There is a lot of information on the internet about Harryette Mullen's projects. For this weeks response I want you to read the articles linked below and respond.
Harryette Mullen from reading the articles and the book is a very impactful writer. She touches on subjects that are sometimes pushed aside by our society and opens them up to the eyes of the public. She also plays with the borders between african american viewpoints and societal views. Her voice really comes out in her writing. Her use of language and literary devices makes her stand out the most. She takes serious matters and places a touch of humor in them so that it would be taken seriously by her readers, but also with a grain of salt. I really enjoy her writing. ~~Natisha Webb~~
I actually enjoy Harriet Mullen's peotry. Her poems not only reflect the society she lives in they challenge it. She has a clear viewpoint and actually stands for things, where as other poets leave their work ambiguous. I find her poetry to be intriguing, humorous in many ways, and at the same time isn't afraid to push buttons. I compliment the good read. (WILLIAM PINKERTON)
Harriet Mullen uses a different angle for the reader. Instead of making direct points she uses non sense rhyme, and an alphabetic style to persure culture. She seems to be very open minded including the charismatic chacters of the world but seems to focus on the African American society. I really enjoy how she concludes personal touchy subjects in a humorous manner. She takes strain off the issue and displaces it for a short period of time creating an illusion of peace. Tiffany Buie
I really enjoyed Harryette Mullen's work in Sleeping with the Dictionary,especially since I can relate to some of the things that she talks about. It would be nice to have read more of her books. The articles basically said alot about her that we've talked about in class, especially how she uses innovative discussions of race and gender. Also, in Sleeping with the Dictionary there happens to be plenty of social criticism and humor worked up into the collection of prose poems. One thing that the first article did was go into further detail about her poem, We are not Responsible. The other article, Stretching the Dialogue of African American Poetry was very interesting and it gave backgrounds on many different poets. It talked about reexaming the boundaries drawn to define blackness. Johnna'Burns
Harryette Mullen's work plays with language to point out things in society that humans have placed boundries on. It's funny how we are all supposed to act politically corrrect, and it's been shoved in our faces for some time now. She takes instances where we are not and we need to change something. The language she uses sounds almost joking because it's straight to the point and not how society would excpect her to use. She's very clever and I wish I could play on words like she does. Karin Aydelette
Harryette Mullen is a poet who is not afraid to bluntly express her views through her writing. Her poems are humorous but most are about serious problems within society. Some of the main issues I have noticed are feminism and racial stereotyping. She is very in tune with her heritage. You can see how proud she is to be African American in her paper, "The Cracks Between What We Are and What We Are Supposed to Be." She talks about other poets that "examine the boundaries that were drawn in order to define declarative blackness celebrated in the Black Arts movement." She applauds poets who test these boundaries and explore their "blackness." I admire how she is not afraid to challenge the racism that still exists in a rather uncommon way by writing poetry. Her poems are quite humorous but the majority of them carry a much deeper message showing the concerns of Harryette Mullen herself. I have enjoyed reading Sleeping with the Dictionary. The poems were the most entertaining of the ones we have read in class so far.
As the articles suggest, I think that Mullen’s work is contemporary, but also dips into the essence of the history of spoken word and of other poets like Gertrude Stein. Her works deal with topics that almost everyone can relate to no matter what race you are or what background you come from. Article one talks about how her works are not always of one type. Sometimes they are funny and other times they are more serious. This variation of mood and language give her techniques so much unique quality. One thing that Article two said was “these poets give us opportunities to re-examine the boundaries that were drawn in order to define the declarative blackness celebrated in the Black Arts movement.” This is exactly what Mullen’s poetry does. The only difference is that I think it reaches out to re-examine more than just the boundaries of “blackness”. Her poetry reaches out to race, politics and more. Shera Gadson
After reading the reviews of Mullen and figuring out what oulpian ment, I understand now why some of her work is harder to understand. Mullen does use "jargen" not ususally found in everyday speak with culturally iconic phrases. She is a true pioneer in poetry but also in the black community. Athough I don't agree with all her politocs, I enjoy reading her work because it does challenge and break the ideas of race, religion and sensuality.
