Is Halsey's Poetry Bad?!

[@RachelOates]

Please go support my lovely friend, Annmarie, and her handmade candles: chailightsco.com/ Use can use discount code RACHEL10 to get 10% off your orders :)

[@angelaamendola-anderson1806]

You should check out her music's lyrics too! Her song more is so beautifully sad and evokes so much emotion and the way they did the sound in the bad ground to sound like an ultrasound is so good!

[@7410n0]

Rorschach is pronounced Roar-Shack in American English and Roar-Shock in British English

[@sonam10107]

@Kadi Hunter can i ask why this is important to you?

[@Reed5016]

Do you have any tips on writing better poetry?

[@Jaxxii-z7h]

First of all you judgemental b, if you can't even pronounce her name it's HALSEY AKA ACRONYM OF ASHLEY. THIS IS POINTLESS 😂😂😂😂😂 GO thru something dummy

[@jadelizz4667]

i almost feel like the end of summer fruits can relate to miscarriage. she's struggled with fertility and has had a miscarriage in the past and with bits like "the dying leaves" and the final line "just empty space" it just reminds me of that struggle. also the juxtaposition of her spitting out the seeds as a child in horror willingly then when shes older and she wants the seeds or the plant she cant have it

[@elizabeth_b]

and now she's about to have a baby!!! I'm so happy for her

[@missbellaiza]

@@elizabeth_b we all are ❤

[@woolyvaro7814]

I don't really know why people are surprised that a poetry book by a professional, successful songwriter wouldn't be bad. Yes, there are obviously songwriters in Pop music that aren't that great, but isn't her lyricism part of what people like about her music? EDIT: I am Aware, that being a good lyricist, does not make you a good Poet. What I'm saying is that I don't understand why people are surprised someone who makes their money by writing in whatever Medium, would potentially also be good in another one. If an actress was a good Poet, I'd be unexpected - a Songwriter, not so much.

[@zakle3805]

It might be because, with music, the artist doesn't always write their own songs. You could be talented with singing or instruments, but still be a terrible or messy writer.

[@oceaness1583]

@@zakle3805 she writes her own lyrics ... You should check out her song called clementine, the lyrics are seriously amazing.

[@manvysings]

@@oceaness1583 Clementine is my favourite song of hers🥺

[@nightcrawler8864]

I think its due to the youtubers coming in the poetry book game but I agree. I feel like Songwriters are wayy more capable of writing poetry. Lou Reed and PJ Harvey are my favorite artists who are a good example of this

[@oceaness1583]

@@manvysings thats amazing! She really proves how good of a songwriter she is through that song!

[@vaddlliinz3338]

Rachel: *Descriptively explaining and describing poetry* Meanwhile Kyra: Get down, couch >:(

[@couchpot1298]

i think you saying you don't know which one you prefer between Summer Fruits and Watermelon might be the exact reason she included both. different people will connect to the two poems differently and including one wouldn't give the option of exploring both to the reader. although i do agree they share a lot of common themes, she might've just not known which one is the better one to keep in.

[@RachelOates]

Great point!

[@rgs8970]

I wish she had had a third watermelon poem that fit the theme of phases of life

[@moosewinchester8552]

@@RachelOates i think the first one can be interpreted about her miscarriage and sex and the second one is mainly about sex so that may be why both are included

[@QJ89]

Is a Chelsea Smile anything like a Glasgow Smile? Apparently.

[@lalaland7961]

i think it would have been smart to have one at the very beginning and have one at the very end, kinda tying the book together and to a close. I think Summer Fruits would have been a sweet ending

[@Sableagle]

37:00 Rachel: "This reminded me of Johnny." Kyra: *"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"* Yeah, Kyra. You tell him.

[@JoyBloodgirl]

Kyra is so caring, the way she checks in on her mom and pets her with her paw

[@scotograph45]

while I know you aren't a poet, I'm a current English major with a creative writing concentration and I truly have applied your input to make my poetry better. I listen to your videos like a podcast while I do reading assignments and write papers. If it's one thing I learned is that colleagues and friends and their opinions won't matter if the reader doesn't enjoy it. I love hearing from a reader's perspective!

