This piece was a phenominal gateway into the diverse thought process of young people and their attractions to each other. Not only that but the true attraction they have for themselves. It calls to the forefront just how common it is for the exterior to be depicted in such a way to one person that can offend and even undermine another's perception of themselves. Young people have begun to own their individuality and their roots. We've begun to see things for what they really are and make the choice to either identify and remove ourselves from certain definitions.Adriel's piece is sweet and simple yet his poem addresses so much.

This piece is somewhat Dark to me not only because of the music and the mood but just by the words and the fact that it's real. This piece is pretty sad to me because it's such a common problem that many teens have. The music behind this piece really adds to the mood. The problems that these teens mention in this piece are some that I can relate to, but I could never bring myself to ever cut myself. That's why this is so scary to me...I must say I didnt really enjoy listening to this piece because it's so scary, but it's real and needs to be heard.

This piece is a sad piece but it helps the listener to learn a lot about immigration. It makes me realize even more how fortunate americans are to be living here, especially if you were born here. Maria is an illegal immigrant who has risked her life and gone through so much just to live in the United States. She began doing hard labor when she was four and had to live in tough conditions. The music in this piece is really important because it gives you a feel of Maria's culture in some wierd way. However this piece was a bit depressing and I would have liked to hear a more balanced point of view, like more of the positive things that happened when she came to the US. But I like the point she brought up when she said people dont ever ask WHY immigrants came over here, or what their stories are in terms of how they got here. It'd be interesting to hear more from another American student's point of view as an improvement to the piece. I like how at the end the author gave her own opinion about immigrants and the whole racist conflict going on. I just wish this poem could be a little less sorrowful and at least give the listener a sense of hope in the ending or a proposed solution would be nice.~Sasha*

This piece is really good, it gives a good range of opinions from different students as to why they chose religious schools. They also explain how theyre religion is tied into their everyday lives which is very cool as well. I also like how they interviewed a student who's not so religious and explained how she's trying to get to know her own religion through her friends.

This piece is so great! Eventhough teenage motherhood is a very serious subject this piece shows you theres a balance in terms of pro's and cons. Although being a teen mom is hard and is difficulot to deal with sometimes there's also a positive side of it. I love how they get perspective's from different teen mother's and how they told their parents the news. But I also love the ending where one of the mother's explains that her child brings her joy when she's feeling down and how being a mother is a beautiful thing. She says, "I call her my chocolate sunshine."Love It!!!!!

This piece to me is very funny and sarcastic but it's also very real. Teens do deal with drama like this from day to day and this is the type of piece that makes you think about these situations.

This poem is very interesting because it is taking an object and using it to describe a girl's problem. I love the way the poet includes each part of a remote control and connects it to the girl she's speaking of's life. This title fits the poem very well because it's a poem about domestic violence(more specifically control) and many teen or even adult girls/women can relate. The silence behind it is good because it causes the listener to give the piece undivided attention. The best part of this piece is the ending line where she says to take control of your life, take hold of the remote and press play...love it!

This piece does move me because the author is very real and very blunt with the points she makes. She gives the readers a connection to her life's experiences which makes a big impact on how we connect not only with her but with Cornel West as well. She also talks about issues in society that many teens can relate to. This piece is very honest and feels real. The things that the author explains is often something that many of us (as teens) have either gone through or witnessed first hand. Cornel West has a very powerful and motivating voice which makes it easier to have visuals when listening. It's very interesting also how when put over music he sounds like he's speaking poetry. From beginning to end the author draws your attention in with a strong introduction and a compelling ending. I also loved the effect the music had on this piece!!!