POETRY #1

1. From what poem/author does this commercial borrow (without credit)?

The poem that the commercial barrows from is " The Laughing Heart" by the author Charles Bukowski.

2. Why might the use of this poem by a corporation be considered ironic? 

The use of the poem might be considered ironic because at the beginning of the poem it talks about not falling into submission, but then the commercial is for the audience to want to submit and buy jeans. In other words the author is saying not to follow what is happening but to stand out, and it's ironic because the commercial is a form of bandwagon with showing others happy in the jeans. 

3. Does the poem reflect the reputation of the author? Why/why not? 

The poem doesn't reflect the reputation of the author due to the fact that Burkowski wrote typically about abuse, rape and other vulgar topics. However in this particular piece "The Laughing Heart"  he talks about not falling back and reaching the light and happiness which differs immensely from his reputation as a low driven alcoholic. 

4. How did you find the answers to #1 & #3? Describe your research process and your sources in detail.

How I discovered questions #1 & #3 was through the use of quoting a part of the poem ("your life is your life") to find out who wrote it and what the title was. Which brought me to the site "The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski - The Best American Poetry." 'The Best American Poetry' N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2014, where I found the title and author. After answering question #1 I found question #3's answer by looking up the author (Charles Burkowski's poetic personality. This gave me the site "Charles Bukowski." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2014, where I found that his style was very unflattering and vulgar. I also viewed other sites to make sure my assessments were correct about the author, however I got most of my information from the previous sites.