[@vampyrekyng_lex]

She actually is a beginner poet

[@Gulgathydra]

Tutorial: _How to pronounce Halsey_ say: "Hall" say: "I'm walking down the hall" say: "I'm walking down the hall, see me?" say: "I'm walking down the hall, see?" say: "hall, see" *say it again, faster*

[@meretj9004]

pretty sure the last syllable is zee tho not see

[@tobazko5491]

It should be zee not see and also people w different accents pronounce hall differently

[@Gulgathydra]

@@meretj9004 You're just not saying it fast enough. Let the words run together, the 's' turns into a 'z'.

[@ritiaggarwal995]

@@Gulgathydra yeah it does

[@m_adalena]

Lol I say ‘hell sea’

[@alunoodalmheiri7028]

1:50 to 1:58 My heart just melted at how adorable Kyra is!!!!! *realizes i missed the point of the video* Ahhh poetry, yes. Very nice.

[@rachelcarpenter3965]

I was equally distracted by Rachel's hair. I am loving that color!

[@jmwvirgil]

I think 'Summer fruits' and 'Watermelon' are intended to compliment one another. 'Summer fruits' appears to be about the lust for a woman, whereas 'Watermelon' appears to be about the lust for a man.

[@hecatecorinne7596]

Just paused and read "Goblin Market". Absolutely wonderful. I used to watch your videos a few years ago when it was mostly reviewing weird christian channels. I'm so happy to have found you again and see you doing well. Happily re-subscribed. Keep doing awesome. (P.S. I never unsubscribed in the first place. Just got a new screen name and lazily forgot to transfer)

[@RachelOates]

Glad to have you (still) here, thank you!!

[@Mara-fh1gf]

Your Voice is so soft and calm and whenever i'm having a hard time falling asleep because of my anxiety the only thing that calms me down is hear you talking. Thanks for existing! 🇧🇷💖

[@marsh9564]

Rorschach is said like "roar-shack," makes me think of a shed that roars like a lion when the doors open, instead of rusty hinge noises.

[@solastacey127]

Rachel, thank you for sharing about your experience with abuse. I’m sure that was not easy. ♥️

[@rebecamaynart]

I didn't see anyone talking about it, but the poem Virus gave me another interpretation, much sadder and darker. About a father who abuses his daughter, the mother, conniving and impotent, straightens the sheets afterwards and consoles the daughter, but does not prevent her from being abused, hurt.

[@leopie_777]

Love how Rachel has built this niche of poetry and book review on YT.

[@aekaguru6309]

I actually felt the cotton candy metaphor wasn't meant to jar the reader. To me, it evokes the image of this large mass of pink cotton candy almost melting into the water, so smoothly, like silk. It's like her mother is so cohesive with her and almost inseparable from her so the last line has an even greater impact.

[@Fuzzysea693]

That’s how I felt too!! Just melting away.

[@mackenzieargue6434]

I feel you on the pronunciation! I started learning french as a second language in the first grade, and I just realised this year that I go to french pronounciation (even for english words lol) any time I cannot say a word out loud!

[@Robyn_Retro]

I got a sense of powerlessness and distance and being trapped from Lighthouse. Wanting the room to move closer so the other people in the house could hear his screams. Not being able to speak up and ask for help or shelter.

[@Hoebafett]

Back in 2018(?) halsey read the poem “a story like mine” that is also in the book at the Women’s March, I think you would really love to listen to her reading that one out loud if you haven’t already

[@sophieclarke7107]

Honestly this is one of my favourite poetry books. I was captivated. I'm not even a Halsey "fan" (well... Now I am) but honestly, the talent is sensational. Listening to Halsey read the poems on YT too (she has an audio for every single poem if anybody is interested) is even better than reading it in your own head. She's a true, true artist. Also, I'm SO glad you reviewed some good poetry, Rachel !!!

[@kathrin4005]

just wanted to say: i really love your videos and they inspired me to start writing and immersing myself into the amazing art of poetry ❤️✨

[@elsagreen1476]

"Fun girl" reminds me of the "cool girl" monologue from Gone Girl. Halsey's poems sound amazing, I might get that book. It's great to see you talk about poetry you enjoy!

[@simpleton7124]

Omfg your hair is stunning😩🤚

[@openhearts5000]

Okay but can we talk about her hair for a minute? Rachel you look GORGEOUS!!!!

