TMA 150 and the Business of Inspiration.

Tomorrow in my speech class we have to recite something "with feeling." The teacher recommended songs, lyrics, poetry, inspirational speeches, etc. I was clueless as to what to do (you know, the usual). Welcome to my thought process.

Inspirational stories=ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Blame it on the movie that came out a while ago, but this literally was the first thing to cross my mind. How do you like it?  

I will never say never! (I will fight)
I will fight till forever! (make it right)
Whenever you knock me down,
I will not stay on the ground.
Pick it up,
Pick it up,
Pick it up,
Pick it up up up,
And never say never.

Nahh. I decided that Justin Beiber didn't quite hit the spot. Using my new-found audience-analysis skills, I decided that the words of young Justin just wouldn't have the same effect on my classmates as they did on the preteen population of America.

So I thought some more...and I decided I was going to recite some excerpts from JFK's inaugural speech. It's powerful stuff. If you are ever tempted to sit on your butt and complain about the state of affairs in this country, you should read it and really think about your role as an American citizen. 

"In your hands, my fellow citizens will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty.

...In the long history of the world, only a few generations have ben granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger... I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it. And the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for you country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."

As inspirational as it is, I felt a little weird about pretending to be the president. I soon got over that. However...turns out, memorizing prose is quite difficult and his speech was really quite long (even though I only would have had to recite about a page). 

Then I remembered one of my favorite poets in the whole world. ee cummings. And he writes one of my favorite poems in the world. You will think I am a complete and utter sap, but I can't get over how beautiful this poem is. Because it's short, I'll have to recite two poems...but because this post is getting rather long, I'm just posting this one poem. It's the important one anyways.

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Even if you won’t admit it, I bet you liked it. How could you not?

I’m not going to tell you why I like it.

You should come up with your own reasons.