Tell the Story Again

"The storyteller leads us into expectation, makes us think we understand, and then crack open reality, creating surprise and curiosity, sending us back through his story again and again."

- McKee, Robert. Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principals of Screenwriting. ReganBooks: New York, 1997. pg 237

Glory

Welcome to What!?! Wednesdays. Every week I share with you a song and since today is Remembrance Day, I couldn't think of a better track to share with you.

This is "Glory" by D-Nice.



"Back in the civil war days of 1863
was the year that free blacks would try to adapt as soldiers
Live as equals and get what's owed us
And in this time they had yet to find inner peace
Which comes from the heart and mind
So listen close as I explain the story
of the regiment of blacks on the path to find Glory

Here's an example of courage and strength
that dwelled in the men that went the whole length
To prove that each can stand as a man
And demonstrate, he can carry his own weight
But there was some tryin to add to the plight
of the black man, denyin his right to fight
as an equal, for self-esteem
Ran through the crew or so it seemed
Cause even in times when life seemed colder
He still remained proud to be a black soldier
Waitin for the chance to advance
and under the circumstance, managed to enhance
his courage, and when put to war
he'd do much more than what's bargained for
And each man, that can tell the story
knew from the start deep down in his heart they'd find Glory

These brothers have died and cried, for power and freedom
But now look what we've done
We're robbin and killin our own race
Black and rap will be lost without a trace
So take heed to the knowledge I'm bustin
You're sellin yourself short, that's "Self Destruction"
The song I sing to let freedom ring
So listen to the knowledge I bring as I speak about Glory

Courage, spirit, and honor .. as I speak about Glory
Courage, spirit, and honor .. yeah

Courage, spirit, and honor
Courage, spirit, and honor"

- D-Nice "Glory" from the album Call Me D-Nice and the soundtrack to the motion picture Glory

Let the Bus Go...

"I saw at one point that our mothers are...

the bus drivers...

They are the bus.

See they're the vehicle that gets us here.

They drop us off and go on their way.

They continue on their journey.

And the problem is that we keep trying

to get back on the bus

instead of just letting it go."

- Tony Soprano (character in The Sopranos) Season 6: Episode 19

Learn From It!

"Failure is success if we learn from it."

- Malcolm S. Forbes

Another great quote to inspire you throughout the week.

I really like the collection of motivational quotes at the back of Deb Austin Brown's Growing Character. Every teacher should find this book. It is amazing.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Slow Down to Speed Up

"Slow down to speed up."

- Audrey Hind
I went to a workshop where Audrey made this statement. I'm not sure if she is the original source of this quotation or not.

But it is a great quote that reminds us that good teaching practices take some time. Setting up these practices may take longer than we think. They use more time than we'd like to devote to them, but this time is valuable. If we slow down to teach these things, the rest will come easy and we will be able to speed up after the fact.

The Power of Story

"For the first time then, she caught a glimpse of what the power of speaking might be. It wasn’t a matter of confession, penance, and absolution like the priests offered. It was something else entirely. Telling the story of who she was, and then realizing that she was no longer the same person, that she had made a mistake and the mistake changed her."

- Orson Scott Card. Speaker for the Dead. Tor Book, 1986. – transcribed from audio book

I really like this quote and how it speaks to the power of story. I think Card is an amazing storyteller and is doing more than just delivering a tale to entertain us.

This book is the second in what is known as the Ender series. All the books have been produced as stunning audio books with full cast narration and sound effects. I highly recommend this series. The first book Ender’s Game is amazing and this second book is even better.

I Quit (I Give Up)

"Could it be possible, I'm all dried up, it's all gone?
My worse fears confirmed,
in other words,
there's no more songs.
The ones I had before, so, they were never really mine.
Woke up today to face a steady decline.
And everything I've ever built myself up to be

in my own head
is a misperception of self,
maybe I was born dead.
These moments I thought I lived,
well, hell they're just dreams.
I was wrong about, you, me, everything.
And maybe this little bit of hope
the one I feel now is a lie too,
it's also not real
and none of it's been anything more than a mirage
and I'll keep going, going, till I'm gone.

(chorus)

I quit, I give up

nothing's good enough for anybody else,

it seems."

- OK Cobra "I Quit (I Give Up) from the album Delirium Tremens

I found this song by just randomly using YouTube as a jukebox this week. I'm glad I stumbled across it because this track is fire. I hope that I transcribed the lyrics correctly and that you enjoy this video.

If you want to hear some more great hip-hop today, head on over to my main blog, Silent Cacophony to check out the Cale Sampson podcast and interview transcript. It was after I found his videos to embed in this week's post that I stumbled across this video.

Enjoy!