Wong 1

Sydney A. Wong
Writing 2
Joshua Smith
09 December 2019 Deleted: 24 November 2019

Metagognitive Reflection Deleted: Self-Reflective Essay

When I discovered that this project allowed me to translate a scholarly article into a genre

of my choosing, a poetry translation was the first thing that came to mind. Poetry has been one of

my favorite hobbies since I was ten. My little self would speed walk to the annual book fair in

elementary school, always being the first to get my hands on the new Shel Sylverstein book.

Sylvertein’s play on words and creative style inspired me to write poetry of my own, ultimately

being an outlet for me to express myself in the most unfiltered form I could. Deleted: Poetry became a way for me to let out my emotions
when I felt like I had no one to turn to.

To perform this translation, analyzing the genre conventions and purpose of both the Deleted: I decided to translate a historical scholarly article1
into a lyric poem after carefully analyzing

original text and the translated text served to be the most significant steps in terms of beginning

the translation. . Although the genre conventions of lyric poems differ greatly from those of peer- Deleted: each type of text

reviewed articles, the message was the same:African societies were subjected to continuous Deleted: . The message of the article was how

colonization by European powers (Britain, France, Germany, etc.) long after gaining

independence.2 Colonization was prolonged due to the lasting mental influence instilled in the

African mind from centuries of oppression. This influence the colonizers had on the African Deleted: their
Deleted: s
people was called “colonization of the mind.” In my lyric poem, I strove to portray this mindset Deleted: “colonization of the mind”

in the perspective of an African man who had gone through being both colonized and

2
Udengwu, Ngozi. “Decolonize or Else – Negotiating Decolonization through Popular
Theatre.” AFRREV IJAH: An International Journal of Arts and Humanities7, no. 4 (2018): 17.
https://doi.org/10.4314/ijah.v7i4.2.
 Wong 2

decolonized. My goal was to present the feeling of being decolonized as not exactly “free,” but

instead, trapped in one’s own mind. Decolonization is personal to the person being inflicted by Deleted: , known as “colonization of the mind.”.

the colonizers themselves, allowing poetry to be a prime translation for expressing a perspective Deleted: individuals

on a sensitive topic. Poetry is a model for people to express ideas passionately and lyrically. Deleted: ing

Such passion is crucial to the background of historical events, especially when related to what a

person experienced first-hand.

Upon completing this writing project, I underwent two main steps: identifying the

purpose of the primary article, and using first and second order thinking for the translation

process. Identifying the message of the primary source was a key step in conveying correct

information into the poem. I identified the main idea of the article through reading the abstract,

introduction, and conclusion to determine what parts of the text I truly needed to read.3 The

abstract relates African theatre to a “continued call for decolonization,” the introduction brings

attention to the psychological impact of decolonization, and the conclusion depicts how African

theatre can reinstall tradition/culture that was lost after being decolonized. After reading these

three components of the scholarly article, it became aware to me that colonization of the mind is

still an issue the African people struggle with. Moreover, the skill of identifying the key points of

a scholarly text made reading the primary article more efficient, and helped me identify specific

parts of the text for the translation. I came to the understanding that as long as the message stays

consistent between both genres (original and translated), any type of genre translation could be

made.

3
Rosenberg, Karen. “Reading Games: Strategies for Reading Scholarly Sources.” In Writing Formatted: Font: (Default) Arial, 10 pt
Spaces: Readings on Writing, 2:210–20, n.d.
 Wong 3

The translation process into a lyric poem also started with two types of thinking: creative, Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.5"

first order thinking and controlled, second order thinking.4 I went into the first draft of my

translation using first order thinking to get all my immediate thoughts onto the page without pure

direction or control. After, I went back in to perfect my previous work, and began to think more

critically and logically. Utilizing both methods to create one final piece of work contributed to

my success in translating an academic article into a lyric poem, designed for a completely

different audience. I learned how to pay attention to the audience and purpose of the two genres

to accurately convey the hardships of “decolonization of the mind.”

Lyric poems have structure very similar to songs from your favorite music artist. Take

any song, look up the lyrics, and you will see a recurring format among the lines of the song with

rhythm patterns, melody, and a story. Since rhythm patterns are very significant in lyric poetry Deleted: The rhythm

as well, I recreated that specific convention. Starting from the second line of my poem, I made Deleted: after analyzing several different lyric poems and
songs. …

sure every other line after had the same number of syllables. This is reflected in the lines: Deleted: by startingry sStarting
Deleted: I making

“learning the struggle” and “buried with shovels.” These two lines both have five syllables that

add to the structure and organization of the poem, ultimately reconstructing the conventions of Deleted: ;

lyric poetry.