[@amareastralis9290]

I always pronounce it “roar-shark” hahaha

[@electricsheep2597]

This is a beautiful video. Ngl I most definitely cried while watching this

[@lys6288]

Lighthouse last lines are fucking hitting me like rocks

[@fireplace7894]

It’s so adorable the way kyra looks at you 😭😭😭 you guys are truly soulmates

[@celestegobbi1704]

Very excited to hear your thoughts on this one! I’ve already read the collection and my impressions have already sedimented for a while, so I’m really curious

[@Juli-sh7qu]

When you are done watching the video would you mind sharing your thoughts about the book? I think it would be very interesting to hear other people’s opinions

[@lauren6015]

I'd also like to hear your thoughts

[@celestegobbi1704]

​@@lauren6015 @Juli sure! So, very in brief I was a bit disappointed by it. I'm a huge fan of hers and have been reading her poetry since she posted them on Tumblr and really admire her songwriting capacities. I've deeply enjoyed both the message and the delivery of some poems in this collection (the lighthouse, the painter, i want to be a writer, virus, forever...is a long time, just to name a few): they were straight to the point, the imagery left me ecstatic and the rhythmic choice was impeccable. However, most of this collection felt unfinished. The poems are not bad per se, but they lack "something" that was present in the excellent poems of these collection, and I feel like their juxtaposition without contextualization harmed my enjoyment of it. I really appreciated her vulnerability and courage to treat these themes. What did you think of it?

[@lauren6015]

@@celestegobbi1704 I haven't actually read the book but based on this video, I like what I hear so far. Although Rachel criticised the watermelon poems for being too similar, they actually reminded me of William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience. That collection was originally two seperate collections, one featuring poems from an innocent perspective, with the others from an experienced perspective. I really like the idea that Halsey* may have been inspired by that collection*, although I have no idea if that was her intention. I might actually invest in her book because I'd be interested to whether the standard is as high as I've seen in this video.

[@heyitsjackie959]

ooooo im excited for this one!

[@mountaindew9]

I thnk Summer Fruit is more about discovering sexuality whereas Watermelon is more about indulging or even overindulging in that

[@bohemianvampire]

Love the dress! It looked so good in the photo you put on your Instagram!

[@ale_cardozo98]

After watching your videos i feel like i’m not that good as a writer 😭 but also i feel challenge to get better, a lot of tips and feedback you give are so helpful i’ve definitely improved because of you so thank you ❤️

[@alexandrafrench]

hey! i'm a creative writing major so i just wanna say we ALL start off awful and have good days and bad days. in my opinion, it always comes through when you're willing to put the hard work in to be a good writer. people like gabbie hanna would rather feel important because they're "an artist" rather than taking the time to ACTUALLY do the thing and make it wonderful and full of life and love. the fact that you're challenging yourself to improve makes me truly believe you're a gonna be a great writer, its all about putting in effort and listening (also, i find it's really important to learn the basic writing rules so you can learn how to break them well!) best of luck! xx

[@ale_cardozo98]

@@alexandrafrench thank you so much for this ❤️ you are totally right, I’ve been practicing and practicing cause i know that’s the way to improve and making lots of mistakes too!!

[@rilesfomiles8662]

The way you get excited about literature that you can appreciate is so sexy in the most wholesome way. Bit of an oxymoron lmao but I’m sure we all know what I mean

[@DylanVanessa]

Halsey is the reason I started writing song lyrics as a teenager, but she’s fallen off my radar in recent years. I have so much respect for this woman! Thank you for inspiring me to purchase her collection!

[@briannaduffin1305]

I’ve been waiting for this video!!! I’m so excited to watch 💜 but you trying to pronounce her name made me laugh so hard lol

[@kiarajahnvi9935]

You should also listen to the song "Without Me" by Hasley. She has many brilliant songs but I don't know why this one is my absolute favourite.

[@redsol3629]

I think perhaps Billie Collins was right when he said you need to read poetry to write it. Bad poetry is too explicit leaving no room for imagination.

[@mellynn374]

Ugh, I love Kyra so much. 😭💖 Also, this video was great! I love your videos.

[@beathinks]

Oh my gosh, do you and Kyra have a matching collar/bracelet set? 🥺

[@pixiemaimon1216]

IVE BEEN WAITING OMG

[@leslienope]

I would like summer fruit and watermelon as two separate poems if the first one had kind of stayed more positive, and then watermelon as a sequel showed the other more negative side of the concept. Especially in a collection, if there are poems in between the two, it can enhance the experience of reading in my opinion to have that kind of callback/re-examination rather than a progression of the idea all in one go.

[@nettiea.staton8135]

Your hair looks amazing!

[@SoVidushi]

Her album manic is my all time favourite amd the lyrics are an absolute work of art.