Harryette Mullen has had a great impact on not only the world of poetry, but also on the world of Black Arts. She uses language in a very unique way to put across specific points. I love the way that she uses language that one wouldn't normally find in poetry in her works. For example, her poem "We are not responsible" uses language that one would normally find in an airport to create a wonderful and interesting piece of poetry. She is a great and unique poet.
Harryette Mullen's book "The Sleeping Dictionary" consists of poems that are very reflective of societal norms, race/gender distinctions, and cultural appreciation. It is obvious that she writes as a way to appreciate her own african american heritage. In society, people of all races/genders/religion/background have their own unique way of talking and their perceptions of similar things varies too. This book pieces poems together that appreciates all language.
Harryette Mullen has a way of reaching a diversed audience. She uses race/gender and society's problems as a whole in her poems. She is very direct in her work also, she is not afraid to say what really needs to be said and you can tell that she doesn't try to dress up her work to make it sound better. The language she uses is a very good example of the way she looks at different situations. Arnetta Hardy
Harryette Mullen doesn't mind expressing her views and her beliefs in her writing. She uses a lot of racial issues in her poems. In her paper "The Cracks Between What We Are Supposed to Be," she talks about her African heritage and it shows how strongly she believes in it. In the first article, it also goes in further detail in "We Are Not Responsible." This shows she adds a sense of humor to her poems which makes them more interesting to read, or they do for me. Brittany Hall
I like Mullens way of writing; she has a very unique style. It's something that I have never read before. Like in sleeping with the dictionary, there are a lot of short poems, but they all are pretty powerful. They also touched on a lot of subjects I think that people normally would not touch on, especially the political aspects. While reading some of her selections of poetry, she does a lot of playing with words. I definitely think that she makes very valid points, and touches on a wide range of topics. You are not able to open her book of poetry and know right away what you are going to be looking at. It's relaxing, and it's enjoyable, and some what humorous. There is a critical thinking aspect of her work also, which is always a good thing.
I hadn't really noticed how much humor played a role in Mullen's poetry until I read the first article. For example, in the article's discussion of "We Are Not Responsible," I realized she was poking fun at disclaimers imposed on all types of things. Subconsciously, I had probably realized this before reading the article, but the article actually made me stop and think about each individual disclaimer.
I also liked the way that Mullen believes that a poet's job is to show, not tell. She gives her audience the benefit of the doubt in believing that we are smart enough to understand what she is talking about. She intricately weaves "corporate jargon and political doublespeak" in such a way as to provoke thought from the reader, but not so difficult as to take away the enjoyment from the reader. And it made me smile when I read that she finds delight in the music of the words that she arranges--that she can manipulate language to be both "toxic" and "beneficial." In doing so, she crosses boundaries and boldly writes about class, sexuality, and race. She turns it into thought and entertainment, kind of a challenge to the reader, causing us to question and take note of the society in which we live.--Jessica Dickerson
After finishing sleeping with the dictionary and then reading the articles, i can't say much more than the first article that was provided. Mullen chooses a subject matter that is impactful to every reader b/c everyone has an opinion. She writes with a jargon that sometimes changes. Sometimes is like an advertisement and others it's almost like a voice of reason. She leaves many things up to the reader to take in and understand where as some may not understand but can find meaning. This is seen especially in racism and feminism, not everyone can relate to those subject matters.
Harryette Mullen proves through her poetry that she has an amazing command of the English language. She uses her knowledge of different dialects and cultures along with syntax and semantics to give unique musical quality to her poetry. Mullen also uses her poetry to express opinions about our society's cultural diversity and/or lack of it. She has written several poems that poke fun at how society attempts to help people of different cultures fit into society, but is really drawing attention to their differences (example "Bilingual Instructions").
Harryette Mullen poetry was very interesting. I enjoyed reading some of her poetry, one in particular was the jinglejangle. I really like this poem because it wasn't like any poetry I have read, she had humor to the poem which makes it more interesting. Harryette seems like a person who is not afraid to speak what is on her mind, and I think that that is a good thing because she is honesty, she doesn't sugar code things. I like how she talks about race and gender, there are a few poet who are bold enought to go ahead and talk about issues like this. Overall I enjoyed Harryette Mullen poetry.
