Mathematics by Hollie McNish spoken poetry

Mathematics

In pairs, research “spoken word” and discuss your findings.

GLOSSARY

Find “Mathematics” on YouTube and listen to the author performing the poem while you follow the text. Do this at least twice.

GLOSSARY He says those god damn Pakistanis and their goddamn corner shops Built a shop on every corner took our British workers’ jobs He says those Goddamn Chinese and their goddamn china shops I tell him they’re from Vietnam but he doesn’t give a toss I ask him what was there before that damn Japan man’s shop He stares at me and dreams a scene of British workers’ jobs Of full time full employment before the Goddamn boats all came Where everybody went to work full time every day A British Business stood there first he claims before the Irish came Now British people lost their jobs and bloody Turkish they’re to blame I ask him how he knows that fact he says because it’s true I ask him how he knows the fact he says he read it in the news Every time a Somalian comes here they take a job from us The mathematics one for one, from us to them it just adds up He bites his cake and sips his brew and says again he knows the spot The Goddamn Caribbeans came and now good folk here don’t have jobs I ask him what was there before the goddamn Persian curtain shop I show him architecture’s plans of empty goddamn plots of land I show him the historic maps A bit of sand, a barren land There was no goddamn shop before those Pakistanis came and planned Man I’m sick of crappy mathematics Cos I love a bit of sums I spent three years into economics And I geek out over calculus And when I meet these paper claims

doesn’t give a toss bryr seg ikke / bryr seg ikkje claims påstå curtain gardin architecture arkitektur barren ufruktbar geek out her: veldig opptatt av cliché klisje Hollie McNishVurderingseksemplarBritish Hollie McNish (1984–) makes a living as a full-time poet. She also does readings and workshops, mostly in schools for struggling students. Her YouTube account has millions of hits, and her recorded readings have gone viral. This poem is based on her personal experience and is meant to criticise the cliché that immigrants steal jobs. It was first published on YouTube.

"Most immigrants bring more than minuses."

GLOSSARY

That one of every new that came Takes away ones daily wage I desperately want to scream “Your maths is stuck in primary” Cos one who comes here also spends And one who comes here also lends And some who come here also tend To set up work which employs them And all your balance sheets and trends wage lønn Work with numbers not with men spends bruker And all your goddamn heated talk lends låner Ignores the trade the Polish brought tend to har en tendens til Ignores the men they gave work to / har ein tendens til heated talk høylytt diskusjon Not plumbing jobs but further too / høglydt diskusjon Ignores the ones they buy stock from ignore overser Accountants, builders, on and on plumbing rørlegger/røyrleggjar And I know it’s nice to have someone stock aksjer/aksjar To blame our lack of jobs upon accountants regnskapsførere/ But immigrations not as plain rekneskapsførarar lack of mangel på Despite the sums inside your brain plain enkelt As one for one, as him or you employ ansetter/tilset As if he goes, they’ll employ you Cos sometimes one that comes makes two And sometimes one can add three more And sometimes two times two is much much more Than four And most times immigrants bring more

SPOKEN WORD Than minuses.

POETRY

Vurderingseksemplar

An art form in which poetry is read out loud. The performer makes use of rhythm, rhyme and tone of voice.

ACTION

POINT BLANK POETS by Hollie McNish (2020) Our work, though centred on poetry, spans theatre, screenwriting, young adult fiction, novel writing and memoir. Between them we cover various topics and writing styles, through works like The Good Immigrant USA (Suleyman), Black Flamingo (Atta), Nobody Told Me (McNish) and The Things, I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write Together we have a passion for reading and writing, for the power of words and language. We all run workshops, for instance with mums and teenage mums (McNish) and at primary schools and with teenagers (Rodgers).

18 After you have read and listened to the poem at least twice: a Locate and translate words you do not understand. b Write key words for these areas: a summary of the main message in the poem, who you think the speaker is supposed to be, and who you think the recipient is. 19 Compare notes with a partner and then in groups. Write down new information you get from others. 20 Discuss in pairs: How do you think the author feels about a multicultural society? Find quotes in the poem to support your claim. EXTRA CHALLENGE 21 Listen to more poetry by McNish or one of the other Point Blank Poets. a In groups of six, choose one Point Blank Poet each, research The Point Blank Poets are a collective of some of the most exciting writers in the UK. From left to right: Dean Atta, Sabrina Mahfouz, Hollie McNish, Bridget Minamore, Chimene Suleyman and Deanna Rodgers. Vurderingseksemplar and find information on them and their texts. Present your findings and perform parts of their texts. b Try to write a short poem yourself. c Perform or record your own spoken word poetry.