[@rilesfomiles8662]

You can tell multiple pieces hit you in this collection bc Kyra is extra lovey and protective

[@missbellaiza]

I love your top

[@karinarieger1168]

I know it sounds weird but I looove watching (or rather listen to) your videos while playing minecraft. I had a world with a lot of cool buildings, and I would always have your videos in the background :D. Sadly the world is gone, but I'll start a new one!

[@lewis72]

_Oh freddled gruntbuggly,_ _Thy micturations are to me_ _As plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee._ _Groop, I implore thee, my foonting turlingdromes,_ _And hooptiously drangle me with crinkly bindlewurdles,_ _Or I will rend thee in the gobberwarts_ _With my blurglecruncheon, see if I don't!_

[@winterfromwisthollow]

The poem about the goblins reminded me of Laini Taylor's Lips Touch Three Times

[@ionawoska1534]

i'd love if you analysed some of Hozier's lyrics :)

[@reenbean1196]

Goodness you deserve so many more subscribers! I always enjoy your reviews even if I don’t always agree with you and to me, that is the mark of a true reviewer. I’m enjoying watching your continue to strive for the life you want for you & your sweet baby. Sending warm thoughts your way, ~*~ Reen

[@falalalalalalala2592]

I’m not sure if you’re familiar with doing this type of review, but would you be interested in reviewing phoebe bridger’s album “punisher” or “stranger in the alps”? The lyrics are beautiful and have so many meanings below the surface. It’s a really fun listen and I suggest you check it out because i’d love to hear your take on her!

[@junimo-hexed]

Kind of unrelated, but for the word Rorschach I say it like "raw shark" because in Watchmen a character misheard what someone said and said it like that.

[@alexiaelaine]

I really enjoyed this review. I watched all the way through and by the end of it was considering purchasing the book for myself! I've been on the look out for new reads and this seems like a good one. ʕ ꈍᴥꈍʔ

[@anniejohnson2648]

Halsey initially wanted to be a poet & writter, but cuz she was broke and bouncing from couch to couch, she was talked into recording a song she wrote and unknowingly that friend posted it online... and the rest is history! Love me some Halsey!

[@gillianc42]

Love the new hair you look like Snow White!!

[@lornatw]

I'm still confused what happened to Halsey and Orions stream that was on various KZbin channels. Some great free style poetry and talk there. Can't find evidence anywhere!

[@welcometorealiti1244]

Hi Rachel! Would you consider reviewing Generations of Women From the Moon by Banks? :) It's a poetry book by one of my favorite singers and lyricists, and if you haven't what about Lana's poetry book as well?

[@miticaBEP07]

This sort of things are more often than not limited in appeal and only for the fans.

[@isitreallylena]

your accent is adorable)) reminds me of Saoirse Ronan a bit

[@ko379]

I feel like the one about being sick might be about expecting mother’s to protect you from sxual assault and how if they don’t you have to pick yourself up?

[@Fallen4theFallen2]

I couldn't help myself and bought some candles. Less than $20 (AUD) is really great for a vegan candle (the most I've found are between 30 & 40) but the international shipping doubles the price. Lol I spent too much on candles, but sometimes it's alright to buy unnecessary things...right?! 😅 Also, there was no way to input the 10% code on the site's mobile version, so that's a bit unfortunate.

[@SimonkaShow]

I hate that you had to experience gabby hannas abuse.. hearing you talk about your experience with an Abu dive relationship and actually having trauma from a narcissistic abuser just makes me so angry at gabbie Hanna throwing those words around at people so carelessly which just shows she has no idea what those words mean and experiences actually feel like. You're a classs act and she's just shown to be the real bully.

[@maggiefulop]

i think it makes so much sense her poetry is decent- her lyrics are some of my all time favorite

[@siriuslybookish4204]

Please talk about Lana's poetry book!!!

[@ZoeLeigh01]

i think you're life wold have been a lot easier if you knew her real name was ashley... definitely a more straight forward to pronounce name lol

[@zeratulcraft]

Light hearted comment - it's kind of funny you perfectly pronounce Chartreuse but have a trouble with Tertiary :)

[@japansace]

It's easy to look at Gabbie Hanna's work and be like, "Huh, this isn't very good," but then when you compare it to something like this--ya know, GOOD POETRY--you're like, "Oh, wait, GH's work isn't just bad; it's absolute dog shit."