Harryette Mullen uses a number of writing techniques such as the s+7, works similar to Getrude Stein, and wordplay, which keep readers from getting bore with the book. Whether is be a sensitive or controversial issue she is able to poke fun at it. She can turn a serious subject matter into a joke through advertising jargon. In a way it’s not only meant for amusement, but to make readers aware of the problems that occurs in society such as stereotyping or being discriminated against simply because of your skin color. My guess is that she has probably experienced prejudice or discrimination like or if not similar to the things that she wrote in Sleeping with the Dictionary. This is something that is different from other poets. Hong Ton
Harryette Mullen is bold and inspirational to a lot of people through her poetry. Her main concern seems to be to show how the black race hsas been effected by white society. She feels that African Americans are being force to give in to the things of the white culture: from the way that they talk to the way that they wear their hair. In it all she feels that African Americans are losing their identity because of feeling that they have to conform to the white culture in order to fit in with the rest of society. What makes her poetry stands out is that though these are serious topics, Mullen uses euphemisms in order to get her messages across without being too straight forward.
Harryette Mullen seems to be an up and coming contemporary american poet. I really enjoyed reading her book Sleeping with the Dictionary. Her book of poems was both fun yet made a serious point. In her poem jinglejangle, she presents issues of the Nation is childlike rhymes. this is very useful, humor and seroiusness mixed makes for easier reading. After readying the articles about Mullen, i got a sense of who she is and where her writing is coming from. the way that she can bluntly talk about race and gender through poems give her respect out there. I think that she is a great new poet, and that her techinques are well done.
Harryette Mullen is an author like none other. Even though she is greatly influenced by authors like Getrude Stein, she has a unique style that is all her own. Like the first article says, her poems range from rhymning scemes likes jinglejangle to prose poetry that is extremely serious. The mix of just these two types shows she is an extrodinary lady. Even though I have only read Sleeping With the Dictionary, I would love to continue reading Harryette Mullin because there is such great diversity to all her poems. ~Sally Hinson
I think the first article really touches on a lot of themes and ideas used by Mullen. From reading her work she seems very up to date on events happening in society and talks about them in a way that connects with the reader. Every sentence may not connect with the reader, but there is enough said for the reader grasp and idea and understand what she is talking about. In the second article the author talked about specific poets and how they interrogate the cultural meaning of blackness. When I read that statement and thought about it I wondered how can one person put a meaning of blackness. I think its impossible. Blackness is an adjective, not a noun. I wish people would stop trying to define everything and just let some ideas or concepts be what they are. Cherie Avent
Harryette Mullen is a very intriguing writer. Her works to me are very foreign. I do not always understand her main points. What she speaks out about are very real and reasonable topics. It is just the way that they are presented to the readers that make them difficult. i do not always understand the "jargan" that she uses in describing the topics at hand. I enjoy some of her work but fail to see all of her work clearly. I am glad that she is speaking out about things that touch her. Because i do not completly understand all the general references she makes, like the "concealed wallet" then it is hard for me to get the poetry. She uses a lot of, i dont want to say aphorisms, but references to many many different events. I can catch a few of them but i can not catch them all. Either way she is good at what she does. Because she is a writer i can appreciate her hard work, i just do not get it all the time. ~lisa thompson~
I believe that Harryette Mullen's most prominent achievement in her work is to engage her reader or listener into a language game. At first, this move comes as a surprise, but then her experimentation with words, sound, and word order come as a refreshing relief to the forms of communication we are constantly bombarded with. By twisting the language we confront daily found in advertising, textbooks, and legalese, she releases us from structured public wording and invites us to explore the intimate capabilities of language. I find this approach close to revolutionary, and reading her Sleeping with the Dictionary can only be the beginning of viewing language in a completely different light.
