Flames of the grave cried McKnight

This was the wrath of the youth living in Arcady, all with alike perceptivity
The essence of a forbidden fruit tells the tale of their creativity
Though all were shunned by the righteous society
One soul singing McKnight lived to tell the tale differently

He the young flame despises everything, one to be called a noble savage

Whilst sharp winds paced snow through the mute suburbs causing small havoc
The lone flame covers his sullen wounds with the beat of a key
A lone flame just wants stardom through his musical deeds

Life isn’t meant for that path however

As in the world’s eyes education is the right way forever
Lust occurs for dead friends, it’s not normal its nonsense
An academic profession only, there was no way to turn left

This flame didn’t go by societies words, these aren’t the same views as the plebiscite
The Rothschild’s are the regular beings of this world, right?
One wish, to be seen in the eye of the world as a legend flame
At the dawn of the day the legend forever keeps his name

A wish upon all, had been achieved right from this triumph and nonviolence
Although one had mastered the art of his craft, thousands were forever silenced
Sadly, all lives weren’t immortal like old Kenny from the Park
Not all creative legends can spark a flame in the dark

In the ends, this young flame was watered in the confusion of society
However, this tale is not the regret of a soul preaching McKnight quietly
Leave empowerment to the obfuscated, thoughts moving in arpeggiated ways
These were the achievers like Wu-Tang type hasten, preaching McKnight day by day
K/U
This poem really did have a deep meaning towards what was going on with many individuals in the world.
I wanted to set a theme regarding “Emptiness of attaining false dream” as this was the situation many people must
withstand through their life just because they played by the world’s rules. I felt satisfied that the poem through its
several allusions showed how creative thinkers really communicate with the inner mind compared to people who
follow societies teachings. Along with that, I also wanted to show another example of how many people are silenced
throughout their lives, as there is just too much pressure on the youth these days. Overall, I used the narrative of a
specific young boy who enjoyed playing music, and didn’t choose to follow the regular path sought out for him by
the rest of the world but instead got the title of the Legend Flame by being discovered through hard work. I feel like
the word “flame” was a good metaphor of a young child, as it really shows the spark which young children have
throughout their childhood. I made sure to go through a creative process and ensure that the focus of the poem was
regarding the restraints of our generations kids from being creative and working towards what they really believe. I
had also expressed some thoughts which I felt about the modern world and how it had been run. This was
emphasized throughout the poem regarding lines about the Rothschild family and society’s view on how everyone
should live their life. I also wanted to pay honor to some great artists throughout the poem i.e. Wu Tang Clan, Travis
Scott, and Brian McKnight to which the name expressed throughout the poem had come from. The whole idea
behind the title really dates to an image which came to my mind one day. I imagined thousands of graves erupting to
flames from the overwhelming creativity every person had, but they sadly couldn’t express themselves throughout
their lives. Therefore, I wanted to implement these cries in the poem as the soulful voice of Brian McKnight. Overall
I am pleased with the ideas expressed throughout the satire and context in this poem.

Application
I chose to write this poem in a “free verse” style to have more different ways in expressing my thoughts in
the poem. Personally, I felt that not choosing the systematic approach in writing my poem gave the reader a better
chance to understand the real meanings spreading throughout the poem. Regarding the rhyme scheme used in the
poem, I decided to choose the aabb rhyme scheme consisting of 4 lines in each stanza of the poem. The couplet
rhyming strategy had a good way to highlight the different topics going on throughout each separate stanza. This
way I could really implement all my ideas and rhyme them together without having to worry about a specific type of
syllable/word requirement in every stanza.

Since we had been learning about the Modernist Era, I chose to not implement a lot of old school
vocabulary like such used in Shakespeare type poems. To show the understanding of what had I had learnt in the
previous units, I decided to use a lack of sophisticated punctuation to reflect on the poetry style of Ernest
Hemingway. I also reflected the style of Ernest Hemingway by establishing meaning through expression, as I
emphasized the focus on the creativity of the youth like mentioned before. The poem was organized to first have the
focus on the overall creative youth and then change the direction of the story to express a dialogue in the perspective
of an extended metaphor of a young boy being a wild flame. In conclusion, I had put several thoughts and great
passion into perfecting my style for this poem.
Literary Devices

Allusion-

The tittle of the poem is an allusion to the sophomore album by Travis Scott, birds in the trap sing
McKnight. I really wanted to express how people don’t choose to follow their true dreams due to criticism from the
rest of society, which was the same emphasis Scott tried to convey through his album. The term of “living in
Arcady” also expresses another allusion towards the Greek land of Arcadia (Utopia) to which the beings on the
reserve stay in harmony with nature and stay away from the rest of the society. I felt that this phrase was a major
asset towards my poem as some of the most creative and intellectual people stay in their own respected bubble.
Therefore, I felt that setting an allusion of the creative youth to the land of Arcadia was the right move.

Simile-

I had placed some similes throughout the poem as I felt that it had a clear approach towards my message.
Since the poem overall had a very sophisticated narrative, the similes would help give the reader an understanding of
the poem in a more direct way. The simile of “their lives weren’t immortal like old Kenny from the Park” came
from the Kenny character in South Park. There was a running gag throughout the beginning seasons of the character
Kenny dying at the end of every episode, however he came back at the start of every next episode. I really wanted to
implement this line because in life every individual only has one chance to fulfill their dreams and they don’t have
an immortal life to achieve them. Through all the odds, everybody should be able to decide on how they want to live
their lives as we never know when it can end. The simile in “these were the achievers like Wu-tang type hasten” had
to do with the great hustle of the New-York hip-hop group, the Wu-tang clan. This like was a great edition towards
the poem as it represented the real desire that most kids want to blow up from their creative works. The Wu-tang
clan are one of my major inspirations as their lyrics certainly represent how hard work and dedication will get you
out of the life that you don’t want.

Metaphor-

The extended metaphor of comparing a young child to a spark of fire (flame) helped better highlight the
spark of energy and light that the youth really have inside of them, however this burning flame of creativity can be
lost by the false teachings put into their minds. Overall this ties in with my poem as it gives a greater vibe and
feeling to it, rather than just telling the tale using the word of a regular kid.

Paradox-

A controversial line in the poem regards the line “The Rothschild’s are the regular beings of this world,
right?” The two phrases in the line contradicted each other as the Rothschild/Rockefeller duo are known to be the
secret rulers of the world. I had to implement this line into the poem as I was a huge fan of the legacy which they
have made throughout the years while staying silent in the eyes of the world. I really wanted to put this line as a
question in this poem as I wanted people to think about the creative thinking of the gifted youth to being one kept
very distant from the world, just like the Rothschild family. I wanted readers to think whether they really know
about the true minds of every individual that surrounds them, as some may not be normal, just like the Rothschild’s.

Aphorism-

The lyrics of “an academic profession only, there was no way to turn left” had really stated a universal truth
towards what all families want their kids to achieve. Today, we really have set such a huge standard regarding
studying in a prestige university to get a well-paying job. I feel like people who need to study should follow this
path as it really is the universal truth, a good paying job well provide a stable life for many individuals. However,
the people who do not need to go this way to achieve these dreams shouldn’t have to follow the “universal truth” of
getting a job of a lawyer or doctor to conquer their entire life, as following their dreams could lead to great things!