Why You Gotta Be So Mean?

The song "Mean" by Taylor Swift opened up my eyes to see the real world. I have heard this song the first time in a car when it came out in March the year of 2011. This song has words to it that inspire kids to never break down and is one of the reasons why I like it. Taylor swift is one of my favorite artists, and the lyrics she has to each song, specially this one can connect to most people out there which to me is great! Swift wrote this song because there was this guy who always criticized her work and thought that she could never make it into the music world. But guess what? She eventually did. Songs that connect to someones personal life can soothe them and make them comfortable which is another reason why I like it. "Mean" relates to me because I have been verbally bullied before in elementary school. One theme that stood out to me was that "Never be broken down because of someone because one day you are going to be successful and all they are going to be is a hater." And the theme has related to me, the bully is just a hater to everything you do and that's it.

"You, with your words like knives  
You, with your words like knives and swords and weapons that you use against me 
You have knocked me off my feet again got me feeling like I'm nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard
Calling me out when I'm wounded
You picking on the weaker man" to me means that words can act as weapons. It can hurt and bring you down in several different ways. Words are like a stab in the heart when it is TRYING  to bring someone down. It can make you feel like debris, scattered there on the floor feeling like your useless. Someone who is using words to torment another person can be as if your knocked down to the floor and can't rise back up. Bullies tend to pick on someone who is weaker than them, smaller, and more timid so they can feel better about themselves.

"Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?" This Stanza means that when the person gets older they will be living in a big city having a nice job, being well known when the person who hurt them with words is just going to stay mean.The words won't have an affect towards the person anymore because they have outgrown the problem. One day the person will have gotten so big as in occupation wise that the bully won't be able to reach them and put them down again. People who bully, are mean and always will be mean when the person who they hurt has moved on to a better life than them.

"You, with your switching sides
And your wildfire lies and your humiliation
You have pointed out my flaws again
As if I don't already see them
I walk with my head down
Trying to block you out 'cause I'll never impress you 
I just wanna feel okay again I bet you got pushed around
Somebody made you cold
But the cycle ends right now
'Cause you can't lead me down that road." I think this part means that bullies always point out flaws and that's all they care about. Whenever you make a flaw that's their chance to bring you down and humiliate you. "I walk with my head down" is when someone is embarrassed because they have just been degraded. I think "Trying to block you out 'cause I'll never impress you " means that a bully will never be astonished of what you do, even if it's a good thing, so its better to just ignore them. The person just wants to get away from the bully and not feel as if someone is hovering over them. There is always a reason on why someone is mean and  why someone is acting the way they are. Someone must have hurt them as well. But now the bully can't hurt them because the tormenting is over and they won't be able to lead you down the wrong way.

This song is very meaningful to children all over the world because somehow, someway they can relate. "Mean" shows a  way to recovery to someone who has been bullied. This song is not a depressing song but is child friendly which makes it better to hear and makes the listener cheerful. Taylor Swift has written this song because she wants to show everyone that things get better in life, it doesn't stay the same. She wants everyone to know that they WILL be successful in life if they try harder to get away from their problem. :)


 "Mean"

You, with your words like knives
And swords and weapons that you use against me
You have knocked me off my feet again
Got me feeling like I'm nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard
Calling me out when I'm wounded
You picking on the weaker man

You can take me down with just one single blow
But you don't know, what you don't know...

Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?

You, with your switching sides
And your wildfire lies and your humiliation
You have pointed out my flaws again
As if I don't already see them
I walk with my head down
Trying to block you out 'cause I'll never impress you
I just wanna feel okay again

I bet you got pushed around
Somebody made you cold
But the cycle ends right now
'Cause you can't lead me down that road
And you don't know, what you don't know...

Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?

And I can see you years from now in a bar
Talking over a football game
With that same big loud opinion
But nobody's listening
Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things
Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing
But all you are is mean

All you are is mean
And a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life
And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean

But someday I'll be living in a big ol' city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean, yeah
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so?..

Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city (Why you gotta be so?..)
And all you're ever gonna be is mean (Why you gotta be so?..)
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me (Why you gotta be so?..)
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYa1eI1hpDE

Teen Murderer? (Revised)

According to the article "Locked Away Forever" by Adam Liptalk in Upfront Magazine, about ten-thousand Americans are serving time in jail because of the crimes they committed before they were 18 years old. The author wants us to know that these teenagers are serving life sentences for crimes that they have committed before the age of 18. More than 350 teens have done a crime such as murder at age 15 and are behind bars. "I was like a magnet for the wrong crowd," says Rebecca Falcon a 15 year old girl that got drunk and was accused of shooting a cab driver with an 18 year old boy she hailed a cab with. She did this just because she was upset with her boyfriend....