[@robinmitchells]

That’s one of the reasons why I like Halsey’s book so much. It shows that, even if not the most technically-sound and unique form-wise, you can still write some really good work if you just put the effort in, which Gabbie just refuses to do. (Which also serves as the most frustrating part of Gabbie’s books- she has a few poems in them that show she has such amazing potential and ideas, so it’s not like she can’t write good poetry, she just chooses not to because she knows her fans will buy it either way)

[@KattReen]

Look, different strokes for different folks right? I know it's fun and popular to dogpile Gabbie Hanna at all times for a whole lot of people, but there's nothing terribly egregious about her book. I like to call that sub genre of poetry basic white girl shower thoughts, and I think it's valid in spite of being vain and a bit childish linguistically(and isn't the blurb on the book stating that it's about feeling like an adult and a child at the same time? I would think childish writing would be a more authentic way to relay that feeling) because I think it's a bit elitist to gatekeep art from those who aren't very good at it or are just starting out, basically getting angry that they're seeing if someone is willing to buy it or if they're proud of it and want to publish it somewhere. The get good or get out mentality isn't helping create better art, it's discouraging people from even trying. There's definitely an audience for basic white girl shower thoughts, even outside of her own audience. Makes up a significant chunk of pinterest. Gabbie Hanna isn't a very good person, I get it. Toxic to the people around her. But her creative work is not really hurting anyone, and a lot of it isn't even that bad considering she probably hasn't been doing it for very long, and no one would be bashing her poetry if she wasn't already so disliked on this platform. And no, I don't care for her either, I wouldn't want someone like her in my life. But I'm also not going to jump on every goddamn Gabbie Hanna bandwagon just cause there's blood in the water. She can't do anything right by people, and they're watching her every move for the sole reason of finding fault in it and tearing her down over it. Even when it's a harmless fucking poetry book with some shower thoughts and doodles.

[@robinmitchells]

@@KattReen have you read Gabbie’s books at all? I have. In the first ones she wrote a poem about how she has ocd just because she likes to rearrange her pans so they’re organized in a row, and another poem where she writes a narrative pretending like she’s gonna self-harm (with some extremely triggering language) and then it turns out to be a fake out joke of her cutting her hair (and I don’t care about whatever excuses she had for that, it’s clear she was rewriting history because this is the only reading you can have of the work by itself), and a “poem” (read: a rambling mess) making a joke out of racism and discrimination and comparing it to colors of dog breeds. In the second one she has a poem that she has gone on record to say is about the harmful effects of homophobia but in it she heavily compares gay people to monsters and animals, and she wrote another poem about a girl with bulimia but calls the girls names like “a pretty bag of bones”, which again, is very triggering language to people with eating disorders. So yeah, her poems are harmful and that alone is enough to “dogpile” her. Fuck. People aren’t upset at her for her books because it’s fun or trendy or whatever the fuck. People are angry about her work because it has all the makings to be good and actually worth something, but she won’t put in the effort so it comes out dull and lifeless at best, insensitive and borderline-bigotted at worse. Not to mention the fact she’s charging money for it, and her schemes to get people to buy as many copies as possible (multiple covers, multiple versions, giving special attention on social media to fans who preordered multiple copies, etc), It’ll be one thing if she’s putting it out for free, but as soon as you start charging money for your work, the public has every right to criticize however they like. Add to that how, despite how you personally describe her work, she has gone on record numerous times to claim how deep and misunderstood her work is and that we’re not taking the time to fully “appreciate it”, when said work in question includes such classics as “link: in bio” and “I lost my credit card and called the helpline and the lady on the phone asked for the credit card number but I couldn’t tell her because I lost my credit card”. Yeah, people are definitely gonna take the piss to show the difference between her ego and her output. Shit, she wrote a poem in Braille dedicated to her blind friend molly but the Braille wasn’t raised which is how blind people read Braille! Now it’s just some useless dots on a page and I’m sure there’s at least one typo in there somewhere given the lack of effort placed elsewhere in the book (including the fact that one of her illustrations in the latest book has a major mistake in it that even her fans caught). So, yes, Gabbie’s books are worth all the criticism, and even if they weren’t, everyone gets criticism. If she can’t deal with it, she should have done a limited run of her book with an independent publisher and released it on etsy, not a worldwide mass release. If you put something out into the world and charge for it, well, people are allowed to voice how they feel about it. Reviews exist for a reason.

[@arirenaldi508]

That's a mood, also shows she's not read poetry. (Also I'm sorry if I'm going crazy & you're not but are you japansace?)

