Sunday, December 30, 2012

Student suspended for poem

In San Francisco, a high-school student named Courtni Webb was suspended from school for her poem saying that she understood about the Sandy Hook killings.
"I understand the killings in Connecticut. I know why he pulled the trigger..." 

Yes, poetry is dangerous.

Have a happy New Year.


2 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

Wow. Suspension seems a bit harsh.

pottygok said...

What's frustrating about "news" stories like this is that they focus on the most explosive aspects of the poem, and don't allow readers to view the whole piece. So these two lines, which the student accuses the school of taking out of context, are further perpetuated out of context by the reporters, and this becomes a trumped up story about not much at all. Pausing on some of the over the shoulder shots, one can read the poem, and recognize that, like a lot of high school writing, it's so surface level and abstract that it can be interpreted any way the reader wants it to be--a threat, a critique of society, etc.

Cited...

The poet doesn't invent. He listens. ~Jean Cocteau