Harryette Mullen’s works are very insightful because they address issues that are relevant to today’s society from an African American point of view. She takes a strong stance on sensitive subjects such as gender and ethnicity instead of being “politically correct”. Mullen accepts her black heritage and incorporates it well into her poetry. Mullen is not afraid to use provocative words and titles such as S*PeRM**K*T. Readers can appreciate her poetry for its sincerity. The poetry she writes is not mean to satisfy any particular group she just expresses her own ideals. Mullen is an individual in a society that is molded to follow trends and copy one another. -Paul Gilliland
I absolutely fell in love with Harryette Mullen's work. Just from reading her poems you can gather that she is a very outspoken, yet impactful writer. The articles even demonstrated this as well. I like the fact that she likes to dwell in the borders between African American views as well as those of society. She also plays on the stereotypes and/or labels that society puts on different people based on their cultural backgrounds. The way that she places her words on the page and her tone shines through her poetry. As a reader you can really get an understanding of what she is talking about. I also like the way that she plays with the serious issues to get a point across.
Wow! After reading the articles, I'm impressed w/ Ms. Mullen's previous & present works. I didn't know that she teaches African-American Literautre at UCLA...that's cool b/c I was kind of turned off by the reading that we watched of her. I thought it was too dramtic whenever she read it. And that is what changed my perception of her poetry..b/c when I read it or when its read in class...it sounds & feels better. I do like the way she discusses the different views of society among certain things..then, the serious actions or matters that happen everyday...she adds a comical twist to them, to make you notice how serious they are, but @ the same time recongnizable. Overall, these articles shined a new light towards me on her work & style. I enjoyed them....***
After reading the articels and listening to Harryette Mullen read her poems, I was shocked how I could understand the poems in her book better. I could clearly see the racial aspects of the words in most of the poems. One peom she mentioned things like; nappy hair, and she describes sexual activies of females or the typical virgin. Her poems are written in stanza with no comas but one should read her peoms and feel where the commas go As she was reading her peom that is what she did. I really like her protrayal of Gretude Stein. Tori Hoyle
Harryette Mullen is a very Conflicting writer. Her viewpoints definately stretch the boundaries between race and social confines. The poem that was discussed in the first article "we are not responsible" I thought was a very intersting and risky poem. I personally liked it but Im sure that some might have found it a little too satirish. Her help in the black arts movement has definately opened the door for many african americans to write and develop their talent not only in poetry but in many other aspects of art... Props
I like the way Harryette Mullen writes. I think that her poems flow well, and some could be spoken like a rap. I think that it is interesting how one of her influences' is Gertrude Stein.I also think it is interesting, and cool how she writes about Black people and culture in a way that doesn't hold back, and she doesn't care if she offends anyone, in fact she problably writes some of her poems to offend someone. I also enjoy the fact that she can be humorous and very serious.
I really enjoyed reading Harriet Mullen's poetry in sleeping with the dictionary. She is an extremely unique and intelligent poet. She covers a wide range of social and political issues, such as sexuality, gender, and race, in ways that many poets would not dare to do. The way she chooses to express her beliefs and ideas often come across as humorous in her poetry. She is not scared of offending anyone with her work. I would definetly recommend her work to others, Kimberly Richtarik
Harryette Mullen uses interesting techniques to create a style of poetry that gets the reader to really think. She notes on varies subject matter from political to playful. I think going to a reading of Mullen's would be very helpful in getting a grasp of her poetry. I found that hearing the author gives an entirely different view on the poetry itself. Brianna Smith
Mullen's ways of writing are very unique and enjoyable to read. I like the way she isn't afraid at all to express her feelings and see how people react to the different opinions she has. She definately has a clear point in her writing from differnt angles and opens the readers eyes to the other side of thinking. I like the way she crosses the set boundaries of racial and cultural identities and leads the reader to thinking in their own way, independantly. I also found it interesting how the first article said Mullen studied Gertrude Stein and other Modernist poets and was compared to the allusions similar to MTV. She is also admirable because of the humor she uses in her writings, and the criticism that will leave the readers laughing. Overall she is a neat writer to read about and looked upon with respect in her style she uses. -Whitney Johnson
I like the way that Harriot mulllen takes racial and cultural issues and makes them public... She exploits such Ideas that you might only think in private and makes them public, Emphasizing the private/public idea that we were trying to get at in class. -Brittany Snow
34 Comments:
Harryette Mullen from reading the articles and the book is a very impactful writer. She touches on subjects that are sometimes pushed aside by our society and opens them up to the eyes of the public. She also plays with the borders between african american viewpoints and societal views. Her voice really comes out in her writing. Her use of language and literary devices makes her stand out the most. She takes serious matters and places a touch of humor in them so that it would be taken seriously by her readers, but also with a grain of salt. I really enjoy her writing.
