The Funky Political Cartoon Rap Revisited: Poetry, Performance, and Purpose

JOHN MICHAEL PABIAN

We’re funky cartoons from the world of news. Through us, you learn the artists’ views. They take us from the great world stage

And put us on the editorial page.

(“Funky Political Cartoon Rap,” Kennedy School, 1991)

As the recording begins, a 13-year-old artist, wearing a beret, nonetheless, is seen working intently in front of an easel where he is creating a pencil drawing. He deftly eases away from his work, turns his gaze toward a VCR camera mounted on his teacher’s shoulder, and begins his introduction:

I’m the cartoonist with pen in hand. Shaping opinion, I make my stand.

Leaders from the world of politics

Appear on my easel to take their licks

Often their appearance I have to fracture. Welcome to the world of caricature.

I draw to show my point of view.

Now come and meet my funky crew.

(“Funky Political Cartoon Rap,” Kennedy School, 1991)

The “Funky Political Cartoon Rap,” conceived, researched, written, choreographed, and presented by seventh-grade history students at the John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Somerville, turns 32 this year. This month I am facilitating a social studies integration class for a cohort of teachers from the Framingham School District, and as I have done for many years, I will once again share my seventh graders’ work as an example of how poetry along with visual and performance arts may be utilized as catalysts for both engagement and imaginative entry into the realm of interdisciplinary social studies education.

As a seventh-grade history teacher, I never underestimated the energy and enthusiasm of my precocious adolescents. Beginning in 1981, I began to harness some of that exuberance with a research project aptly named, “The Historical Halloween Rap.” Each year in September, the kids discussed, deliberated, and then chose a theme for the show. For example, one year the “Roaring 20s” became the focus of inquiry. Students researched the decade and chose characters for their one-page papers. The writing assignment tasked students with providing information on chosen figures while capturing the historical significance of those selections. The kids utilized these papers to engage in writing workshops, where they, for lack of a better term, crafted short four-line poems or raps. For those who have engaged seventh graders, it is not difficult to imagine this writers’ workshop; it was neither seamless nor pretty, but “the sausage did get made.”

The project proceeded: the kids accessed a boom box, assembled costumes and artifacts from closets (no purchased costumes allowed), rehearsed a bit, and presented the show on Friday October 30th, the day before Halloween. In fact, there were three performances: In the morning, we welcomed grades K-3 at 9:30; grades 4-6 at 11:00; and for the matinee, the kids rapped for parents, relatives, and members of the community, along with the eighth graders who had been on stage the year before.

We’re the seventh-grade history crew, Bringing the 20s to life for you

We’re shaking and baking; our tale is soaring.

It’s all about the 20s; let’s get roaring.

(“The Historical Halloween Rap,” Kennedy School, n.d.)

The show, while affording teachers a needed break on what many considered to be the longest day of the school year, became a tradition at the school and in the district. Over the years, the cable access group at the mayor’s office videotaped the performances and shared the show with viewers across Somerville.

During the 1990-91 school year, current events careened into the consciousness of Americans at a frantic pace. Driven by new technologies and a 24-hour news cycle, people all over the world were witnessing triumphs and tragedies playing out in real time, while trying to make sense of what they were witnessing. At this time, there was momentum gathering for integrating television and electronic supplements into classroom practice. CNN offered to teachers, free of charge, a 15-minute news program geared for middle- and high-school students. The program was supported by lesson plans that arrived each morning through the miracle of email. Time Warner Cable had donated a television, VCR, computer, and printer to the school. The students and I decided to take these tools for a spin.

The seventh graders, seasoned through their work on “The Halloween Rap,” were ready to spotlight the political figures driving the events of the day. The one-page paper remained at the core of the work, while we added a cartooning component, which excited many of the kids. Participants from the First Gulf War led the way for this homemade video:

I’m General Schwarzkopf; call me Norman.

We’re ready to do some desert stormin’

Calling Saddam, get out of Kuwait

Or you’ll be meeting a tyrant’s fate.

(“The Halloween Rap,” Kennedy School, 1990)

The perspective of the Iraqi leader was shared:

Saddam Hussein, I’m leader in Iraq. The Mideast is on fire; I lit the spark. The mother of all battles, we will wage.

Bush will feel our nation’s rage

(“The Halloween Rap,” Kennedy School, 1990).

