Writing about Social Issues: Creative Response Revisited

Here is a poem I recently heard at a performance. I want to share it with you because it has an emotional impact on me and I love the structure. It is also relevant to current issues and is a great mentor text for poetry.

"Southern Cop" by Sterling A. Brown

Let us forgive Ty Kendricks.

The place was Darktown. He was young.

His nerves were jittery. The day was hot.

The Negro ran out of the alley.

And so Ty shot.

Let us understand Ty Kendricks.

The Negro must have been dangerous.

Because he ran;

And here was a rookie with a chance

To prove himself a man.

Let us condone Ty Kendricks

If we cannot decorate.

When he found what the Negro was running for,

It was too late;

And all we can say for the Negro is

It was unfortunate.

Let us pity Ty Kendricks.

He has been through enough,

Standing there, his big gun smoking,

Rabbit-scared, alone,

Having to hear the wenches wail

And the dying Negro moan.

https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/sterling-brown

Writing should stir emotions, move people to think and rethink, and inspire action, writing, and art. Sterling Brown's poem is an example of this type of writing.

What writing techniques do you notice in Brown's poem? List at least 2-3 in your notebook and give examples.

Writing Assignment: Get inspired by his poem. Write a creative response that provokes readers to think, question, and experience a specific problem or issue.

• Choose an issue or specific problem that you read about in Upfront or in your banned book.
• Choose a genre (writing format). You can write a free verse, found poem, or choose or create your own structure (ex. sonnet or song lyrics); you can also write prose (letter, essay, article, story).
• In your notebook, list possible topics and possible genres.
• Choose a topic and genre, and brainstorm. Create a web, list, or freewrite. What do you think, know, and feel about your topic? What do you want to know?
• Write a first draft in your notebook. Due tomorrow.
• Revise your writing. Publish the final on your blog. Due Wed January 4.

Checklist for Creative Writing:

• The text has a thought-provoking focus (message/theme/central idea); the ideas are nuanced and complex.
• The genre is intentional and effectively communicates the focus; the writing is thoughtfully organized.
• The writing is fully developed with a variety of details/evidence.
• The writing includes a variety of effective techniques including sensory details, imagery, figurative language, and intentional word choice that support the ideas.
• The writer brainstormed, planned, drafted, revised, and proofread.