~~Natisha Webb~~
I actually enjoy Harriet Mullen's peotry. Her poems not only reflect the society she lives in they challenge it. She has a clear viewpoint and actually stands for things, where as other poets leave their work ambiguous. I find her poetry to be intriguing, humorous in many ways, and at the same time isn't afraid to push buttons. I compliment the good read. (WILLIAM PINKERTON)
Harriet Mullen uses a different angle for the reader. Instead of making direct points she uses non sense rhyme, and an alphabetic style to persure culture. She seems to be very open minded including the charismatic chacters of the world but seems to focus on the African American society. I really enjoy how she concludes personal touchy subjects in a humorous manner. She takes strain off the issue and displaces it for a short period of time creating an illusion of peace. Tiffany Buie
I really enjoyed Harryette Mullen's work in Sleeping with the Dictionary,especially since I can relate to some of the things that she talks about. It would be nice to have read more of her books. The articles basically said alot about her that we've talked about in class, especially how she uses innovative discussions of race and gender. Also, in Sleeping with the Dictionary there happens to be plenty of social criticism and humor worked up into the collection of prose poems. One thing that the first article did was go into further detail about her poem, We are not Responsible. The other article, Stretching the Dialogue of African American Poetry was very interesting and it gave backgrounds on many different poets. It talked about reexaming the boundaries drawn to define blackness.
Johnna'Burns
Harryette Mullen's work plays with language to point out things in society that humans have placed boundries on. It's funny how we are all supposed to act politically corrrect, and it's been shoved in our faces for some time now. She takes instances where we are not and we need to change something. The language she uses sounds almost joking because it's straight to the point and not how society would excpect her to use. She's very clever and I wish I could play on words like she does.
Karin Aydelette
Harryette Mullen is a poet who is not afraid to bluntly express her views through her writing. Her poems are humorous but most are about serious problems within society. Some of the main issues I have noticed are feminism and racial stereotyping. She is very in tune with her heritage. You can see how proud she is to be African American in her paper, "The Cracks Between What We Are and What We Are Supposed to Be." She talks about other poets that "examine the boundaries that were drawn in order to define declarative blackness celebrated in the Black Arts movement." She applauds poets who test these boundaries and explore their "blackness." I admire how she is not afraid to challenge the racism that still exists in a rather uncommon way by writing poetry. Her poems are quite humorous but the majority of them carry a much deeper message showing the concerns of Harryette Mullen herself. I have enjoyed reading Sleeping with the Dictionary. The poems were the most entertaining of the ones we have read in class so far.
Megan Foster
As the articles suggest, I think that Mullen’s work is contemporary, but also dips into the essence of the history of spoken word and of other poets like Gertrude Stein. Her works deal with topics that almost everyone can relate to no matter what race you are or what background you come from. Article one talks about how her works are not always of one type. Sometimes they are funny and other times they are more serious. This variation of mood and language give her techniques so much unique quality. One thing that Article two said was “these poets give us opportunities to re-examine the boundaries that were drawn in order to define the declarative blackness celebrated in the Black Arts movement.” This is exactly what Mullen’s poetry does. The only difference is that I think it reaches out to re-examine more than just the boundaries of “blackness”. Her poetry reaches out to race, politics and more.
Shera Gadson
Rebekah Bair-Sanders
After reading the reviews of Mullen and figuring out what oulpian ment, I understand now why some of her work is harder to understand. Mullen does use "jargen" not ususally found in everyday speak with culturally iconic phrases. She is a true pioneer in poetry but also in the black community. Athough I don't agree with all her politocs, I enjoy reading her work because it does challenge and break the ideas of race, religion and sensuality.
Harryette Mullen has had a great impact on not only the world of poetry, but also on the world of Black Arts. She uses language in a very unique way to put across specific points. I love the way that she uses language that one wouldn't normally find in poetry in her works. For example, her poem "We are not responsible" uses language that one would normally find in an airport to create a wonderful and interesting piece of poetry. She is a great and unique poet.
