#patrick comeaux

[louis-enecio]

A brief literary analysis of Dr. Earl Reum’s “A Person/ A Paper/ A Promise”

1. Background of the poem.

The poem “A Person/ A Paper/ A Promise” was written by Dr. Earl Reum in 1969, supposedly after one of his students committed suicide. The poem was actually not well-known until it appeared in Stephen Chbosky’s 1999 novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and its film adaptation in 2012 of the same name. The poem received its due attention after the novel it was in became popular. Dr. Earl Reum apparently often used this poem as a tool for teen suicide prevention.  The original poem of Dr. Reum did not go like the version in the novel. Chbosky actually mentioned this in his acknowledgements in his novel “And finally…Dr. Earl Reum for writing a beautiful poem and Patrick Comeaux for remembering it wrong when he was 14.”. It is a modified version by Patrick Comeaux who remembered it wrong but supposedly it is more or less the same. Since there is no clear source for the original copy, this paper will analyze the version that is in the novel.

2. Themes and overall message of the poem.

This poem depicts the loss of innocence one experiences as the transition from childhood to adolescence happens. This can be seen in the four stanzas of the poem which is chronologically told by the narrator. The narrator could be referring to himself in the third person because the narrator always knows what the boy in the poem feels or thinks but never knows what another character in the story is thinking. In the beginning lines of each stanza, the boy writes a poem on different pieces of paper for the first three poems and on a brown paper bag for the last one. The poems could be interpreted as symbols for the different periods in the boy’s life starting from when his sister was born to when he tries to take his own life. The tone of the poem gradually becomes more serious as it progresses. The choice of words the author uses includes no slang and only a few contractions such as that’s and didn’t. The gradual descent of the boy into his lowest point and his gradual loss of innocence works well with the narrative style the author uses. Imagery is present like in the first line “Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines” albeit not much of it can be found throughout the poem. All of the other characters in the story are connected to the themes and play a big role in what the author wants to say. The parents of the boy, his sister, his girlfriend, Father Tracy, and the other kids have all, in some way, changed throughout the poem and this directly affects the main character.

3. Conclusion and takeaways. 

After analyzing the poem “A Person/ A Paper/ A Promise” by Dr. Earl Reum, it can be concluded that the poem calls for awareness on mental health, particularly victims of suicide. Suicide is often considered taboo, or a sign of weakness. The poem sheds light on the fact that not everything that starts out great stays that way. That that drastic change can happen to anyone, that reality hits you when you least expect it. It is a call to reach out to people who are struggling. It is a call to be human. Overall, the poem made use of a few figures of speech such as metonymy and anaphora. The poem also utilized symbolism in its construction and it tries to make the reader empathize with the main character because it depicts the causes of suicide in a relatable way and it calls for more awareness on this topic.

[lavitapuoesseremeravigliosa]

Una persona,un foglio,una promessa.

Una volta, su un pezzo di carta gialla con le righe verdi,

scrisse una poesia,

e la intitolò “Chops”

perchè quello era il nome del suo cane.

E i versi palavano di lui.

Il professore gli diede una A

e una stella dorata;

e sua madre la appese alla porta della cucina

e la lesse a tutte le sue zie.

Era l’anno in cui Padre Tracy

portò tutti i ragazzi allo zoo,

e li lasciò cantare sull’autobus;

l’anno in cui nacque la sua sorellina,

con quelle unghiette minuscole, senza capelli;

Sua madre e suo padre si baciavano sempre,

e la ragazza che abitava dietro l’angolo gli mandò

un biglietto di San Valentino con una fila di X,

e lui dovette chiedere a suo padre che cosa significassero.

E suo padre la sera, gli rimboccava sempre le coperte.

Era sempre pronto a farlo.

Una volta, su un pezzo di carta bianca con le righe blu,

scrisse una poesia,

e la intitolò “Autunno”,

perchè quella era la stagione che stava vivendo,

e i versi parlavano di questo.

Il professore gli diede una A

e gli chiese di scrivere in modo più chiaro;

sua madre non la appese alla porta della cucina,

perchè aveva appena imbiancato.

E i ragazzi gli dissero

che Padre Tracy fumava sigari,

e lasciava i mozziconi sui banchi,

e a volte questi facevano dei buchi.

Era l’anno in cui sua sorella mise gli occhiali

con le lenti spesse, e la montatura nera;

e la ragazza che abitava dietro l’angolo rise,

quando le chiese di andare a vedere Babbo Natale.

