I chose music to look at the thing in three different perspectives, which are gender, classes, and race. I chose a song called CHE.R.RY by YUI. This song is about a girl who fell in love with a boy and she is waiting for contact from a boy who she likes.

First, when I see this song from boys’ view, I think some boys will be confused with this song, because this song is about love. I don’t think boys will like songs that are talking about love. I also think that this song is a song that boys don’t want, and it sounds girly. Girls might agree to this song, and they would think this is agreeable. However, looking from boys’ lens, I think boys will think this is uneasy to agree. I also think that boys will think it is not a song to listen from boys view. Looking from class lens, I think that this song is agreeable. From rich peoples’ view, I think this would be agreeable song. Looking from poor peoples’ view, I think this song is agreeable even though you are not rich. I think this way because even though you are in different class, something should be similar about love, and I think waiting for a contact is similar thing in everyone, especially Japanese girls. Looking from lens of race, I think there will be different thoughts. For example, this song is written by Japanese girl, so it should show that Japanese girls think this way. However, from lens of race, I think people in U.S. would think different, like they might think that waiting for a contact from a boy who you like would be boring, so they might contact from them; however, in Japan, some people might be too shy to contact from themselves so they might be waiting for e-mail or call from boys who they like.

I think there are more opinions about this song, because even though you look through some specific lenses, your thoughts are based on what you see and think. To be more specific, even if you take your lens and put gender (in my case, boys) lens on, my thoughts should have my opinion about how boys think. For example, I said “I think some boys will be confused with this song, because this song is about love.” this is because I think that boys usually don’t like songs about love, but there might be some boys who like songs about love. I would like to see this song in other ways by improving my knowledge and other things that affects my lens.

Lyrics: (Original is Japanese, but this is translated into English)
Too see original Japanese lyrics, click here.
Listen to the song: cherry-yui.mp3

It shakes in my hand
It was becoming to my small braveness
I didn’t like those smiley faces on e-mail
But if it’s from you, I feel happy

I heard that you shouldn’t reply e-mail as fast as you can
But I can’t do that

…I love him ah ah ah ah

I fell in love, maybe you haven’t realized
I wish on the starry night? CHE.R.RY
~message sent by you from my finger tips

Cherry blossom have bloomed
If I was able to change what you saw just now with what I can see from my window,

I would like a message from you
I can believe even if it’s lie

…I love him ah ah ah ah

I fell in love, maybe you haven’t realized
I wish on the starry night? CHE.R.RY
~message sent by you from my finger tips

The sweetened fruit is better; I want to grow it from small conversation ah ah ah ah

Beginning of love
My heart beats
I am waiting for you forever
I am going to send message with spring’s cold wind

I fell in love, maybe you haven’t realized
I wish on the starry night? CHE.R.RY
~message sent by you from my finger tips

In the poetry unit, I made a poetry book, wrote poetry, participated in Poetry Night, and participated in Teenlife Project. I had a good experience and fun time. I was able to communicate with students who were in different countries, and I was also able to experience some poetry that was short, long, funny, boring, etc. When I started this unit, I thought it is going to be really hard. I thought that poetry is long and boring writing that I cannot understand. However, I started to like poetry. If I rate how much I liked poetry in the beginning, it was about 2.5. Towards the middle of this unit, I started to like poetry and I found that poetry was fun. Right now, if I am rating how much I like poetry, I would say rate is going to be 4. I also found out that poetry was something that is free to write, and I had fun writing poetry.

As I said in the first paragraph, I made poetry book in this unit. In order to make poetry book, I used Self-directed Learner. Getting more specific, I had to be responsible for my own work, I had to manage time, and organize time and work. The reason why I chose Self-directed Learner is that I had to be responsible for myself and write poetry and keep poetry. I also had to manage time because I had to make poetry book and I had to work on Teenlife project at the same time. When I was making poetry book, I was a Self-directed Learner. However, I wasn’t an Effective Communicator. The reason is that even though I was able to communicate and fix my poetry into better poetry, I didn’t communicate or talk to other people and fix errors. If I talked to other people and fix errors, I was able to be an Effective Communicator. Next time, when I got assignment like making poetry book, I would like to be a Self-directed Learner again by being responsible for my work and organized. I would like to be an Effective Communicator by being able to communicate and fix errors in my poetry. I think I did fine for making poetry book, and if I am grading myself for process, I would like to say that I did good job.

In this unit, I also had fun, exciting part where I can hang around with my friends, relax, and share poetry called Poetry Night. In Poetry Night, I used Effective Communicator. Getting more specific, I think Effective Communicator has to have good skill to persuade people, but at the same time, I think Effective Communicator has to have skill of being clear and loud enough so everyone can hear every single word. The reason why I chose Effective Communicator is because I had to be loud and clear so when I am reading my poetry in front of people who came to Poetry Night can hear me. However, in Poetry Night, I couldn’t be an Involved Citizen. The reason is that I didn’t communicate with other people who came to Poetry Night. I think the purpose of Poetry Night was to share poetry and relax, but if I think about what Poetry Night was like, I thought that it would have been better if I experienced booth. Overall, I think I did good job in Poetry Night, because I think I was able to read my poetry clearly and loudly enough that people can hear me.

I think Teenlife was most difficult part in this unit, because for me, it was little bit hard to write poetry, and do my best to finish all three projects. I chose Self-directed Learner for Teenlife Project. I had to be responsible and organized, because most of the homework had to be posted on wiki page. It doesn’t have specific paper that has to be turned in, so there were some possibilities that I would do homework after due date. The reason why I chose Self-directed Learner is that I was able to be responsible and organized enough to do works on time like I just said. I chose Effective Communicator as well as Self-directed Learner, because I wasn’t talking to my group face to face, so I had to be clear in my writing. Writing is one way of communication, and it can be confusing. However, I can’t fix it like if I’m talking, so I think I was an Effective Communicator. However, I didn’t use Involved Citizens, because I sometimes had confusion of what is going on at the specific time. Next time when I have project like this again, I would like to be an Involved Citizen and ask or communicate with my group and understand what is going on. Overall, I think I did fine, because I was able to communicate and post my homework on wiki on time. I was good enough except for the part that I didn’t communicate with my group when I had confusion.

Overall, I had fun and some straggles in this unit. However, I was able to enjoy poetry, and have fun at Poetry Night even though I was little nervous and afraid. All together, I think I did a good job in this poetry unit; I want to give myself C+ to B. It is because I had some problem of knowing what is happening at Teenlife in my group, because I wasn’t really involved. This is what I felt in Teenlife. I also have another reason, and it is that I didn’t check my poetry if it is okay, and I think there was some poetry that people couldn’t understand. However, I am proud of my poetry book. Summing up, I was a Self-directed Leaner, Effective Communicator, and Involved Citizen in many ways such as I was able to finish my poetry book and homework on time.