Stefanie Tallent
Harryette Mullen's book "The Sleeping Dictionary" consists of poems that are very reflective of societal norms, race/gender distinctions, and cultural appreciation. It is obvious that she writes as a way to appreciate her own african american heritage. In society, people of all races/genders/religion/background have their own unique way of talking and their perceptions of similar things varies too. This book pieces poems together that appreciates all language.
~~Airreia Smith
Harryette Mullen has a way of reaching a diversed audience. She uses race/gender and society's problems as a whole in her poems. She is very direct in her work also, she is not afraid to say what really needs to be said and you can tell that she doesn't try to dress up her work to make it sound better. The language she uses is a very good example of the way she looks at different situations.
Arnetta Hardy
Harryette Mullen doesn't mind expressing her views and her beliefs in her writing. She uses a lot of racial issues in her poems. In her paper "The Cracks Between What We Are Supposed to Be," she talks about her African heritage and it shows how strongly she believes in it. In the first article, it also goes in further detail in "We Are Not Responsible." This shows she adds a sense of humor to her poems which makes them more interesting to read, or they do for me.
Brittany Hall
I like Mullens way of writing; she has a very unique style. It's something that I have never read before. Like in sleeping with the dictionary, there are a lot of short poems, but they all are pretty powerful. They also touched on a lot of subjects I think that people normally would not touch on, especially the political aspects. While reading some of her selections of poetry, she does a lot of playing with words. I definitely think that she makes very valid points, and touches on a wide range of topics. You are not able to open her book of poetry and know right away what you are going to be looking at. It's relaxing, and it's enjoyable, and some what humorous. There is a critical thinking aspect of her work also, which is always a good thing.
~James DeGraffenreid~
I hadn't really noticed how much humor played a role in Mullen's poetry until I read the first article. For example, in the article's discussion of "We Are Not Responsible," I realized she was poking fun at disclaimers imposed on all types of things. Subconsciously, I had probably realized this before reading the article, but the article actually made me stop and think about each individual disclaimer.
I also liked the way that Mullen believes that a poet's job is to show, not tell. She gives her audience the benefit of the doubt in believing that we are smart enough to understand what she is talking about. She intricately weaves "corporate jargon and political doublespeak" in such a way as to provoke thought from the reader, but not so difficult as to take away the enjoyment from the reader. And it made me smile when I read that she finds delight in the music of the words that she arranges--that she can manipulate language to be both "toxic" and "beneficial." In doing so, she crosses boundaries and boldly writes about class, sexuality, and race. She turns it into thought and entertainment, kind of a challenge to the reader, causing us to question and take note of the society in which we live.--Jessica Dickerson
After finishing sleeping with the dictionary and then reading the articles, i can't say much more than the first article that was provided. Mullen chooses a subject matter that is impactful to every reader b/c everyone has an opinion. She writes with a jargon that sometimes changes. Sometimes is like an advertisement and others it's almost like a voice of reason. She leaves many things up to the reader to take in and understand where as some may not understand but can find meaning. This is seen especially in racism and feminism, not everyone can relate to those subject matters.
amber mains
Harryette Mullen proves through her poetry that she has an amazing command of the English language. She uses her knowledge of different dialects and cultures along with syntax and semantics to give unique musical quality to her poetry. Mullen also uses her poetry to express opinions about our society's cultural diversity and/or lack of it. She has written several poems that poke fun at how society attempts to help people of different cultures fit into society, but is really drawing attention to their differences (example "Bilingual Instructions").
Patrick Nelson
Harryette Mullen poetry was very interesting. I enjoyed reading some of her poetry, one in particular was the jinglejangle. I really like this poem because it wasn't like any poetry I have read, she had humor to the poem which makes it more interesting. Harryette seems like a person who is not afraid to speak what is on her mind, and I think that that is a good thing because she is honesty, she doesn't sugar code things. I like how she talks about race and gender, there are a few poet who are bold enought to go ahead and talk about issues like this. Overall I enjoyed Harryette Mullen poetry.
