English Language (S.

BA)

Name of candidate: Ulando Gayle

Teacher: Miss Skyers

Candidate#:

Centre #:

Subject: English language

School: Fair Prospect High

Topic: Poverty

Sub Topic: The Influence of poverty on High School Children

 Page

Introduction 1

Acknowledgement 2

Plan of Investigation 3

Artifacts 4-8

Reflection 1 9

Reflection 2 10

Reflection 3 11

Group Reflection 12

References 16

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This research is about the effects poverty on high school children. This research will allow
people to learn about what really causes most of the crime all over the world. I hope this
information I have gathered will provide people with the necessary information they are seeking
for. Thank you all for reading and I hope someone will benefit from this research, and learn the
effects poverty as on crime and violence.

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The researcher would like to express special thanks of gratitude to her teacher Ms. Skyers who

gave her the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project which also helped her in doing a lot

of research enabling her to develop much needed research skills and improve her Language

skills.

Secondly the researcher would also like to thank herparents and friends who helped her a lot in

finalizing this project within the limited time frame.

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 This project focuses on poverty and I am investigating the influence it has on high school
students. I am interested in this topic because I have noticed in my community how difficult it is
for poor families to complete a secondary education and how the challenges have caused change
in behavior.

In order to effectively carry out this research I will select three pieces of material that deals with
this issue and do a careful analysis of them. I will also do research on the topic through reading
articles both printed and online, and listening to news items. Information will be shared with my
group members and we will come out with an effective and interesting way to present our
findings.

I will seek clarification through discussions with my teacher, As an English student I expect to
have a better understanding of writing styles and develop my own writing and comprehension
skills, vocabulary and improve my own knowledge about poverty and its effects from doing this
exercise. In doing the reflections I will most definitely improve in my summary skills.

The visual materials I intended to use are a cartoon image and a poem. These were found online,
I also intend to use a song as the audio material.

Poem

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Cause I Ain’t Got a Pencil,” Joshua T. Dickerson describes the damaging effects of poverty:

I woke myself up

Because we ain’t got an alarm clock

Dug in the dirty clothes basket,

Cause ain’t nobody washed my uniform

Brushed my hair and teeth in the dark,

Cause the lights ain’t on

Even got my baby sister ready,

Cause my mama wasn’t home.

Got us both to school on time,

To eat us a good breakfast.

Then when I got to class the teacher fussed

Cause I ain’t got no pencil

But if poverty is the transgressor, education is the great equalizer.

Cartoon Image

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Audio Source

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 Poverty-QQ

And seeing the multitudes he went up into a mountain and when he was set his disciples came
unto him and he opened his mouth and taught them saying

Yea yea Poverty

yea yea

da one yah name poverty

hey yea

da one ya name poverty

hey yea

dah one yah name poverty

hey yea dah one yah name poverty

hey yea

dah one yah name poverty

hey yea

dah one yah name poverty.

Tell me how it feel

fi know say the yute no have no meal

that's y him end up gone go steal

u never set no job which was the deal

everyday me bredda him just a squil.

Mama a feed off a tun cornmeal

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police ketch me bredda with a steal

a to the judge him affi go appeal

a father God a fi me guide and shield

certain friend me tell u them no real

them only friend with u when them want a meal

and tell u say everything seal.

Yea yea

Poverty

yea yea

da one yah name poverty

hey yea

da one ya name poverty

hey yea

dah one yah name poverty

hey yea

dah one yah name poverty

hey yea

dah one yah name poverty

hey yea

dah one yah name poverty.

Most blood weh shed a fi political affairs

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mothers and daughters living in fear

die man, cripple man everybody scared baby weh born all man in a wheelchair.

Let's come together start shake hands

talking to politicians talking to dons

talking to one order talking to clans

me tired fi see die die die ones.

Poverty

yea yea dah one ya name poverty

yea yea dah one ya name poverty

yea yea dah one ya name poverty.

Luthan do just gwaan hold the faith every qq bun out naughty police

black people uno stand up pon u feet

don't make Babylon come and defeat

don't make dem send u home with grief

don't go a yard go turn no likkle their bun out mpm bun out them jeep

all them a gwaan u no see say them a thief thief.

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The moment I read the poem “Cause I Ain’t Got a Pencil,” by Joshua T. Dickerson, I started
seeing images in my mind of children subjected to the effects of poverty. It made me read over
several times and each time gave me a new understanding of the experiences students suffer due
to poverty. At first I felt sorrowful but gradually a sense of hope came and I just thought about
the phrase “let your stumbling blocks be stepping stones”.

The second visual piece which s a cartoon image of pregnant high school girls made me feel
angry. I usually see the funny side of cartoons but this particular piece made me realize the
startling negative effects of poverty on the behavior of high school students.

The audio clip which is entitled “Poverty” by QQ had less emotional effect on me as it relates to
the topic, perhaps because of the beat and rhythm which had me rocking at first and joining the
singing. It gradually however revealed several lifestyles and choices youths may make as a result
poverty.

The use of language in the poem was mostly straightforward like someone just speaking simply
which made it quite understandable. However In the poem the author used anaphora when

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responding to each action. Each response began with the word “cause”. The use of hyperbole
when he said “dug into the dirty clothes basket” helped to emphasize the desperation of the
student.

In the song there is heavy use of the Jamaican dialect and slangs that one can easily identify with
and understand. The author kept it real simple and the use of rhyming at the end of each line
makes it easy to remember and gives predictable pleasure.

The language used in the comic strip image is straight forward conversation in Jamaican dialect.
The concern raised by the first speaker is a statement which in the Jamaican dialect term is
intended to be a question. The second speaker responds with another statement which answers
the question with a solution to the situation.

Before conducting this research, I was aware that some students are in poor situations but never
knew the extent of its effects. While completing this research, I stumbled upon several articles
that opened my awareness.

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I have now become more passionate about the issue as I have come to realize how fortunate
some of us are while others face grave circumstances which often hamper their educational
development.

The process has also helped me to organize and present my ideas to my peers. I am usually not
a person to do public speaking because of lack of confidence. However, I had to do this over and
over again and those who assisted helped me to benefit from constructive criticism and self-
assessment that has helped me to critically assess my own work. It has also helped me to more
readily accept that I am not perfect but I try my best in everything I do.

Finally, the process has helped me to work better with people working in groups is not always
easy solve, but having to do it helped me to accept and work with different personality. I am sure
this is something I will have to do in the world of work, so I am thankful for the practice.

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https://www.protectivebehaviours.org/protective-behaviours-resources-training-room/poems/
130-cause-i-aint-got-a-pencil

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/QQ/Poverty

https://www.google.com/search?q=clovis+toon+poverty

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