I'm Sorry

I'm sorry
I'm sorry you didn't like what I did

                                                                                 It's ok

                                                                     I don't want to talk about it

I won't do it again
I'll wait a little while before I try again

                                                                                I know

                                                                                 I wish

Are you ok?
Can I go home now?

                                                                             Yeah, I'm fine

                                                        No, but I don't want to talk to you about it

Ok. I love you
Ok, bye

                                                                             I love you too

                                                              I don't have anything else to say

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When I thought about this piece, I was thinking about how sometimes we say something when we actually mean something else. A common example is when we say we're ok, when we're really not but we don't want to talk about it. I wanted to write a poem that showed how we can have an entire conversation that should mean one thing, when there's actually a different meaning to everything, which gives a completely different feeling. If you read the regular text on both sides, it sounds like a caring couple that's agreeing to move on from something. However, if you read the italicized text, it's a different story with a different mood. The conflicting meanings are meant to show how there is a lack of meaningful communication and a darker mood. 

Mother Teresa

While watching a documentary about Mother Teresa in my Spiritual Practices class, I became interested in the unique language of religion and humanitarian work. Specifically, I wanted to look at Mother Teresa's quote, "Live simply so others may simply live."

The first thing that stood out to me about this quote was how simple it is. It's very short, which makes it easy to remember, and it also has an appealing element of symmetry. The play on "live simply" and "simply live" gives a bit of humor to the quote and also makes it less condescending.

Another important element of this quote is that while it may be taken as a command, it's actually just a piece of advice. Since she never says "you must" or "you should", she is avoiding the creation of a command. This is really important because if she had phrased it like an order, it might create a feeling of indignation in the audience instead of a desire to listen.

It's also important to note the context of this quote. Back when Mother Teresa was alive and working, and even now, people with lots of wealth or even just enough wealth wanted more and more. While not everyone did, many also felt some level of concern for the people who were so poor that they couldn't take care of themselves. However, almost no one had made the connection that Mother Teresa was trying to make. With her quote, she is asking people to do something, but also giving a reason (so others may simply live).

Expanding off the context is the word choice. If she had used the word "modestly" or "humbly", her quote would have created different emotions than using "simply". "Simply" is a good word for her to use, because firstly it has a flexible meaning that allows it to be used twice in the quote. Also, the word "simply" implies a lack of difficulty; you just do it. "Modestly" or "humbly", however, implies a level of restraint and subservience. While that might appeal to some people, to most people it sounds unappealing.

Overall, the language of religion and humanitarian work that Mother Teresa uses is a lot like the language of advertising; it's short and catchy, not condescending, and is trying to offer a solution to a problem.