Our unit on fact and opinion brought in the beliefs of those who supported the Gulf War and those who were opposed. A flag waving supporter posits:

We love our troops and support our men. We don’t want Vietnam again.

War is hell and fighting’s tough,

But we must call a madman’s bluff.

(“The Halloween Rap,” Kennedy School,1990).

He is met with a response from a woman holding a peace sign:

I detest all war and call for peace. My stand is that fighting must be ceased. No blood for oil, an end to strife. War is the enemy of human life.

(“The Halloween Rap,” Kennedy School, 1990)

We had a diverse group of city kids in this class, and social justice was explored:

I’m Jesse Jackson, U S. candidate. When the country is just, it will be great. The message goes forward, we can’t stall. There must be civil rights for one and all.

(“The Halloween Rap,” Kennedy School, 1990)

The fall of the Soviet Union is brought forward by the Russian leader:

Glasnost for Russia, hear my call. The Soviets are crumbling but I won’t fall.

Mikhail Gorbachev is the man of the hour Raisa and I are still in power.

(“The Halloween Rap,” Kennedy School, 1990)

Even a New York real estate developer drew the project’s attention:

I a symbol of wealth and power. I put my name on a New York tower.

A tycoon of property and real estate, I’m losing money in the Empire state.

(“The Halloween Rap,” Kennedy School, 1990)

When I pack up my materials for the social studies methods class, these rappers will be joining me as they have on so many other journeys. These 13-year-olds will present their work before a class of people, most of whom were not born when the work was created. As an aside, “The Funky Political Cartoon Rap” was awarded a Crystal Apple by Time Warner Cable as part of a “Cable in the Classroom” initiative. The students earned editing equipment and cameras for the school and some well-deserved recognition for their work.

The day of the taping is still alive in my memory. Their joy shines through, and smiles are everywhere. The students had fun and may have learned something along the way. That long ago time, 31 years ago, often appears in my rear-view window, but those “Funky Political Cartoon Rappers” are always closer than they appear.

About The Author

Dr. John Michael “Mike” Pabian is a career educator, who, after graduating from Boston College in 1972, served 34 years as a teacher, athletic coach, assistant principal, and principal in the Somerville, Massachusetts School District. Mike entered the field of higher education in 2004 as an instructor at the Lesley University School of Education, where he also earned a doctoral degree in 2014. Mike’s dissertation, Elementary Voices of City Teachers, examined, through the lens of oral history, the lives and careers of four female classroom teachers, who worked in urban schools between the years of 1964 and 2014. Beyond his work as an educator, Mike has served as a consultant in the fields of curriculum design and media literacy for the A&E television network, Time Warner Cable, and Turner Learning. A winner of three Crystal Apples and the A&E Network’s National Teacher award, he has won acclaim for his work on integrating technology into middleschool classrooms. He resides in Bedford, Massachusetts with his wife, Clare.

Nuh uh! (A poem for two voices) MARK WEAKLAND

No matter what I say, You say nuh uh.

Nuh, uh!

And nah uhs and such?

I agree! We should cease; We should stop calling names.

Ya huh! You just said it, Nuh uh!

Nuh uh, no I didn’t; You said it first, You said nuh uh And, what’s even worse, You’re a silly old squid.

Nuh uh! I am not And silly old squid Is a really cheap shot.

Nuh, uh , no it isn’t. And don’t act so hurt. When it comes to name calling, You’re the first one to blurt.

Okay, I agree; Yes, I’ll do the same.

There’ll be no more name calling; This is quite a breakthrough.

I’m glad you suggested it.

Nuh uh! It was you!

Nuh huh! I do not.

Ya huh! You sure do And I bet you were ready To call me koo-koo.

Nuh uh, No I wasn’t! This is really too much. Who cares about ya huhs,

Editors’ Note:

This poem was originally self-published by the author in his poetry collection, The Delicious Chocolate Donut (and Other Off-Kilter Poems) (Weakland, 2011, March 20, pp. 32-33, Happy Hummer Press). This poem is reproduced in MRA Today 2023 with permission from the author.

About the Author

Mark Weakland is a consultant, teacher, writer, and musician. The author of teacher resource books, awardwinning writing and music projects, and more than 75 books for children, his latest book, How to Prevent Reading Difficulties, PreK-3 (2021) is published by Corwin. Visit his website (www.MarkWeaklandLiteracy.com); follow him on Twitter @MarkWeakland.

MRA invites you to submit a conference proposal!

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