Week 2: Dear Mr. Kanye West

This week our group carried over the activity from last week by starting to create vision boards for our Hope, Build, Believe, and Achieve theme. While we were clipping out pictures and words to build our boards, we discussed Kanye Wests' latest controversy.

For those of you unfamiliar with last weeks VMA crashing, while 'Taylor Swift was making her acceptance speech for winning Best Female Video for "You Belong with Me", Kanye West got on stage, interrupted her and took her microphone, saying Beyoncé had "one of the best videos of all time" with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". Beyoncé looked shocked, and West was then booed by the audience. Angered, he flipped off the crowd. During the commercial break, singer Pink walked by the rapper and reportedly shook her head in disgust. West was later removed from the remainder of the show. After Beyoncé won Video of the Year, she asked Swift to come on stage to complete her speech. Later, West apologized on his blog (which he later removed). -sited from wikipedia.

Everybody in our writing club has been a long time fan of Kanye West. There is no argument over his struggles, success or talent. I do, however, have to point out some incriminating points of interest. This is not the first time Mr. West went out of his way to draw attention to himself. (Special note to his bizarre haircut, we get it Kanye.) He is becoming more famous for his rants and divo behavior than for his earned success. 'During the 2007 VMAs in Las Vegas, West delivered another rant and lost his temper after he was displeased with his performance being set inside a hotel suite rather than on the show's main stage. -sited from mtv.news.com. Mr. West also took the stage at the 2004 American Music Awards and declared that he was robbed of the Best New Artist nod. Really? You were disgraced by being robbed of a moment? Well here is what we think about your little (big) stunt.

Dear Kanye West,

I think what you did to Taylor Swift was very rude and uncalled for. You made (her) feel really bad because she won the award and it was her first time. I thought her video was awesome and very entertaining. She's only 19 years old, how could you do that to a child? If you had something to say, you should have said it while you were accepting your award.
-Sincerely, Jocelyn A. Jones.

Dear Kanye West,

I think what you did was wrong, but I still love you and your songs. I think when you apologize to Taylor Swift she will accept your apology because she seems like a very sweet girl. If you do this, than I hope to meet you at your concert with Lady GaGa.
- Love, Kyana Malone


Dear Mr. Kanye West,

It's my opinion that an apology would be suitable and obviously some good PR, but it cannot give a 19 year old girl her moment back. You took it upon yourself to humiliate and permanently damage Ms. Swifts' memory of receiving her first, and maybe only, VMA. Not to mention, the very first ever VMA to be awarded to a country artist. I find your behavior to be, at best, atrocious. I realize that it's not the end of the world, and there are people out there struggling to find work and make ends meet. So while all the attacks against you, including comments from President Obama, might seem a little excessive and harsh, I have to say it looks like the shoe fits.
-Sincerely, Shannyn Nellett

Dear Kanye West,

How does it feel knowing that you took the spotlight of a young girl winning a very special award? If I was there, I would have to laugh at your stupidity. Seriously, think about it, you took a selfish role and made yourself out to be the bad guy in the situation. Sure you were drunk, however, in my words, YOU FAILED EPICALLY! Thanks to Beyonce, Taylor Swift got a lesser version of her moment. I doubt you're feeling proud now. See ya failure. Yes, I seem mean, but I'm not paid to be nice. Clearly, neither are you.
-Sincerely, Charles Hill.

Dear Kanye,

Everyone has the right to express their opinions, but there is a right time and place to do so. Put yourself in other people's shoes and use better judgment before you speak your mind.

- Thanks, Jessica Vandivier.

Dear Kanye West,

I love your music and every song by you, but I believe your actions at the VMA's was very inappropriate. I feel it was highly disrespectful towards Taylor Swift, especially with that being her first VMA. It was a big deal, she was the first country artist to ever receive such an honor. I definitely think you should apologize in respect for Taylor Swift, as well as the viewers and her fans. I still love you, but you should never have done that.
- Sincerely, Imann Mitchell.

Week 1: HOPE, BUILD, BELIEVE, AND ACHIEVE!

As we kick off our Creative Writing Program for the 2009-2010 school year, we acknowledge and discuss this years theme for Cabrini Connections; "Hope, Build, Believe, and Achieve!" We wrote down each word and talked about what the word means to us, how we incorporate that word into our mission at Cabrini and in life, and words that relate to these ideas.

HOPE: Kyana and Jocelyn define hope as another way of wishing or really wanting something to materialize. Charles Hill says, "The word Hope, in my opinion, would mean to be given hope, as in having someone or something to believe in and to give you inspiration to accomplish something." He also says, "The only thing I really hope for in my life is true happiness, especially in a world filled with so much corruption and sorrow." Well done Charles! Kyana hopes for a bright future and Jocelyn hopes she passes the Constitution Test. (We'll help you out with that Jocelyn.)

Words that remind us of Hope were: Faith, Believe, Wish, and Inspiration.

BUILD: The collective opinion on how we define the word Build was to provide a foundation for growth, work hard throughout the years to build friendships, relationships, and to go through obstacles until you achieve your layers of goals. Jocelyn wants to build positive strong friendships, Kyana Kiche wants to build toward becoming a successful Veterinarian, and Charles wants to build a world in peace, without the need for crime, violence and corruption.

Words that remind us of Build were: Structure, Create, Grow, and Foundation.

BELIEVE: We agreed that to Believe is to hold a personal opinion and to stand behind it as factual and representative of what, to us, is true. Charles took a deeper insight with, "To believe is to have a certain mindset, knowing exactly what it is that you stand for and what your opinion on life is." I couldn't agree more Charles! A common denominator of beliefs among this group was, hands down, the power and importance of education.

Words that remind us of Believe were: Faith, Confidence, and Trust.

ACHIEVE: Charles believes that, "To achieve means to get past an obstacle or goal, reaching the destination of accomplishment and satisfaction." Agreed. Jocelyn Jones says, "To achieve something is to complete a project that you have started with satisfaction." Agreed. Kyana simply and accurately states that, "To achieve means to complete a mission." Agreed! To highlight just a few of the many goals these bright young students would like to achieve; Completing High School and furthering their educations, to become productive and successful citizens, and to make the world a better place with their abilities.

Words that remind us of Achieve were: Complete, Finish, Succeed, and Execute.

Next week we will take the theme a step further, but for now, what an excellent kick off to 2009 and we hope to see you all next week!