[@devilssemblance5938]

@@BooksandBuns Say it again for the people in the back!!! 💯

[@greenonionbabey]

I'm so glad you reviewed this!! Halsey has actually said that she started making music so people would pay attention to her poetry, and even beyond me being a fan, I think of all the "celebrity poets" she's one of the most sincere and genuinely skilled. I only wish it had been edited a little more in places, hopefully if she comes out with another collection it will be even tighter/more concise. Or else that she tries writing short stories or a novel because I think it'd be killer

[@SequoiaSleeps]

Can I just say that I’m so happy you’re more comfortable talking about Johnny. Shitting on him in particular. In earlier videos you seemed very careful about the words you said, afraid of what might happen. It took you a while to say the word “abuse.” But now you’re more comfortable being open about what he did to you. Like you’ve been indirectly saying in these videos, words have power. It’s incredible to see you slowly taking back the power he had over you.

[@Oceanblue_Art_]

I'm glad she's comfortable saying his name because for a while I was under the impression that Dan had abused her and not someone else.

[@adrianflo6481]

can you fill me in, what has happened?

[@mymessynotebook2207]

Kyra is absolutely stunning today (and everyday).

[@antonellafernandezcastella9184]

On the first poem 14:04 you mentioned that this line probably refers to pregnancy and I remembered she had a miscarriage or wasn’t able to get pregnant for a while and how she said this made her feel empty, might not be about that at all but it reminded me of that

[@dominikad.1368]

Halsey has actually been very open about suffering from endometriosis which is why I think she makes a lot of references like those in summer fruit. She did also had a miscarriage because of that in the past so I can definitely see that being a possible meaning

[@destinyh3717]

I thought that's what the dead leaves referred to. Very emotional and raw. However, lovely.

[@michaelasteele77]

Her song "More" off her latest album Manic is incredibly heartbreaking and the production of the last chorus with the machine beeping and sounds underwater and far away as if you're the the baby inside her chokes me up every time I hear it

[@rilesfomiles8662]

She actually performed live while going through a miscarriage which breaks my heart everytime I think about it

[@weedthepuppy1]

Yeah she had several miscarriages including one while she performed! Thankfully she's pregnant now and seems to be doing well!

[@jadelizz4667]

baffles me that people could read "lighthouse" and still like g-eazy

[@micagarcia2642]

ive been looking for this comment!

[@verosaraiva]

Rachel, you should review some of Taylor Swifts's poems and even some of her songs lyrics from the album folklore (a lot of people say they are basically poems)😀

[@carmenq7339]

ew

[@xniella]

@@carmenq7339 huh?

[@lpm894]

Yeeees pls. I would love that video.

[@vbgirl4050]

I would love to see this as well!

[@i.need.a.new.nickname]

@@carmenq7339 sacrilege

[@willow-qr3zs]

I don't know if it's your type of music, but you should review hozier's lyrics!! they're wonderful poetry with so much religious and mythological symbolism, with themes of sex, love, addiction, abuse, death, just beautifully crafted

[@lennajune]

You should review Florence+ the Machine’s (Florence Welch’s) poetry book, I think it came out a few months ago

[@mophead_xu]

florence + the machine is the whole band, lol. like, i get what yer saying, esp being specified with the parentheses, but still kinda weird to attribute the book to the whole band.

[@h.p.3072]

is it good

[@britann9539]

Yessss!!!

[@AmyAberrant]

Oh I already know that’s a masterpiece!

[@fynnsternis6432]

So, about the first poem you read, Summer Fruit: The mom told her that melon seeds can make a melon grow, and she spits them out in horror, and then later there are actually things growing in her. My thinking was: But, melon seeds actually aren't dangerous. That's one of those things adults find funny telling to children, making them afraid of swallowing melon seeds, when there is actually nothing to be afraid of. And I'm wondering if that was part of the poem? She used this metaphor to translate it over to a toxic relationship but for me there is an interpretation about how real melon seeds are actually not the dangerous thing after all. That her mom warned her about melon seeds when there are far more dangerous things out there, things that can actually make things grow inside of you, metaphorically speaking. I'm pretty sure this is absolutely not the idea she was going for, but I kind of like it ^^

[@parkerisles7256]

Lovely analysis but I just recalled an episode of Rugrats where Chuckie thought he'd give birth to a watermelon because he swallowed its seeds.