Tammy McRae
Harryette Mullen uses a number of writing techniques such as the s+7, works similar to Getrude Stein, and wordplay, which keep readers from getting bore with the book. Whether is be a sensitive or controversial issue she is able to poke fun at it. She can turn a serious subject matter into a joke through advertising jargon. In a way it’s not only meant for amusement, but to make readers aware of the problems that occurs in society such as stereotyping or being discriminated against simply because of your skin color. My guess is that she has probably experienced prejudice or discrimination like or if not similar to the things that she wrote in Sleeping with the Dictionary. This is something that is different from other poets.
Hong Ton
Harryette Mullen is bold and inspirational to a lot of people through her poetry. Her main concern seems to be to show how the black race hsas been effected by white society. She feels that African Americans are being force to give in to the things of the white culture: from the way that they talk to the way that they wear their hair. In it all she feels that African Americans are losing their identity because of feeling that they have to conform to the white culture in order to fit in with the rest of society. What makes her poetry stands out is that though these are serious topics, Mullen uses euphemisms in order to get her messages across without being too straight forward.
Nicole Parker
Harryette Mullen seems to be an up and coming contemporary american poet. I really enjoyed reading her book Sleeping with the Dictionary. Her book of poems was both fun yet made a serious point. In her poem jinglejangle, she presents issues of the Nation is childlike rhymes. this is very useful, humor and seroiusness mixed makes for easier reading. After readying the articles about Mullen, i got a sense of who she is and where her writing is coming from. the way that she can bluntly talk about race and gender through poems give her respect out there. I think that she is a great new poet, and that her techinques are well done.
Stephanie Kuebler
Harryette Mullen is an author like none other. Even though she is greatly influenced by authors like Getrude Stein, she has a unique style that is all her own. Like the first article says, her poems range from rhymning scemes likes jinglejangle to prose poetry that is extremely serious. The mix of just these two types shows she is an extrodinary lady.
Even though I have only read Sleeping With the Dictionary, I would love to continue reading Harryette Mullin because there is such great diversity to all her poems.
~Sally Hinson
I think the first article really touches on a lot of themes and ideas used by Mullen. From reading her work she seems very up to date on events happening in society and talks about them in a way that connects with the reader. Every sentence may not connect with the reader, but there is enough said for the reader grasp and idea and understand what she is talking about.
In the second article the author talked about specific poets and how they interrogate the cultural meaning of blackness. When I read that statement and thought about it I wondered how can one person put a meaning of blackness. I think its impossible. Blackness is an adjective, not a noun. I wish people would stop trying to define everything and just let some ideas or concepts be what they are.
Cherie Avent
Harryette Mullen is a very intriguing writer. Her works to me are very foreign. I do not always understand her main points. What she speaks out about are very real and reasonable topics. It is just the way that they are presented to the readers that make them difficult.
i do not always understand the "jargan" that she uses in describing the topics at hand. I enjoy some of her work but fail to see all of her work clearly. I am glad that she is speaking out about things that touch her.
Because i do not completly understand all the general references she makes, like the "concealed wallet" then it is hard for me to get the poetry. She uses a lot of, i dont want to say aphorisms, but references to many many different events. I can catch a few of them but i can not catch them all.
Either way she is good at what she does. Because she is a writer i can appreciate her hard work, i just do not get it all the time.
~lisa thompson~
I believe that Harryette Mullen's most prominent achievement in her work is to engage her reader or listener into a language game. At first, this move comes as a surprise, but then her experimentation with words, sound, and word order come as a refreshing relief to the forms of communication we are constantly bombarded with. By twisting the language we confront daily found in advertising, textbooks, and legalese, she releases us from structured public wording and invites us to explore the intimate capabilities of language. I find this approach close to revolutionary, and reading her Sleeping with the Dictionary can only be the beginning of viewing language in a completely different light.
Tineke Misegades
Harryette Mullen’s works are very insightful because they address issues that are relevant to today’s society from an African American point of view. She takes a strong stance on sensitive subjects such as gender and ethnicity instead of being “politically correct”. Mullen accepts her black heritage and incorporates it well into her poetry. Mullen is not afraid to use provocative words and titles such as S*PeRM**K*T. Readers can appreciate her poetry for its sincerity. The poetry she writes is not mean to satisfy any particular group she just expresses her own ideals. Mullen is an individual in a society that is molded to follow trends and copy one another.
