Select one Topic and Submit a 1-2 page paper on one of the following topics:
1) Locate Baraka reading his poetry on youtube.com. Write about his performance and the tone of the poems. Relate this to the current socio-political climate of the United States. Include answers to these questions in your paper: Has Baraka’s tone changed since his earlier writings (in the textbook)? Discuss the consideration to remove him from the poet laureate position. Is this a form of censorship?

2) Read and explicate Baraka’s 2001 poem “Somebody Blew Up America” available at http://www.amiribaraka.com/blew.html