Scratch and Dent Dreams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfTa4B7wQ_8

This poem, “Scratch and Dent Dreams,” was written and performed by Eric Darby and won the 2005 Slam Poetry semi-finals.  It is about dreams that we all give up on and what you can do with them when you pick them back up again.  It takes place in a store that sells dreams, hope, and second chances.  Eric Darby is a nationally recognized poet who has competed in and won several poetry competitions.  His works have been included in four spoken word anthologies, and he’s had two albums released by Poetry Jam and Rounder Records.  Currently, he attends Syracuse where is a creative writing fellow.  He wrote this poem to inspire hope in people that give up on their dreams and to lead them to give that same hope to others.  The intended audience was dreamers and those who think of themselves as failures.  Also, the poem was directed towards people who love slam poetry and other works belonging to Eric Darby.  This poem overflows with examples of pathos, comparisons, and hidden meanings.  For example, the title of the poem is scratch and dent dreams.  Something that is “scratch and dent” in a store means that when you take it up to the register you get money off for its imperfections; a small tear or maybe a scratch on the side.  This comparison of imperfect dreams to other “ruined” merchandise was very effective in getting Darby’s message across because it reminded those who have given up or are struggling that just because their dream isn’t as perfect as they’d like, that doesn’t mean it has to be over.  An example of pathos is when Eric said, “You won't have any directions or factory number tabs but don’t panic, there’s a hundred ways to do it right and none to do it wrong.”  The emotions used here are hope and perseverance.  I found this line very effective because often, people give up once things get difficult and he doesn’t want them to do that.  He is basically saying that you can’t mess up your dreams as long as you keep going.