For my found poem, I chose to use an article on the 2006 Duke Lacrosse team scandal. The event occurred when 3 members of the Duke Lacrosse team, were falsely accused of raping a woman whom they had hired to dance at a house party. During this case, the media jumped straight to the conclusion that the three white men were guilty, even though it never even made it to trial. Despite the fact that the three players were found innocent, this did not stop the impact that the scandal had on their lives. Families of the players claim that the three mens’ lives were ruined after this event as no institution, or business wanted anything to do with them. Causing their lives to turn into a harsh struggle despite the fact that the claims were found to be not true.
I titled the poem “Words” because this event showcases the power of words, and what just one person can do with a lie. Words like trial have been put off to the side of the poem replicating what was done in real life. More importantly, the phrase “the truth” has been turned upside-down and tossed to the side as well, also replicating what the media did to the truth in the case. I did not include any of the names of the people involved in the event because of how easy it is for something like this to happen in any other case. Lives can be changed forever simply with words.