Another form of structure I included were end rhymes every other line. My poem Deleted: also

exemplifies this structure with the lines: “I ask of my mind” and “break free of the bind.”

Incorporating lines that end with words that sound the same, which is a constantly used

convention of lyric poems, makes the sound of the words smoother when reciting them. Having a

4
Elbow, Peter. “Teaching Two Kinds of Thinking by Teaching Writing.” In Embracing Contraries: Formatted: Font: (Default) Arial, 10 pt
Explorations in Learning and Teaching, 54–63. Oxford University Press, 1986.
 Wong 4

smooth sound relates to the overall flow of the piece. These rhythmic patterns aid the flow of the

poem and add structure to the overall piece. I rhymed the words “mind” and “bind” specifically

to correlate to the hold the colonists had on the minds and actions of the African people to their

mentality. This displays a deeper meaning for the reader to identify, which is the main goal of

the reader when it comes to poetry. Deleted: Having a smooth sound relates to the overall flow
of the These rhythmic patterns aid the flow of the poem and
adds structure to the overall piece.
The melodic and contemplative components of lyric poems add to the flow of the poem

as well. I translated the idea of decolonization being a physical and psychological circumstance Deleted: LOn a similar note, lyric poems are melodic and
contemplative as well.

into phrases that contemplate how the African man felt in that given situation. Specific lines

from my poem such as “whip striking his back” and “days full of neglect” provide the lyric poem

with a pensive tone. This pensive tone is specifically striking to the reader because of the Deleted: and a form of unusual syntax that is particular to
poetry.

reference to whipping and neglection. I included these lines because of the correlation they have Deleted:

to the general knowledge most people have on slavery. After reading these lines, the reader

would be able to correlate my information on decolonization of the mind to their prior

knowledge on African enslavement. The reader would be able to recognize how enslavement of

the past affected the Africans to such an extent where they were/are still mentally affected post-

freedom. Deleted: here is an usual With unusual syntax, I strayed

Right after I read the scholarly article, the type of speech found within it was strictly
academic with advanced vocabulary, complete sentences, and detailed description of the
information posed. This structure made the contrast between scholarly articles and lyric poetry
from the ordinary way humans usually write or speak with
unusual syntax.. More specifically, I included
personification, analogies, repetition, metaphors, and
rhetorical questions within my poem to fulfill the
conventions of poetry as a whole. This type of syntax and
diction These literary practices serve to maintainconvey the
structure of a lyric poem while also same purpose of
demonstrating the struggle of mental decolonization. while
maintaining the structure of a lyric poem.

simple to define since lyric poems specifically have lessened use of subjects and predicates that

would form complete sentences. Instead, each line contains a series of words or fragments with a

purpose to convey the author’s message one piece at a time until the end of the poem, pushing
 Wong 5

the reader to find a “deeper meaning” of the words presented. Finding the “deeper meaning”

calls for identifying key points that are made by the author indirectly. For instance, I included:

Two thousand nineteen Formatted: Font: Italic

I scream I am free.
But my mind, a running clock
Will not let me be.

Instead of this stanza I could have said “The psychological imprint left behind by colonialism

has made a mockery of the political independence gained, because, as scholars have discovered,

the so-called independent countries cannot stop being dependent on their former colonizers,” but Deleted: 5

that would not be considered poetic in any form.6 Poetry has an emotional impact on the reader, Deleted: Being poetic

and values expression through short sentence fragments. I used short sentence fragments to Deleted: With this,
Deleted: fragmentsthe words I did to
include vocabulary that truly impacts the reader, and force them to dive deeper into what each

line specifically is attempting to convey. Short phrases are merely simpler to comprehend and

relate to simple vocabulary.

On the other hand, putting facts from the original text into simpler terms served to be a Deleted: The translation from the primary text to the lyric
poem posed the challenge of putting

challenge for me. a. As a student of an African Studies class, I have gained substantial Deleted: not only simpler
Deleted: ,

knowledge to a point where I can easily understand key terms and events in African history. In Deleted: but into the perspective of an individual who has
gone through both colonization and decolonization
Deleted: s well
my poem, However, knowing the audience most likely did not have that same historical context I
Deleted: To make it easier for those who do not have
knowledge on the topic, I
had, I was compelled to get rid of terms that were too historical so the content would be more

comprehensible. I had to make it easier for those who have limited knowledge on the topic. For Deleted: for the reader.

instance, in regard to historical facts, foreign nations sought to withdraw their physical hold on

the African people. However, European imperialist aggression remained, since they still used the

6
Udengwu, Ngozi. “Decolonize or Else – Negotiating Decolonization through Popular Formatted: Font: (Default) Arial, 10 pt
Theatre.” AFRREV IJAH: An International Journal of Arts and Humanities7, no. 4 (2018): 17. Formatted: Font: (Default) Arial, 10 pt
https://doi.org/10.4314/ijah.v7i4.2. Formatted: Font: (Default) Arial, 10 pt
 Wong 6

Africans as a prime source of raw materials. To put this historical context into simpler, broader

terms within my poem, I stated:

It is said we are free

But what do we get?
Memories of oppression,
Days full of neglect.