[@azure113]

i love your analysis

[@AmyAberrant]

I always thought it was cruel the way parents enjoy making kids scared of watermelon seeds

[@picklegurrl]

I really think you'd love Halsey's music and overall vibe. She's a great activist and many of her songs (like nightmare) have clear feminist messages

[@norie8939]

I love Nightmare

[@bee.ok666]

I haven't listened to her in a while but I just remember being a 5th grader and getting the first sound of such poetic lyrics with her music and adoring every song like that

[@joshuasivils2199]

what about the transphobic tweets?

[@norie8939]

@Joshua Silvis Those were things she tweeted when she was a kid. It wasn’t ok, and she’s apologized for it. She has also since been an advocate for the trans community, calling out people who purposefully misgender them and even the owner of Victoria’s Secret days after she did his show and his transphobia came out. It’s not ok what she did but she did apologize, and then showed that she grew up by putting in effort to help the people she hurt.

[@KattReen]

@@joshuasivils2199 I'm sure you never said anything problematic in public or hurt anyone's feelings when you were 14 years old. Oh, you did? Well off to the guillotine then, you piece of trash, because there's no fathomable possibility that an adult is not the exact same version of themselves as they were as a literal child.

[@chickpeapasta]

I would still love to hear your thoughts about Lana Del Rey’s poetry! 💙

[@RachelOates]

I am working on the video ☺️

[@BeetleLaundry]

I feel like "Summer Fruits" is the general and "Watermelon" is the specific, like the two work as a story.

[@Samantha-yn8tv]

Ive been excited for this book, Halsey was a creative writing major in school!

[@gailism]

personally I think the watermelon poems reference each other, forming a sort of duology. I like that she kept both :)

[@Chris-ln7tr]

i’ve been so excited for this one!! halsey’s poetry was so inspiring to me, i adore this book so much and i cant watch the video yet but i’m dying to know your thoughts!!!

[@kingascheibler7671]

I started crying when i could tell you were on the verge of tears. Im so sorry rachel. We're all here for you and you deserve to be happy after everything that pathetic boy put you through. Thank you for being so open with us, thank you for being so strong and selfless and lovely.

[@Sirglenneth]

Obviously Rachel purposely doesn't know anything about Halsey. But at 24:00 when she compares Gabbie Hanna as a musican to Halsey I had to laugh a little inside. She compared a viner turned youtuber turned musician to the 5th most streamed female artist of 2019. And was surprised that Halsey had rhythm. Like... a world of difference. Idk, just thought it was funny

[@anotherspace2929]

Me too

[@atinyevil1383]

If you could, I would love to hear your thoughts on the film Promising Young Woman. I just saw it and I thought it was very interesting and I’d like to hear thoughts on it from someone who doesn’t analyze films for a living.

[@lianaivan1462]

Omg I NEED Rachel to do a review on this movie, it was so freaking good!!

[@atinyevil1383]

@@lianaivan1462 agreed. And I think Rachel would have an interesting opinion on it.

[@psychopathetic5341]

OMG ACTUALLY I DIDNT KNOW HOW MUCH I NEEDED THIS TILL NOW. I learnt abt this movie from Amanda the Jedi and I've been meaning to see it ever since

[@atinyevil1383]

@@psychopathetic5341 yes! Another Amanda fan! It’s a really good movie, but if you have a hard time with intense topics and violence, you might want to watch with caution.

[@emclaire7027]

I have been hyped about this movie since I stumbled across the trailer months ago and I'm dying to watch it but right now its only available to buy because it's still in theaters and I'm never keen on buying a movie I've never seen so I'm making myself wait until I can rent it.

[@Ostkupa]

Halsey's music is such a mixed bag, and confusingly it's often the lyrics that I struggle with, sometimes she's just trying too hard - but I adore this collection. A little bit uneven sure, maybe a little too long, but it hits you like a punch in the throat whilst still being very playful and just the right amount of vulgar. It's great. Also, the first poem is I think the first time I've heard creativity described as something disgusting and I just adored that concept.

[@malvikamishra5428]

In the summer fruit, the "dying leaves" could be about Halsey's miscarriage

[@DP-tq7yu]

Perhaps the two poems about watermelon were intended to be almost identical because it shows the two different endings. One is a lot more optimistic whereas the second one is a lot more abusive. They could’ve been there to contrast one another, or maybe it was made so similar to show that it was about the same individual. Not really sure, but i don’t think this would’ve been a mistake considering just how identical they are.

