Poetry #1

1. From what poem/author does this commercial borrow (without credit)? 
"The Laughing Heart" by Charles Bukowski 

2. Why might the use of this poem by a corporation be considered ironic? 
This poem is ironic because it's telling us to live our lives how we want to live them but in fact this corporation is doing the exact opposite by telling us to buy their product because if you don't then you are not living your life.

3. Does the poem reflect the reputation of the author? Why/why not? 
No, I don't think the poem reflects the reputation of the author because for one he is not alive and he did not personally let the Levi's corporation use his poem, but we don't know if he was alive if he would let Levi's use his poem, so we can not judge him because Levi's used his poem. I personally think if I didn't have to do this homework assignment and was just watching the commercial I wouldn't even think about it. I bet thats how most of the people that see that commercial, unless they like poetry or is a fan of Charles Bukowski they wouldn't know or even question it. Reverting back to question 2 about it being ironic is just that. I read in an article titled "You don't need more jeans. What you need is more poetry and the author said "Levi’s seems to say, 'This is what you need to own to be cool now; a pair of jeans that tells the world you buy into Bukowski’s beautiful philosophy of hope for the youth, and their future.'" "The Laughing Heart" is such a great poem and I honestly give props to Levi's marketing team because the words that Charles Bukowski wrote was so clever. His poems are suppose to be underground and ""depict the depravity of urban life and the downtrodden in American society" -poetry foundation and just because one corporation was smart enough to use his brilliance does not mean his reputation is shattered now.

4. How did you find the answers to #1 & #3? Describe your research process and your sources in detail. 
I found the answers to #1 & #3 by
1:looked at my classmates blogs
2:searched through the internet about what others say
-http://www.clc.sllf.qmul.ac.uk/?p=390
-http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/charles-bukowski
-http://mentalexotica.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/you-dont-need-more-jeans-what-you-need-is-more-poetry/
3:mashed up both sources to come up with my final answer