E i ragazzi gli spiegarono perchè

i suoi genitori continuavano a baciarsi:

suo padre non gli rimboccava mai le coperte,

e s’infuriava

se glielo chiedeva piangendo.

Una volta, su un pezzo di carta strappato dal suo taccuino,

scrisse una poesia,

e la intitolò “Innocenza: una domanda”,

perchè quello era il quesito che si poneva su di lei,

e i versi parlavano di questo.

Il suo professore gli diede una A,

e gli lanciò uno sguardo strano, serio;

e sua madre non la appese alla porta della cucina,

perchè non gliela fece mai leggere.

Era l’anno in cui Padre Tracy morì,

e lui dimenticò come finiva

il Credo degli Apostoli.

Sorprese sua sorella a fare sesso

in veranda, sul retro;

e sua madre e suo padre non si baciavano mai,

e non si parlavano.

E la ragazza che abitava dietro l’angolo

si truccava troppo,

e lui tossiva quando la baciava,

ma la baciava lo stesso,

perchè era la cosa giusta da fare.

Alle tre del mattino si infilava nel letto,

e suo padre russava rumorosamente.

Ecco perchè, sul retro di un sacchetto di carta marrone,

provò a scrivere un’altra poesia,

e la intitolò “Il nulla assoluto”,

perchè i versi, in realtà, parlavano di questo.

E si diede una A,

e si tagliò i suoi dannatissimi polsi.

E la appese alla porta del bagno,

perchè questa volta, pensò, non sarebbe riuscito

a raggiungere la cucina.

[deewellsosd]

Knowledge

Reigns

Supreme

⠀

It’s been 12 days since the PENSOLE x FDRA African American Footwear Forum and when I say that it powerful, insightful and life changing, I don’t say that lightly.

⠀

There were so many talented people that attended that I don’t doubt if we decided to formed like Voltron, we’d create some dope products that would change the world!

The Footwear Career panel (2/19/2019) featured from left to right:

⠀

Ernie Talbert

Brand Marketing / Under Armour

⠀

Jacques Slade

Culture Curator/ Kusto

⠀

Broderick Foster

Product Developer/ Converse

⠀

Domonique Debham

Product Marketing / Nike

⠀

Victoria Adesanmi

Color/ Materials Designer/ adidas

⠀

Jacqueline Forbes

Retail Buyer/ Canvas Malibu

⠀

Ashley Comeaux

Footwear Designer/ Nike

⠀

Patrick Walsh

Retail Marketing/ Footlocker

⠀

Alex Barnes

Sales/ Under Armour

⠀

Lauren Body

Product Merchandiser/ adidas

⠀

Thank you ‪Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America @FDRA19444 ‬and ‪PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy‬ @PENSOLE_Academy for sponsoring this amazing conference! 🙌🏾👣❤️💛🖤💚✊🏾

[that-strange-bisexual-girl]

“Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines

he wrote a poem

And he called it "Chops"

because that was the name of his dog

And that's what it was all about

And his teacher gave him an A

and a gold star

And his mother hung it on the kitchen door

and read it to his aunts

That was the year Father Tracy

took all the kids to the zoo

And he let them sing on the bus

And his little sister was born

with tiny toenails and no hair

And his mother and father kissed a lot

And the girl around the corner sent him a

Valentine signed with a row of X's

and he had to ask his father what the X's meant

And his father always tucked him in bed at night

And was always there to do it

Once on a piece of white paper with blue lines

he wrote a poem

And he called it "Autumn"

because that was the name of the season

And that's what it was all about

And his teacher gave him an A

and asked him to write more clearly

And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door

because of its new paint

And the kids told him

that Father Tracy smoked cigars

And left butts on the pews

And sometimes they would burn holes

That was the year his sister got glasses

with thick lenses and black frames

And the girl around the corner laughed

when he asked her to go see Santa Claus

And the kids told him why

his mother and father kissed a lot

And his father never tucked him in bed at night

And his father got mad

when he cried for him to do it.

Once on a paper torn from his notebook

he wrote a poem

And he called it "Innocence: A Question"

because that was the question about his girl

And that's what it was all about

And his professor gave him an A

and a strange steady look

And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door

because he never showed her

That was the year that Father Tracy died

And he forgot how the end

of the Apostle's Creed went

And he caught his sister

making out on the back porch

And his mother and father never kissed

or even talked

And the girl around the corner

wore too much makeup

That made him cough when he kissed her

but he kissed her anyway

because that was the thing to do

And at three a.m. he tucked himself into bed

his father snoring soundly

That's why on the back of a brown paper bag

he tried another poem

And he called it "Absolutely Nothing"

Because that's what it was really all about

And he gave himself an A

and a slash on each damned wrist

And he hung it on the bathroom door

because this time he didn't think

he could reach the kitchen.”

