Cyber-Post
We read Ghetto Bastard from Felicia Pride's The Message on Wednesday, March 11. We also listened to the song by Naughty By Nature. Students were to respond to Pride in minimally three paragraphs. Consider the following: How did Obama escape Treach's fate. What is Pride's point? Reference Pride, the song and Obama. One citation per paragraph. Each paragraph needs to be minimally 5 sentences long. Post the Ghetto Bastard response here and bring in a copy.
Essay 3 is due for a peer review. Bring it in typed. Complete the checklist prior to class.
Keep reading Dreams. We want to be finished no later than, Monday, March 23.
We read Ghetto Bastard from Felicia Pride's The Message on Wednesday, March 11. We also listened to the song by Naughty By Nature. Students were to respond to Pride in minimally three paragraphs. Consider the following: How did Obama escape Treach's fate. What is Pride's point? Reference Pride, the song and Obama. One citation per paragraph. Each paragraph needs to be minimally 5 sentences long. Post the Ghetto Bastard response here and bring in a copy.
Essay 3 is due for a peer review. Bring it in typed. Complete the checklist prior to class.
Keep reading Dreams. We want to be finished no later than, Monday, March 23.
posted by Professor Wanda's Posse at 10:44 PM
10 Comments:
Rebecca Evans eng 1a 9-10 3/15/09 response to “Ghetto Bastard”
Stereotypes have been placed on numerous ethic and racial cultures. “Ghetto Bastard” written and performed by Naughty by Nature is a story portraying a young man born into a single mother family and later forced to raise himself. He experienced racism, peer pressure, depression, and sadness. He states, “couldn’t get a job, nappy hair was not allowed” (Ghetto Bastard paragraph 2) refereeing to the rasist approach imparted on him. He also says, “I got laughed at, I got jumped, I got dissed” (Ghetto Bastard paragraph 2) referring the peer pressure he suffered.
However, the main point of the song highlights the question of nurture versus nature. Treach asks multiple times, “why me”. His mother told him he was priceless but he quickly feels worthless, all he knows is the slums where he lives, all he sees is the pain, drugs, death and suffering, “Two blocks from south shit, and once in a jail cell (T)he sun never shines on my side of the street see” (Ghetto Bastard paragraph 3). The repeated chorus states, “Everything will be alright” this however is not true in Treach’s mind nor life. He sees constant evidence of “worthlessness”. He sees himself as an outcast, he deeply wants to be more, and he wants to succeed but is stuck with the predestined stereotypes life has portrayed for him.
Felicia Pride annotates the piece with a main theme of nurture versus nature. Many believe that they are born into an assigned life at birth. There are undoubtedly two options one can choose to take: the supposedly “pre-destined” birth right or the path of their choosing. Every child is born into a habitat where their parent or parents nurture; this nurturing is a variable in their creation of self. Pride questions whether nature is an adequate litmus test for success. While Treach is faced with numerous mountains to climb, he can, with a strong will progress. If he looks to himself he can find strength and hope, though it will be difficult in light of his minor family support as well as minor community role models.
Barack Obama shares similarities with Trech as he too was born into a single mother household. Obama’s up-bringing differed immensely from Treach. Obama’s mother and her parents helped to raise him with morals, education, and manners. He was brought up in a descent living environment. Even during his stay in Indonesia with his step father he remained in a middle class family that moved to upper class. He prospered however because he wanted to. He saw issues in the world and hardships among people and wanted to help. He devoted his life to bring together people to create wholesome communities. He could have easily given up on life and ended up homeless and alone but he nurtures his curiosity and knowledge and grew to become a well educated man.
The hardship faced by Barack and Treach is the search for self. Black, white, Asian, or Middle Eastern we all face the search for self at a point throughout life. Treach has more to work through before he can completely establish his morals and values unaltered by is surroundings. Obama had an easier time as he was not threatened on a literal level. However, both being young black men in America offered equal misfortunes. What would they find if they looked into themselves: anger, jealousy, fear, or sadness? To admit these feelings could lessen their “manhood” especially in the black community. The dilemma is whether to believe that there is a predestined life or to be an anomaly and break the pre-destiney of each human’s path. The first answer is to find a truth inside.
Cesangary Tzinzun
English 1A 9-9:50am
FREEWIRTE:response to "Ghetto Bastard" by Naughty by Nature
Felicia Pride's (the message)
Well the song "Ghetto Bastard" sort of relates to Obamas life. It talks bout a father who he never knew, with a single mother, so basically he was left alone because the mother was out working or taking care of his siblings. Alot of kids from the ghetoo are born and raised this way, they are left without a father to look up too, and grow up with no hopes or dreams. They just are trying to survive another day in the hood.
The message Felicia Prife is trying to bring when she is analyizing the song is that people spend most of their time, when something bad has happend to them, aksing theirselves why, "why me?". What she is trying to tell the reader that instead of waisting their time on something that already happend, and wanting to know why, they should start thinking possitive, start thinking that even though its raining outside the sun will shine eventually.