I found it necessary to use a question to ask the reader what they believed resulted from African

independence. I wanted to get the point across that no change was truly enacted post-

decolonization, while using terms that backed up that statement. In the excerpt from my poem, I

started with the statement that the Europeans claimed the Africans were free, asked the reader

what came from that “freedom,” then answered it myself using the words “oppression” and

“neglect” to get my message across.

For comprehensibility, I also included a side note defining “massa,” meaning “master” in Deleted: For comprehensibility,
Deleted: two
Black language. Incorporating this definition allows the reader to have more insight on the Deleted: s
Deleted: and the “white man’s burden.” Including
context of the poem; they explain how the African people continue to be impacted mentally by Deleted:
Deleted: these
sustaining a master-servant mindset post-independence. Deleted: it

It was also difficult to be both comprehensible, yet indirect at the same time, since a genre Formatted: Indent: First line: 0", Space After: 0 pt

convention of poetry is to be indirect and allusive. To help with comprehensibility, I also strove

to present the timeline of the poem in chronological order to have the reader follow the path in

which the individual was colonized, then later decolonized with not much difference to his

mindset. In my poem, I started with “sixteenth century” and ended with “two thousand

nineteen.” With this drastic difference in dates, I was able to convey how decolonization did not Deleted: Seeing

present significant change to the life of the African people. It furthers the message I strove to Deleted: man
 Wong 7
achieve, which began with presenting the content as coherent as I could while maintaining the
genre conventions of lyric poetry (indirectly conveying my message).
Overall, I gained knowledge on how texts can be translated into many different genres, as
long as there is correct reproduction of its conventions with the translation, and adequate
understanding of the information being translated. This translation from a scholarly historical
article to a lyric poem explains what it means to be decolonized from the perspective of an
African man who experienced both colonization and independence. This perspective takes into
account the mental state of the African people post-decolonization, and displays the struggle they
continue to have long after they break free from colonial rule. I aimed to get this message across
to the poetry community through reproducing the conventions of poetry, while also maintaining
relevance to the significant concepts within the scholarly article.
Deleted: . That all
Deleted: started
Deleted: Furthermore, I did leave out the components of the
scholarly article that referred to African cultural
performances and the neglect of traditional values in modern
day theater. The reason for not utilizing such information
was to maintain the focus on the struggle the African people
had towards straying from a colonized way of living, and
make mental colonization the focal point. ¶
Upon completing this writing project I underwent two main
steps: identifying the purpose of the primary article, and
using first order and second order thinking for the translation
process. In order to accurately perform this translation,
identifying the message of the primary source was a key step
in conveying the correct information. Since there was so
much information in the scholarly article, I identified the
main idea through reading the abstract, introduction, and
conclusion to determine what parts of the article I truly
needed to read.7 The abstract relates African theatre to a
“continued call for decolonization,” the introduction brings
attention to the psychological impact of decolonization, and
the conclusion depicts how African theatre can reinstall
tradition/culture that was lost after being decolonized. After
reading these three components of the scholarly article, it
became aware to me that colonization of the mind is still an
issue the African people struggle with. Moreover, the skill of
identifying the key points of a scholarly text made reading
the primary article more efficient, and helped me identify
specific parts of the text for the translation. I came to the
understanding that as long as the message stays consistent
between both genres (original and translated), any type of
genre translation could be made. As I began the translation
into a lyric poem, I started with two types of thinking:
creative, first order thinking and controlled, second order
thinking.8 I went into the first draft of my translation using
first order thinking to get all my immediate thoughts onto the
page without pure direction or control. After, I went back in
to perfect my previous work, and began to think more
critically and logically. Utilizing both methods to create one
final piece of work contributed to my success in translating
an academic article into a lyric poem, designed for a
completely different audience. I learned how to pay attention
to the audience and purpose of the two genres to accurately
convey the hardships of “decolonization of the mind.”
Deleted: Such a
Deleted: wanted
Deleted: /fanbase
Deleted: as well as the emotional aspects of my poem,