Dr. Earl Reum/Patrick Comeaux

[lisajunsblog]

Gold Rush * Audio Book Tour

Gold Rush * Audio Book Tour

Gold Rush by Jennifer Comeaux Genre: YA Romance Release Date: January 9th 2017   Summary from Goodreads: Liza Petrov’s entire life has been about skating and winning her sport’s top prize – Olympic gold. She’s stayed sheltered inside her bubble, not daring to stray from her destined path. Until she meets Braden Patrick. He makes her heart flutter with possibility, and for the first time she gets…

[illumintecal]

Gold Rush by Jennifer Comeaux

Gold Rush by Jennifer Comeaux

Gold Rush by Jennifer Comeaux Genre: YA Romance Release Date: January 9th 2017 Summary from Goodreads: Liza Petrov’s entire life has been about skating and winning her sport’s top prize – Olympic gold. She’s stayed sheltered inside her bubble, not daring to stray from her destined path. Until she meets Braden Patrick. He makes her heart flutter with possibility, and for the first time she gets a…

[eterna-perdida]

Não é como nos filmes, em que as garotas gostam de idiotas ou coisa parecida. Não é tão fácil assim. Elas gostam de alguém que possa dar a elas um propósito.

As Vantagens de Ser Invisível. 

[madfatarcticwolf]

Una vez en una hoja amarilla de papel con rayas verdes escribió un poema Y lo llamó "Chops" porque así se llamaba su perro Y de eso trataba todo Y su profesor le puso un sobresaliente y una estrella dorada Y su madre lo colgó en la puerta de la cocina y se lo leyó a sus tías Ese fue el año en el que el Padre Tracy llevó a todos los niños al zoo Y les dejó cantar en el autobús Y su hermana pequeña nació con las uñas de los pies diminutas y sin pelo Y su madre y su padre se besaban mucho Y la niña de la vuelta de la esquina le envió una tarjeta de San Valentín firmada con una fila de X y él tuvo que preguntarle a su padre que significaban las X Y su padre siempre lo arropaba en la cama por la noche Y siempre estaba ahí para hacerlo Una vez en una hoja blanca de papel con rayas azules escribió un poema Y lo llamó "Otoño" porque así se llamaba la estación Y de eso trataba todo Y su profesor le puso un sobresaliente  y le pidió que escribiera con más claridad Y su madre nunca lo colgó en la puerta de la cocina porque estaba recién pintada Y los niños le dijeron que el Padre Tracy fumaba puros Y dejaba colillas en los bancos de la iglesia Y a veces las quemaduras hacían agujeros Ese fue el año en que a su hermana le pusieron gafas con cristales gruesos y montura gruesa Y la niña de la vuelta de la esquina se rió cuando él le pidió que fuera a ver a Papá Noel Y los niños le dijeron por qué su madre y su padre se besaban mucho Y su padre nunca lo arropaba en la cama por la noche Y su padre se enfadó cuando se lo pidió llorando. Una vez en un papel arrancado de su cuaderno escribió un poema Y lo llamó "Inocencia: Una duda" porque esa duda tenía sobre su chica Y de eso trataba todo Y su profesor le puso un sobresaliente y lo miró fijamente de forma extraña Y su madre nunca lo colgó en la puerta de la cocina porque él nunca se lo enseñó Ese fue el año que en el que murió el Padre Tracy Y olvidó como era el final del credo Y sorprendió a su hermana enrollándose con uno en el porche trasero Y su madre y su padre nunca se besaban ni siquiera se hablaban Y la chica de la vuelta de la esquina llevaba demasiado maquillaje Que le hacía toser cuando la besaba pero la besaba de todas formas porque tenía que hacerlo Y a las tres de la madrugada se metió el mismo en la cama mientras su padre roncaba profundamente Por eso en el dorso de una bolsa de papel marrón intentó escribir otro poema Y lo llamó "Absolutamente nada" Porque de eso trataba todo en realidad Y se dio a si mismo un sobresaliente y un corte en cada una de sus malditas muñecas Y lo colgó en la puerta del baño porque esta vez no creyó que pudiera llegar a la cocina.