-Paul Gilliland
I absolutely fell in love with Harryette Mullen's work. Just from reading her poems you can gather that she is a very outspoken, yet impactful writer. The articles even demonstrated this as well. I like the fact that she likes to dwell in the borders between African American views as well as those of society. She also plays on the stereotypes and/or labels that society puts on different people based on their cultural backgrounds. The way that she places her words on the page and her tone shines through her poetry. As a reader you can really get an understanding of what she is talking about. I also like the way that she plays with the serious issues to get a point across.
Na'Kol M. Curtis 4147
Wow! After reading the articles, I'm impressed w/ Ms. Mullen's previous & present works. I didn't know that she teaches African-American Literautre at UCLA...that's cool b/c I was kind of turned off by the reading that we watched of her. I thought it was too dramtic whenever she read it. And that is what changed my perception of her poetry..b/c when I read it or when its read in class...it sounds & feels better.
I do like the way she discusses the different views of society among certain things..then, the serious actions or matters that happen everyday...she adds a comical twist to them, to make you notice how serious they are, but @ the same time recongnizable.
Overall, these articles shined a new light towards me on her work & style. I enjoyed them....***
*Samantha Ray*
After reading the articels and listening to Harryette Mullen read her poems, I was shocked how I could understand the poems in her book better. I could clearly see the racial aspects of the words in most of the poems. One peom she mentioned things like; nappy hair,
and she describes sexual activies of females or the typical virgin. Her poems are written in stanza with no comas but one should read her peoms and feel where the commas go As she was reading her peom that is what she did. I really like her protrayal of Gretude Stein.
Tori Hoyle
Harryette Mullen is a very Conflicting writer. Her viewpoints definately stretch the boundaries between race and social confines. The poem that was discussed in the first article "we are not responsible" I thought was a very intersting and risky poem. I personally liked it but Im sure that some might have found it a little too satirish. Her help in the black arts movement has definately opened the door for many african americans to write and develop their talent not only in poetry but in many other aspects of art... Props
5588 Kimberly Grimes
I like the way Harryette Mullen writes. I think that her poems flow well, and some could be spoken like a rap. I think that it is interesting how one of her influences' is Gertrude Stein.I also think it is interesting, and cool how she writes about Black people and culture in a way that doesn't hold back, and she doesn't care if she offends anyone, in fact she problably writes some of her poems to offend someone. I also enjoy the fact that she can be humorous and very serious.
Kasi Perkins
I really enjoyed reading Harriet Mullen's poetry in sleeping with the dictionary. She is an extremely unique and intelligent poet. She covers a wide range of social and political issues, such as sexuality, gender, and race, in ways that many poets would not dare to do. The way she chooses to express her beliefs and ideas often come across as humorous in her poetry. She is not scared of offending anyone with her work. I would definetly recommend her work to others,
Kimberly Richtarik
Harryette Mullen uses interesting techniques to create a style of poetry that gets the reader to really think. She notes on varies subject matter from political to playful. I think going to a reading of Mullen's would be very helpful in getting a grasp of her poetry. I found that hearing the author gives an entirely different view on the poetry itself.
Brianna Smith
Mullen's ways of writing are very unique and enjoyable to read. I like the way she isn't afraid at all to express her feelings and see how people react to the different opinions she has. She definately has a clear point in her writing from differnt angles and opens the readers eyes to the other side of thinking. I like the way she crosses the set boundaries of racial and cultural identities and leads the reader to thinking in their own way, independantly. I also found it interesting how the first article said Mullen studied Gertrude Stein and other Modernist poets and was compared to the allusions similar to MTV. She is also admirable because of the humor she uses in her writings, and the criticism that will leave the readers laughing. Overall she is a neat writer to read about and looked upon with respect in her style she uses.
-Whitney Johnson
I like the way that Harriot mulllen takes racial and cultural issues and makes them public... She exploits such Ideas that you might only think in private and makes them public, Emphasizing the private/public idea that we were trying to get at in class. -Brittany Snow
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