I chose this poem mostly because I've always been interested in finding ways to improve the education system in the United States. I've hoped too much that organizations like Teach for America could be the one fix that we need to bring everyone up to the same level. I once saw a picture of a wall that said, "What if the cure to cancer is trapped in the mind of someone who can't afford an education?" This question resonates deeply. I love Garity's analogy with the slaughterhouses because it reminded me of the 2009 documentary Race to Nowhere, which follows students with more financial backing than the ones in Garity's poem but also points to the many flaws in today's schools.
I'm extremely lucky. Although I can technically call English my second language, the gap between it and my first language is negligible. I never truly struggled in school because what I was good at was what the system wanted. The "rigged game" works fine for me, and unfortunately for plenty of other winners, that's all that seems to matter.
Also I showed this video to my mother... she started laughing and thought that Garity was supposed to be funny since he makes a lot of gestures and talks too fast for her to understand.
Also if anyone wants to watch a "The Tell-Tale Heart" video click here.
Also this (another Minnesota dude!) was going to be the back up poem if someone had already chosen my poem as the video poem of the day before I got to present my video poem of the day.
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