POETRY JOURNAL #2 (B)

Coming Up by Ani Difranco
Literary Critic
S: someone who wants change and is fed up with his/ her society
O: an occasional speech and/or discussion between to concerned citizens
A: other people who want change just as much as the speaker themselves
P: to bring about change and evoke awareness
S: wanting change
TONE: determined, optimistic, diligent

In Coming up by Ani Difranco, she conveys her emotions through not only through her choice of words but also her style of presentation. With the help of you tube and Devin, I was able to see how Difranco meant to convey her message; her presentation and voice emphasized how she was feeling. After reading the poem three times, I took from a determine person who longs for change and would stop and no where to getting it. Of course my perspective of the poem was preformed due to seeing Difranco’s performance; on the other hand it was just emphasis in my mind. That being said, if I had not seen the performance on you tube, I do not think I would understand the poem the way Difranco would have wanted me to.
Similar to Lucille Clifton’s writing style, Difranco wrote her poem in all lower cases even the beginning of the verse. She does not use any punctuation however she her use of line breaks reveals where she would want emphasis and/or attention. Difranco’ word choice subtly but greatly conveys the message she wants to get across. While in some cases she uses inappropriate language, this poem here does a great job in criticizing those in charge or the society she lives in. Difranco allows being subtly mean as the way to go because it is classy and it gets the job done.