I agreed with the Dictionary and the Bible. But I would have replaced the Math book with a book of modern science. I think that you would need to know what you can and can't put together.

Wow, you are not only inconsiderate and hostile to other religions and writers wh are far superior to yourself but you also have a crap taste in books.

I'm truly sorry if I put you under the impression that I cared about your opinions.

I find it shows YOUR maturity that you flame my poem to spite, criticize and make fun of me.

For your information I'd like to point out that poems are, more often than not, an expression of one's feelings, and those were mine at the time. I didnt care about my structure or my language, or any of that. I do not write for the pleasure of others. And as I can see by your material and reviews you dont either.

You can tell my grade, and maturity by one measly poem, eh? Well you must be some kind of a psychologist or mind reader. I'm utterly impressed *cough cough*

I plan to continue writing for years to come, and no amount of jackass reviewers is going to stop me, capiche?

PS i forgot to say thanks for reviewing me, or else I wouldnt have been able to take the pleasure in reviewing you back.

PPS was I supposed to read this? *shrugs* oh well, maybe another time, or maybe not.

"How you like it daddy?"

"Shake it like a salt shaker!"

"That's whiter than what's spillin' down your throat."

"I HATE YOU! Oh my god, I love you..."

Oh dear, what "overwhelming circumstances." How truly hard it is for these multi-platinum, multi-million-dollar prima donnas to live in the "ghetto." Dr. Dre--with his chronic and his "death row" homeys--must indeed have had a hard time dealing with all the people he says he's killed. Not to mention all his hoes to manage.

Admitedly, Tupac rapped about the hardships. But Tupac was a poet--a legend. And now he's dead (sorry to burst your bubble if you're one of those goofballs who thinks he's alive--and this goes out to anyone reading this--he's dead. Really).

You state in your "essay" that "some [rap makes] references to the proverbial 'pimps and ho's"--well, I think it's a bit more than SOME. Most of the rap--and I hear it every day; it's everywhere--I hear is about ** and guns. I'm not saying ALL rap is like that. There are exceptions to every rule. But even the rap groups I respect or begin to like talk about ** and guns. You simply can't deny that this is the primary subject matter of almost all contemporary Hip-Hop.

Moving onto your next point . . . something about how rock is Satanic?? Uh, yeah. I think it's REALLY obvious that you did not, in fact, make the "extensive studies" you said you did. I challenge you to find three references to Lucifer or Satan throughout all of Kurt Cobain's writings.

Then you go and make the most ridiculous point yet.

There are probably thousands of rock groups comprised only of white people. Most people who listen to rap are black. Most rappers are black. It doesn't take "extensive studies" to know this. Yet you use it as evidence, and go on saying you've researched your heart out on this topic. But you don't stop there, oh no. Somehow this paradigm turns into "a war of race." It's not a war, stupid. It's a business. It's people spending money on music they like, some of which the "other side" (and I hesitate to call it that because, again, it's not war) views as controversial. Rockers have never declared war on black people in general--it's just that rockers do not like rap. And vice-versa. The notion that this is a "war of race"--that this is even a war--is outrageous, exaggerated, and ignorant.

Addressing the reviews . . .

I honestly hope you don't think you won that argument with Max Krugman. Rap is stereotyped because it SOUNDS THE SAME. Someone takes a sample, plays it over and over, and then a guy talks over it and rhymes his words. And really--do think rap doesn't have an outcast signature? What's more, do think deviating from the norm is bad? I'm furrowing my brow, pondering why anyone at all would want to stick to the norm. And come on, dude. Occult? Rock is rock--occult death metal is occult. And here we go . . . the real motherlode: NOT WITHOUT RESEARCH. How can you say that?? You think Nirvana is satanic! You think rockers worship demons! Give me a break.

Max, I'd say all of the above.

Radyn, you are awesome. Cthulu, you are even cooler. And as for the rest of you, thank you for putting it like it is.

Right. Back to smashing all of your points into little pieces. Seriously, find some quotes! Find some [real] statistics! Find some artists that sold better than Led Zeppelin and the Beatles or--or--oh, wait, that's impossible. Never mind!

Now for a real critique: The structure of this essay is probably the best thing about it, but it's nothing more than decent. Let me also make a note of the fact that your thesis changes during the last paragraph, so you really don't have any main point. This effectively makes your essay much weaker. The biggest thing though is your examples. Where are they? And how about some sources, too? That would be handy.

Anyway, thank you for this. It made me feel so much better about my own essay writing/musical opinions. On a side note, though, Stephanie . . . "the 'my girlfriend left me' sentiments of emo" are extremely harmful to the ears of children and other living things. Even more so than gamma rays, so stay away.

i agree with your first two choices but, being agnostic, i'd probably take one on philosophy instead.

you prove good points. But I would probably take "The Giver" just so that I could use it as reference for the perfect civilization. I boo religion, sorry

I simply read this to get a better view of someone else, their opinions and what they would consider good books to rebuild a civilization.

I am of the opinion that you don't even try to rebuild. You start anew and see where that takes you. Even though this is the case, I would have to keep Einstein's book on the theory of special relativity, "The Great Gatsby" by F Scott Fitzgerald (for the amazing poetic-ness of that book) and a copy of the Gutenberg Bible (for even though I am not religious, it must be preserved for historical reasons).

I enjoyed this. It really made me think about things I have always taken for granted.

You have a good point about the dictionary, but we would just need to develope a new language. We could understand our saved books eventually with the aid of future archeologists :-)