I used the song “Island Girl” by Elton John to create my found poem. The song “Island Girl” is very offensive and is no longer performed by Elton John as he got major back lash when he released it. The song is about white men taking advantage of a darker skinned girl and not treating her as an equal. The song has very racist and sexualized lyrics when describing the girl such as ” Well she’s black as coal, but she burn like a fire. And she wrap herself around you like a well-worn tire” (Elton John). It is obvious why Elton John received the negative response from his fans and listeners. His song is really upsetting not only for the hurtful lyrics that he chose to use but also that it can be related to many true events that take place. I used inspiration from the song to create my found poem showing how white men abuse their privileges and power. In my poem, it appears that a white man is attempting to take an island girl back to a “white man’s world” but she is fighting to not go. A boy tries to intervene but it is too late and the island girl is taken against her will. I wanted to create a poem that is impactful and brings awareness to the fact that white males tend to do what they want, especially against those with less rights.
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