Totally like whatever, you know?

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Slam poet Taylor Mali hilariously takes on the modern/postmodern tendency to express everything we say in, like, an uncertain tone, ya know?

Mali's point:

I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.

The whole text

In case you hadn’t realised,
it has somehow become uncool
to sound like you know what you’re talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you’re, like, saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical you know’s and you know what I’m sayings
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren’t, like, questions?

Declarative sentences – so-called
because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true, ok
as opposed to other things that are, like, totally, you know, not -
they’ve been infected by a this tragically cool
and totally hip interrogative tone?
As if I’m saying,
don’t think I’m a nerd just because I’ve, like, noticed this; ok
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions,
I’m just, like, inviting you to join me on the band wagon of my own uncertainty
What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down
with the rest of the rain forest? you know?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society just become so filled with these conflicting feelings of ‘nugh’ . . .
That we’ve just gotten to the point where we’re the most aggressively inarticulate generation
to come along since . . .
you know, a long time ago!

So I implore you, I entreat you and I challenge you
To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You’ve got to speak with it, too.

Head of the Forum

Thank you , Madam!

Site Owner

I Allow Him a Story

Amber Connors

Lisa Goldman

Laura Marenghi

Dan McDowell

"Do equilateral triangles ever fall in love with squares?" Taylor Mali raises questions such as this throughout his poetry, encouraging readers to think for themselves and question society. His background as a teacher and as an actor has provided him with the material and skill to become the only person to win the National Slam Poetry Competition four times. In his poems "Totally Like Whatever," "Silver-Lined Heart," and "What Teachers Make," Mali uses these experiences to raise significant questions and to challenge his audience to make a difference.

"I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you, and I challenge you: to speak with conviction." In a few lines throughout "Totally Like Whatever" like the one
above, Mali coherently states his purpose. However, the majority of the poem
uses an inarticulate irony to mock society and the "hip" lingo of our generation. As a result of this irony, the tone changes from mocking to authoritative and challenging as the poem progresses. The lack of rhyme scheme and meter adds a conversational element to the poem. Mali's use of diction also serves to reinforce his point; the frequent use of "like," "you know," and "whatever," along with the constant use of the "tragically cool interrogative tone" actively shows the "disarticulation…ness" that so defines modern communication. Through the diction, Mali exposes his purpose and attempts to make people aware not only of what they say, but also of how they say it.

"But as far as what soothes me, what inspires and moves me, honesty behooves me to tell you your rage doesn't move me."Mali's use of forceful internal rhyme in "Silver-Lined Heart" emphasizes his passion for poetry and for optimism. His optimism seems to have no bounds, as he believes poetry can bring peace to the Middle East or get a criminal released.
The sole allusion in this poem is a reference to Mumia, a leader of the Black
Panthers who was imprisoned over the controversial murder of a police
officer. Mali's positive outlook is shown through unconventional imagery and diction, such as the unexpected religious description of the "sanctity of the sprinkler" and the contrast of the phrase "beautiful confusion." The sporadic external rhyme and meter emphasizes his enthusiasm for, well, what you're for. You know?

"You want to know what I make?" In response to an attack on his salary, Mali employs a passionate and defensive tone to implore his audience not to judge others in "What Teachers Make." Mali's use of anecdotes demonstrates the impact his profession as a teacher had on him. The repetition of "definitely beautiful" along with tales of silent study halls and phone calls to parents illustrates his point. It also adds a personal element and memories of the classroom to which the audience can relate. The parallel construction that starts each line with "I make" helps create the strong and forceful tone and also show that success is not based on salary.Mali challenges his students to become the best they can be, as students and as people, and in this way makes a difference. The poem has neither meter nor rhyme until the very last couplet, adding a conversational element to most of the poem. The transition at the end enforces the strength of the challenge Mali gives to his audience: make a difference.

Throughout his poetry, Mali uses anecdotes from his own experience coupled with a challenge to the audience to enforce the power of language and its ability to make a difference. He rarely uses a set meter or rhyme scheme throughout an entire poem, but sticks in rhyming couplets or internal rhyme where it will be the most effective. The passionate and powerful tones are emphasized by choice diction; he uses words that everyone can understand,
which allows the audience to develop a close connection with his modern themes.
His years as a teacher have provoked him to write and dedicate many of his
poems to his students, yet he also focuses on flaws in society and uses his
poetry to raise awareness. From speaking with conviction to encouraging
brotherhood to proving that an individual can make a difference, the themes in
Mali's poetry invite readers to take an active role in their own lives and in
the lives of others.

"I'm for the courage it takes to volunteer, to say "yes," "I believe," and "I will."" As teenagers in modern society, we confront the issues Mali discusses in his
poetry in our daily lives. We speak in a "hip, interrogative tone," we sit in the silence of study hall, yet we still strive to make a difference. The appeal of Mali's poetry is not solely its relate…ability, but also its humor, brutal honesty, ability to inspire, and sheer power of the themes. The challenge given in each poem invokes a similar passion in the hearts of today's youth, a youth that longs to make a difference. You know?