The song says: "If you aint from the ghetto
Dont ever come to the ghetto 'cause you wouldn't understand the ghetto so stay the fuck out the ghetto." Treach of Naughty by Nature feels this way because he feels that nobody understands him, even though people may pretend and act like they care and understand they just dont know what its really like. Obama escapes Trech's fate because though they both grew up without a father, Obamda still had his mother, he was an only child until around his teen years. Obama also had his grandparents that raised him and taught him the values in life. Obama and Trech both lived in different places, and went to different type of schools. Trech grew up where on his way to school he had to pass by where all the crackheads and winos stood, and Obama didnt had to see all of that. Obama first got to know the real ghetto when he went to live to Chicago, that was when he was an adult.
The pride's point is that people lie and say that they care and understand. Other people see that the kid has no father and is from the ghetto and already have their lifes plan out to no good. Peopl expect for this kind of "ghetto bastards" to do bad in life and end up being a crackhead or a wino. Peopl also say insencere things just brighten up the kid's day without knowing the harm they are making to the child with the lies.
Jennifer Gonzales
English 1A
9-950a
Response to Felicia Pride's "The Message": Ghetto Bastard
I do agree with Pride, yes, newborns do not have the ability to chose or control where or how their life will begin. It isn't the newborns fault that it is born into a fatherless home or in the ghetto. It is up to the parents to decide what the future holds for their children. Everyone is not born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Some of us deal with the cards that are dealt while others don't have to. Some of us accept how life is handed to us and others don't.
In the chorus of "Ghetto Bastard" it states, "Everythangs gonna be alright". It is hard to tell yourself that everything is going to be alright when you feel stuck and hopeless. Where living in a world with so many opportunities and privleges can feel like your living in hell at the same time. When society looks down on the people born with no mother or father, being raised in the ghetto and being called a "crack baby" makes it hard for people to think positively.
I ask myself the "Why Me?" question all the time. I can relate to a lot of the things Treach says in his song, not everything but some. I can understand his anger and frustration. For me, I tried to stay positive. I did what I needed to do to make myself happy. I had a lot of support from family and friends which made it easier for me to deal with certain things.
Even though Obama was raised in a single parent home he still had the support system he needed from his mother and friends. Growing up was a little easier for Obama because his family made sure he had the resources he needed to grow up. He was able to make his own decisions with the trust and support he had from his family. He received a lot of advice and information from friends and always kept a postitve attitude.
Nely Ruiz
English 1A
9:00 am- 10:00am
March 11, 2009
Ghetto Bastard Lyrics
This is true for many people; “outsiders” have a pre-destined life. Most are optimistic, this reflection is pessimistic. Price reflects on Nature’s group member Treach’s upbringing in New Jersey. He is born into poverty with a single mother barely able to raise him. He asks “why me?” over and over, trying to find an answer to his lot in life, Barack Obama was raised by a single parent, but he was fortunate to have a maternal set of Grandparents and a kind step father to raise him up out of his situation. All the “outsiders” were there to uplift Obama and made sure he made something out of his life; rise above. Treach does not have that same good mentorship’ His only thread of hope is the clichéd reassurance “everything is going to be alright.”(81)
Treach needs to stop dwelling on what he has been assigned to and reach out, to be the best that he can be and play, “the role that [his] supposed to play.” (82)Treach realizes as does Obama that there will always be someone worse off than you. Price refers to her own siblings both in America and Africa as having harder situations to deal with concerning race, parents and poverty. Obama knows that while he ma have it hard as a melado; many people do not have the education, upbringing and are not as well traveled as he is. This is true for everything, their will always be some one who has a similar situation that is better or worse than yours.
Treach voice has no hope and is very bitter. His mother kicks him out of the house and he is forced to sell drugs, let go of his hygiene and resist temptations of criminal intent. Obama has a solid foundation, rich in culture, moral ethics and a strong yearning for knowledge. His upbringing was sheltered, compared to Treach. He did not grow up in the ghetto, so even though on paper they grew up in a similar household, they faced different struggles. Obama faces being accepted into the “white culture” as a college student, a Harvard Alumni. He judges his other friends who are forced to choose sides; argyle sweaters, or tribal robes. Marcus, a fellow classmate tells him, “…We should be worrying about whether our own stuff’s together instead of passing judgment on how other folks are supposed to act.” (102) Obama is rebuked for criticizing everyone around him, but not taking time to figure out his place in life. Treach has more basic needs. He wants to be accepted by his own family and neighborhood, he struggles for survival on the streets, just as hard as Obama struggles in society.
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Munkhjin Munkhbaatar
English 1A
9-9.50
The song is about the ghetto dude, who is having a hard time and going through some life challenges. Basically the song is about the ghetto life, which is his life. In the first part he sings about his own birth and how hard is growing up with no father in a ghetto, and his mother who cannot support him. He had no choice he cannot run from the ghetto.
