Link

Two videos passed on by two students; a slam poem called Shake the Dust, by Anis Mojgani, and wall painting mixed into an animated film called Muto.

The following is excerpted from William Falkner's acceptance speech upon receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature. This was passed on to me in print by a student who thinks it's the greatest thing in the world and is presently devoting himself to committing the entire piece to memory. He is student, that I mentioned some posts ago, who thanked me for writing him a recommendation because I was his third and final one (they're supposed to solicit six teacher recommendations). It was a positive recommendation that came more organically for me than some of the ones that might, on the surface, seem easier to write. He is genuinely one of the most brilliant, passionate, out of the box, astute, creative, culturally tuned in students I have ever encountered. Mentioning how much this speech means to him (and framing it right) could make for a nice added touch.

"I believe that man will not merely endure:
he will prevail. He is immortal,
not because he alone among creatures
has an inexhaustible voice,
but because he has a soul,
a spirit capable of compassion
and sacrifice and endurance.
The poet’s, the writer's, duty
is to write about these things.
It is his privilege to help man endure
by lifting his heart,
by reminding him of the courage
and honor and hope and pride
and compassion and pity and sacrifice
which have been the glory of his past.
The poet's voice need not
merely be the record of man,
it can be one of the props,
the pillars to help him
endure and prevail."