[@beyond_jana]

some of the poems in the books also later evolved into full blown songs - I find it really interesting to see how they compare standing on their own vs as part of songs! anyways I really enjoyed this video! most of the poems you highlighted as your favourites I definitely agreed with and I think hearing you talk about virus gave me a bit of a new found appreciation for the poem :)

[@snc9035]

Did anyone else feel like Kyra could sense when Rachel got emotional and was trying to make sure she was ok? 🥺🥺🥺🥺

[@elkieelkie]

Fun girl reminds me of the “cool girl” monologue from gone girl. But I really do like Halseys poem too because she addresses the reader and tells us not the repeat her mistakes

[@veronikakajosova6896]

I love your poetry videos, just a little technical thing.. the repetition of a word or phrase is only called anaphora when its repeated on the beginnings of verses. Repetition on the end of the verses is called epiphora and on the end of one verse and the beginning of the next one epanastrophe.

[@RachelOates]

Thanks!

[@hannahhannah7002]

I actually really liked Summer Fruit and Watermelon seperatly. I feel like having a repeating motiff gives the book a more put together feel. It also gives the reader some time to sit w the imagery from the first one and it makes Watermelon more uncomfortable when you remember the previous imagery and what it meant

[@eishitamisra9890]

Halsey had a miscarriage so the seed poem is probably accurate

[@acesquare30]

I'm not through with the video yet, I've only gotten to the point where you're beginning to explain your thoughts on Watermelon, but I actually interpreted Summer Fruit to be about her sexual experience with a woman and Watermelon to be with a man (although a lot of people have pointed out it could be miscarriage vs sex as well and I can see merit in that too!). In Summer Fruit we see her allude to "two round mounds / hard like pink sugar" and since it succeeds the lines "...flesh from your lips" I personally interpreted it to be her talking about her experience with a woman. Moreover, we see the allusion to pregnancy in the beginning of the poem, but we don't see that replicated in the later half; instead we get imagery about "dying leaves" and the withering plant, probably indicative of the fact that there was no reproduction in the process, which would make sense if they were both women (it would make more sense for her to mention this especially when women' worth is often linked to fertility, and homophobia is often justified in terms of 'homosexuality is against nature', hence the withering plant). Watermelon is much more explicit in its implication that the experience is with a man, but Summer Fruit alludes less strongly to the presence of a man in the scenario. In this line of thinking, it would've made a lot of sense for her to include both Summer Fruit and Watermelon even though they contain a lot of the same themes, since she's always been vocal about her bisexuality and considers her attraction to multiple genders as equally important. Looking forward to finishing the rest of your video, and thank you as always for making these, they're an absolute delight to watch and learn from!

[@turtlefrogMH]

I pronounce anaphora like “Anna-4-ah” 🤷‍♀️. Either way is probably fine, language is weird.

[@lindat8168]

Anaphora is actually a greek word which is why it tends to be difficult to pronounce it in other languages, but your method is great!

[@Orynae]

@@lindat8168 I don't think that has much to do with it, acrobat is also a Greek word too and it's easy to pronounce haha. Also not sure about "other languages", anaphora is called "anaphore" in french and is very easy to pronounce. French doesn't have that weird thing where you put emphasis on one syllable and it changes how you pronounce all of the vowels in the word. It has other weird things ofc, but in the case of "anaphore", it's pronounced exactly how it's written.

[@vampyrekyng_lex]

@@Orynae Ancient Greek is quite literally impossible to pronounce, even for Greeks today. They do not properly know how to translate or pronounce a lot of words because it’s very different. The way you pronounce many Greek words is probably wrong

[@vampyrekyng_lex]

@@Orynae Also my grammar sucks at the moment because I’m running on very little sleep.

[@Orynae]

@@vampyrekyng_lex it's "wrong" for ancient greek, sure, but I'd argue that's not really relevant to the accepted English pronunciation (which is what we're talking about for "anaphora"). The "correct" English pronunciation of Ares is "air-eez" even though in Ancient Greek it's something like "ahr-ess" I think. 🤷 Modern English pronounciation doesn't follow Old English pronunciation either. The correct pronunciation of "name" isn't nah-m just because that's how it was in the "original" :p

[@KanraLovesHumans]

I made a shimmering watercolor painting of Halsey for my roommate’s birthday who’s a huge fan and I gotta say, took forever but it’s a piece I’m really proud of lol. Halsey’s an awesome person so it was an honor to paint them 😊