For Barack Obama every thing is different because he did not born in a ghetto. He has his mother, who can take care of him. Also his mother was an educated woman, she raised her child very well. Obama had his grandparents who lived in Hawaii and can take care of him. There is no way to become and be a part of ghetto in Hawaii. He was raised in a good environment. The Rapper, he was raised in a ghetto where the sun never shines on his side of the street. At the end he says that if you are not born and raised in a ghetto, you would never understand ghetto.
Many of us struggle with oppression and strife in life as the song 'Ghetto Bastard' by Naughty By Nature tells. Even though I was born a white woman my mother was a single parent and we went without more often than not. I too then became a single parent myself later and I endured struggles with money, self identity and power as woman as well as how to raise my daughter to rise above our circumstances. We lived on in section 8 housing most of her life but I tried to make the best of it. I know that she struggled with her identity because of the issues I face as a person and a parent.
The biggest task of parenting her was to try and not let her suffer through my battles yet in the end she did. I see now that she was weakened and strengthened by those struggles. The song 'Ghetto Bastard came out around the time my mixed race daughter was nine years old and I recall listening to it with her at that time. I remember thinking how great it was that a rap song was trying to address the issues of poverty and the complex issues of the black community in an honest yet positive way. It had long been a problem for me that rap music far too often chose to glamorize violence, drugs and sexism. As my daughter grew older she chose this genre of music as her favorite. Myself, I had long been a fan of all music but especially punk rock and heavy metal. I wonder sometimes if her choice to choose rap and hip hop offended me more on a personal level rather than the content I heard and disapproved of. I certainly understood then why my own mother freaked out when she first heard me listening to punk rock.
I later came to enjoy a lot of rap and hip hop music. Surely TLC and Queen Latifa, Missy Elliot and SWV seemed like great influences for my daughter. Although when she became fascinated by Lil' Kim I was a bit taken aback and had to let her know that I found her to be offensive as a woman. She confused much of her music with feminism and I did not see it that way at all. She represented a backslide and false idea of power for women that I did not want for my daughter. I am big fan now of British 'garage' and 'grime' performer such a Kano and Dizzee Rascal. I also love the Oakland group Zion I.
I see the comparisons in the song to Obamas life even if he did not grow up in a ghetto. The assumptions placed upon him by race were complex enough to justifiably compare the song to his battles. The 'we shall overcome' feeling in the song has in many ways been a common theme is American black music for a long time. The hows and whys of whether a person can find a way to see the positive side in their struggles in life is a complex one for sure. It is easy to understand in some ways how having born into so much poverty, violence and oppression could lead many to choose the wrong path in life. In many ways Obama had those choices to make as he journeyed through his search for truth and meaning to his life as a man of mixed race that was primarily viewed a black man first. Like Treach, Obama had to search to find a positive view and purpose in his life and way to affirm that in his life with his actions. He also had to contend with presumptions placed upon him by birth and the ideas of male and black power and powerlessness that surrounded him. Finding a better truth was a difficult path, no doubt. Yet like Treach he was able to a rise above these ideas to not only change himself but so many others in the process.
In the end it all comes down to our personal choices about how we will view ourselves within our circumstances. We can choose to let things defeat us or allow ourselves to fight to be better than what life has handed us. Not an easy task but surely the right path. The song 'Ghetto Bastard' certainly must have guided many a lost soul to the right road just as the story of Barack Obamas life had as well.
Andre Stephens
March 18, 2009
English 1A – 9:00 – 9:50
“Ghetto Bastard”
The song Ghetto Bastard is about a kid growing up without a father, some of the hardships that come along and trying to deal with it. It is unfortunate that there are some kids who have to go through similar things. The song documents the hard life that goes on living in the ghetto. Sometimes you can come out of situations like this positively.
Felicia Pride talks about destiny predetermining our lives at birth. The doctor in the hospital had decided Treach is one of the “born losers.” I haven’t always lived in the best neighborhood, but it was instilled in me at an early age that your environment doesn’t have to dictate who you are and how you act. Even though Treach’s mother told him, he was “priceless“, the words didn’t mean anything. She put him out to make it on his own because she said she couldn’t afford to take care of him.
Felicia says we ask ourselves, “Why me” when something goes wrong. It is at this time when there is a feeling of helplessness. You wonder why something is happening in your life and not somebody else’s life. The thing is you never know what somebody else is dealing with. The hope is that “Everything’s gonna be alright.” In the end, it is our faith and the belief that God will see us through the tough times.
Barack was able to escape Treach’s fate because of several reasons. First, he had an educated mother who insisted he get a good education. Second, he had an extended family, which was his grandparents and they were a positive influence in his life. Although his father wasn’t around, the grandfather provided the father figure. Unlike Treach, Barack’s family could afford to take care of him. Third, Barack lived in nice homes and apartments when he was young and not in the projects. He also got a chance to travel and see other places and experience other cultures. Finally, Barack’s mother and grandparents never talked about Barack’s father negatively.
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