His poem imitates some of the ways that teenagers speak. In his poem he gives examples such as the way people use the word "like," "you know." People use these words and phrases to fill spaces while figuring out what they want to say. They also use them, according to Mali, to show that they don't really care about what they are talking about. Another example is "I'm just saying" which is a way of saying that whoever is listening doesn't have to take in what I am saying or take it seriously. Word choice is also very important to get people to listen to you. I can relate to this in my daily life. Some of the people that speak with conviction and do not use these kinds of words are most of the American Presidents. These include Obama or Bush. They are two of the presidents that we don't hear say or use these words. Instead of using these word they use words with meaning. This is one of the main reason's why so many people listen to them.
When people use these phrases, listeners will not think that they know what they are talking about. People think this is because the words ("like" and "you know")that they use do not have meanings and are use to fill in sentences because they have nothing to say. It is hard to convince someone what you are saying if most of the words that you are using have no meaning. The result will be that people will not take them seriously because they do not think that they are sure about what they are saying. If you were to have an argument with someone, they might not agree with you because you do not sound confident because too many of your words are empty.
I think that this poem means that if you speak with authority and conviction, people will listen to you. If you have a habit of always speaking with "likes" and "you knows" then it will be harder for you to be able to speak with conviction. Many people in my daily life are people that speak with conviction. Some of these people include my parents, my teachers and my sport coaches, so I listen to them. Most people when they write choses certain words. So why wouldn't they chose to speak like this. If a person says "like" and "you know" all the time, then the listener will be tired of always hearing you say those words. You even run the risk of being boring. If you can speak with conviction, then you may also be able to write with conviction as well.
Taylor Mali challenges us to "To speak with conviction. To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks the determination with which you believe it." Being able to speak with conviction and authority is something worth fighting for and something I will try to work on.
