Poem 3: It's Finally Friday

Poem

It’s finally Friday—I’m so glad.
It’s been a crazy week.
I got chewed out on Monday, 
and since then it’s all been bleak.
I lost my lunch on Tuesday,
and a parent went insane,
which shocked me so completely
that I almost popped a vein.

I poked my eye on Wednesday,
and the nurse gave me a shot.
She sent me to the doctor
when I fainted on the spot.

On Thursday I was tardy
’cause I kinda overslept.
And the snack that I was craving 
came up missing in a theft.

And so it’s finally Friday.
No more pencils, no more books.
No more sitting in detention, 
no more teachers’ dirty looks.

By Friday I’m exhausted, 
out of energy and breath.
But that’s the day you’ll hear me shout,
“Rejoice, TGIF!”

And twice a month on Friday,
I remember why I stay:
You see, I am the principal—
that’s when I get my pay.

About the Author

Paul Orshoski, an international children’s author and poet, is a former schoolteacher, coach and principal from Sandusky, Ohio.  He writes witty, humorous, rhyming children’s books and poems.  Paul is the author of eight children's books published by Treasure Bay, Inc. of Novato, California.  Treasure Bay is a leading publisher of educational children's books designed to enhance parent involvement in reading.  His books, part of Treasure Bay's "We Read Phonics" series, include:  "Where is My Frog?" "Bugs on the Bus," "Ant in Her Pants," "I Do Not Like Greens!" and "Robot Man.” Paul’s poems have also appeared in the following magazines:  "Boys' Quest," "Fun for Kidz," "Hopscotch for Girls," "Scholastic Action," and "The School Administrator."  Paul enjoys making kids giggle during school visits by enthusiastically performing his poems and books in small or large group settings wherever he is asked to present.

Personal Response

“It’s Finally Friday” composed by Paul Orshoki describes and illustrates the mind and activities students do. The poet talks about his experiences by days of the week. Each day, he portrays different events and disasters that happened during the week. Most students, especially high school undergraduates, can obviously relate to this poem. Although the events that took place in the poem are quite unusual and strange, we all still have something in common… school is exhausting.

“On Thursday I was tardy ‘cause I kind of overslept and the snack that I was craving came up missing in a theft,” I CAN UTTERLY RELATE TO THIS. As a teenager, I tend to sleep so late. You don’t even have a clue. I have such bad sleeping patterns. It interferes with my education and physical being. Sometimes, I can stay awake until two or three in the morning. I don’t know what causes such unusual behavior. I’d like to believe that it’s nothing serious but the situation is constant. I assume it’s because I over think too excessively at night. I over think situations so much to the point I get so hyped up that I get stress out.

“And so it’s finally Friday. No more pencils, no more books. No more sitting in detention, no more teachers’ dirty looks.” I have so much favorite verses in this poem but I chose this because it straightforward. These verses are the main reason I despise school. The thick textbooks I carry and read everyday occasionally gets tiring. The notes and reading reviews is a killer. My brain dies a little each day. I could really care less about several teachers because in the end, I’m actually doing this for me. It will be a long endless road but I know the end results will help me academically on the long run. I’ll be outrageously intellectual!

TP-Cast/Rhetorical Triangle Analysis

Title: By analyzing the title, there is several outcomes this title can have. For one, Fridays are usually pay day; our relatives, friends, and parents income. Another can be a trip, vacation, or etc. Any plans that are scheduled on a Friday. But for some students, Friday is their most beloved day of the week; mainly because that's the day where the weekend comes right after.

Paraphrase:
It's Friday - I'm so happy.
It's been a preposterous week.
I got bitten on Monday,
and since then it's been dreary

I lost my lunch on Tuesday,
and a parent went crazy,
which astonished me so drastically
that I almost popped a vein.

I stabbed my eye on Wednesday,
and the nurse gave me a shot
She brought me to the doctor
when I collapsed on the spot.

On Thursday I was late
' cause I kinda excessively slept,
And the snack that I wanted
was missing in a theft.

And so it's Friday.
No more pencils, books,
No more sitting in detention,
no more teacher's dirty stares.

By Friday I'm exhausted,
out of energy and breath.
But that's the day you'll hear me scream,
"Rejoice, TGIF!"

And twice a month on Friday,
I remember why I stay:
You see, I am the principal -
that's when I get my monthly pay.

Connotation:
1. Structure: 7 stanzas and quatrains. Rhyme Scheme -- ABCB ABCB ABCB ABCB ABCB ABCB ABCB Meter -- Iambic Trimeter Punctuation -- commas, colons, quotation marks, exclamation point, hyphen, apostrophe, and periods.

2. Speaker - a principal, Audience -- any reader.
3. Figurative Language: Hyperbole ( I almost popped a vein) Irony of Situation (You see, I am the principal - that's when I get my pay.)
4. Imagery - Touch (I got chewed out... popped a vein...) Sight (No more teachers' dirty looks, No more pencils, no more books....) Hear ("Rejoice, TGIF!")
5. Repetition - No more...

Attitude:
Mean, inconsiderate, selfish, not a care in the world, irresponsible, lazy, greedy.

Shifts:
1st quatrain: The poet talks about his Monday experience. He states that he got bitten or chewed up by someone or something.
2nd quatrain: On Tuesday, a demented parent came to his room and he almost popped a vein.
3rd quatrain: On Wednesday, he stabbed his eye and therefor he was sent to the doctor but unfortunately fainted on the spot.
4th quatrain: On Thursday, he was tardy because he overslept. His snack was stolen.
5th quatrain: On Friday, he talks about how he his happy that it's Friday. No more teacher's dirty glares and whatnot.
6th quatrain: The poet talks about how he is so exhausted but he eventually become happy since his beloved weekday is here.
7th quatrain: He reveals himself and says his reason about why he still stays. For his pay/salary.

Title: I was not close in being correct. Only the fact that Fridays means salary or pay day. The main character in this poem was a principal. I found it so ironic because I expected the speaker to be a student. The poet talks about his experiences during ever day of the week; experiences that can happen to students too. As students, we see our principal as role models. Some of us look after him/her as a leader. We try and follow their footsteps. We also believe that principals are highly sophisticated creatures. But in reality, some principals hide unexpected matters that we don't even consider. Most principals might very well be hiding some secrets that they don't wish to reveal. Like how much they detest teacher, staffs, students, and others members and are only staying for the income. Just let that sink in...

Theme: Every person is cynical, they have their own selfish intentions.

References (APA-6)

Orshoski, P. (2006). Poetry Teacher. It’s Finally Friday. Website. Retrieve from
http://www.poetryteachers.com/schoolpoems/itsfinallyfriday.htm