Adam Liptalk has used many craft moves throughout his article such as using statistics. He has clearly shown me about how many teens have committed crimes before the age of 18 in different parts of the world. In the article "Locked Away Forever" Liptalk mentions "In the U.S. more than 2,200 are serving life without parole." Giving statistics helps readers to understand and visualize clearly what is going on. Another craft move the author has used is including quotes that other people have said. By including others quotes, I am able to understand their opinions and what they feel. Liptalk wants us to feel pity yet disappointment towards the teens underage who have committed a crime because it is not expected from them, and they clearly don't understand the difference between right and wrong.

Before reading the article I thought the teens were definitely guilty for what they have done. But as I kept reading my mind was changing about the issue. They are no longer completely guilty for what they have done. They must have a reason that has been upsetting them, so they took action in a way that affected them.  I personally agree with the Supreme Court about the fact that youths under the age of 18 are less mature.They don't have the full knowledge on the harsh conditions when they commit a crime. I feel as if adults have a better knowledge and know what they are doing when the teens don't. They are young, wild and crazy. These kids are underage and shouldn't be put behind bars for a life time. "Ninety percent of teen offenders do not become adult criminals" says Laurence Steinberg a psychology professor of temple university in Philadelphia. Youths under the age of 18 shouldn't be punished for longer than five years in my opinion (depending on which type of crime they have committed.)

"To ensure that kids are protected we have to recognize that they are actually different from adults." Marsha Levick says. Yes! I completely agree with her!!! Kids are way different from adults depending on their maturity. They are naive, sensible and young and think whatever they are trying to accomplish is right. I have seen many students under the age of 18 go by the term "YOLO" which means you only live once, so they are convinced that you should do whatever you want since you only have one life to live.

"In teenagers, scientists have found that part of the brain that guides impulse control and weighs risks versus rewards is not fully mature. Research has also shown that a persons actions at age 13-14 are poor indications of the kind of adult he or she will become." The article includes. Committing a crime at the age of 15 may also be a poor indication of the kind of adult the kid might become. I would like to know why kids commit these crimes in the first place, like what is there reason on doing this besides being upset with their boyfriend? Though teens committing crimes are horrifying, they shouldn't be punished forever.

Citation:  Liptalk, Adam. "Locked Awat Forever." Upfront Magazine Not given. 15 Jan. 2013 <http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/features/index.asp?article=f0130a>.

Teen Murderer?

According to the article "Locked Away Forever" by Adam Liptalk in Upfront Magazine, about ten-thousand Americans are serving time in jail because of the crimes they committed before they were 18 years old. The author wants us to know that these teenagers are serving life sentences for crimes that they have committed before the age of 18. More than 350 teens have done a crime such as murder at age 15 and are behind bars. "I was like a magnet for the wrong crowd," says Rebecca Falcon a 15 year old girl that got drunk and was accused of shooting a cab driver with an 18 year old boy she hailed a cab with. She did this just because she was upset with her boyfriend....

Adam Liptalk has used many craft moves throughout his article such as using statistics. He has clearly shown me about how many teens have committed crimes before the age of 18 in different parts of the world. "In the the U.S. more than 2,200 are serving life without parole." Liptalk mentions. Giving statistics helps readers to understand and visualize clearly what is going on. Another craft move the author has used is including quotes that other people have said. By including others quotes, I am able to understand their opinions and what they feel. Liptalk wants us to feel pity yet disappointment towards the teens below the age of 18 who have committed a crime because it is not expected from them.

Before reading the article I thought the teens were definitely guilty for what they have done. But as I kept reading my mind was changing about the issue. They are no longer completely guilty for the crimes. They must have a reason that has been upsetting them, so they took action in a way that affected them.  I personally agree with the Supreme Court about the fact that youths under the age of 18 are less mature.They don't have the full knowledge on the harsh conditions when they commit a crime. I feel as if adults have a better knowledge and know what they are doing when the teens don't. They are young, wild and crazy. These kids are underage and shouldn't be put behind bars for a life time. "Ninety percent of teen offenders do not become adult criminals" says Laurence Steinberg a psychology professor of temple university in Philadelphia. Youths under the age of 18 shouldn't be punished for longer than five years in my opinion (depending on which type of crime they have committed.)

"To ensure that kids are protected we have to recognize that they are actually different from adults." Marsha Levick says. Yes! I completely agree with this!!! Kids are way different from adults depending on their maturity. They are naive, young and don't fully understand the difference between right and wrong. "In teenagers, scientists have found that part of the brain that guides impulse control and weighs risks versus rewards is not fully mature. Research has also shown that a persons actions at age 13-14 are poor indications of the kind of adult he or she will become." Committing a crime at the age of 15 may also be a poor indication of the kind of adult the kid might become. I would like to know why kids commit these crimes in the first place, like what is there reason on doing this besides being upset with their boyfriend? Though teens committing crimes are horrifying, they shouldn't be punished forever.

Citation:  Liptalk, Adam. "Locked Awat Forever." Upfront Magazine Not given. 15 Jan. 2013 <http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/features/index.asp?article=f0130a>.