers will have no problem relating to the subject matter. This conversational style is used by Grandits throughout most of this book. However, this poem is another example of the difficulties of reading Grandits’ work. The lines themselves are all written in such a way that the reader must hold the book sideways. Then, to reflect badly dyed hair, halfway through the poem the writing becomes jagged and turns in many different directions, again forcing the reader to continually turn the book or hold it at odd angles.
For the follow-up activity to this poem I would provide construction paper and ask the students to think of something that happened to them personally that they originally thought was a good idea, but that turned out badly. Then, on an individual basis, I would have them construct a shape that represented their memories using the construction paper and various art tools. On that shape, I would have the students write a poem that represented their thoughts. When done, they would read the poems aloud and explain why they chose the shape they did and how it helped to express the poem.

 Image result for blue lipstick concrete poems

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Biographical Poetry: Carver: Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson

Image
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Nelson, Marilyn. 2001. Carver: A Life in Poems. Asheville, N.C. Front Street. ISBN 1-886910-53-7 SUMMARY: This 59 poem novel depicts George Washington Carver’s life from different point of views. In this novel, Carver’s life begins from an infant and continues all through his death. His challenges of being born into a slave family, coupled with his intense desire to learn, guide the book as Carver manages to use his intelligence, determination, and ingenuity to follow his dreams. Even while facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Carver managed to inspire others and lived a life of learning and aiding others. These poems vividly portray Carver through some of his accomplishments and take the reader through a journey of his life. ANALYSIS: This novel is replete with imagery that helps the reader visualize what is happening. In “Watkins Laundry and Apothecary: Mariah Watkins, Neosho, Missouri,” the speaker states, “He was sweet with the neighbor children. / Taught the
Read more

FREE CHOICE POETRY: Long Way Down

Image
BIBLIOGRAPHY : Reynolds, J. (2019). Long way down . New York, NY: Antheneum. ISBN:9781481438261 SUMMARY: Long Way Down is a mystical realist novel for young adults by American author Jason Reynolds. Focused on the subject of gun violence, particularly the survivor’s journey from grief and trauma to catharsis and spiritual recuperation, it is told by teenager Will Holloman, who takes a surreal elevator descent through his apartment building on his way to avenge his brother’s death in a gang shooting. ANALYSIS : The book Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is a unique free verse poetry book. Long Way Down has one main setting in this story, an elevator. In this elevator, Will, the main character, is greeted by ghosts who knew his older brother Shawn. As Will ventures out to obtain justice for Shawn’s death, the spirits try to subliminally stop him from taking a life, just for revenge. Reynolds utilizes the format and details in the story to have different perspectives in one particula
Read more

Hopkins Award Poetry:One Last Word by Nikki Grimes

Image
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Grimes, N (2018).One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance. Bloomsbury USA. ISBN:978:1619635548 SUMMARY: In this collection of poetry, Nikki Grimes looks afresh at the poets of the Harlem Renaissance—including voices like Langston Hughes, Georgia Douglas Johnson, and many more writers of importance and resonance from this era—by combining their work with her own original poetry. Using "The Golden Shovel" poetic method, Grimes has written a collection of poetry that is as gorgeous as it is thought-provoking. Analysis: Between the covers of this compact volume lies artistic, literary, sociocultural, and curricular gold.   Taking her inspiration from the poets of the Harlem Renaissance and her poetic form from a method first developed to honor Gwendolyn Brooks, Grimes offers an introduction and a homage to these strong African-American voices. After providing brief author’s notes on the Harlem Renaissance and its role in inspiring her own work, she
Read more