About Tyler Joseph

Tyler Joseph was born on December 1, 1988. He is the founder and lead vocalist of the American music duo, Twenty One Pilots. Tyler also plays many instruments such as the ukulele, piano, keyboard, bass, accordion, drums, the tambourine, and many more. He has two brothers named Jay and Zack and a sister named Madison. Joseph attended school in his hometown, Columbus, Ohio. His mother was a math teacher and later became a basketball coach at Olentangy High School, while his father was also a coach, but now works as the principal of Worthington High School. Tyler started playing basketball at a young age and was even offered a scholarship from Otterbein University, which he turned down due to his desire to pursue music. Before joining Twenty One Pilots, Joseph released an album entitled No Phun Intended in his senior year of high school. In 2012, Tyler Joseph was featured in a grand-prize winning visual poem titled “What’s Your Story?" that was used to raise internet awareness about how powerful your actions on the internet really are.

"What's Your Story?" - Tyler Joseph

This is a line

and this line is mine.

You will kindly find my feet and my spine

are perfectly aligned.

You’ll also find that

on either side

is a plus

and a minus sign.

Right now I’m on this line, minus this,

now I’m online.

This is a line

and this line is mine.

You will kindly find my feet and spine

are on the plus sign.

Now I’d like to assign

and also define

what one might find

on this side of the line.

I will not pretend that there are no consequences

of saying something offensive online

no matter what

my ignorant friend says.

Cause words are all I have

and yeah I know it’s sad

we hide behind the mask

of the latest social networking fad

so there’s respect in my status whether through Mark Zuckerberg or Tom.

I’ll treat you the same in person and yeah I’ll accept

your friend request mom.

This is a line

and this line is mine.

You will kindly find my feet and my spine

are on the minus sign.

Now I’d like to assign

and also define

what one might find

on this side of the line.

Now I might seem unassuming but if you only knew

what I was doing

brewing, spewing, spitting venom

when I’m at that screen, I ruin.

reputations I will splatter

typing faster I get madder.

All the insults I will gather. You’re so lucky it’s only Saturday.

You have one day. Oh yes, Sunday

For my words to die away.

And on that one day

I must say your gonna wish you had a different name.

But then it’s Monday.

And at school,

I’ll remind them all of what I said.

Then it’s Tuesday,

and then it’s Wednesday,

and then we’ll all find out…

you’re dead.

This is a line

and this line is mine.

And now that I have assigned what one might find

on either side,

you will kindly find that my feet and my spine

are on the plus sign

And I’m not moving.

Where are you?

Examples Of Figurative Language In "What's Your Story?"

• In lines 15 and 16, the words assign, and, and also are an example of alliteration.
• In line 20, the words of, offline, and offensive are an example of alliteration. Those words are also an example of consonance, with “f” being the repeated consonant.
• In line 23, “Cause words are all I have” is an example of hyperbole because the narrator doesn't literally just own words.
• In lines 25 and 26, ““we hide behind the mask of the latest social networking fad” is an idiom, because they are not actually hiding behind a mask of social networks, but it describes someone whose true personality is concealed behind a facade.
• In line 27, allusion is being used when Mark Zuckerberg (Creator of Facebook) and Tom (Tom Anderson, the creator of Myspace) are mentioned.
• In line 42, “reputations I will splatter” is an example of a metaphor because when something splatters, it is typically negative and ruins things. The author is comparing this to someone's reputation by saying he will ruin it too.
• In line 46, “For my words to die away” is an example of personification, because only living things can die and words aren't a living thing.

Tone and Mood

Tone:

• The tone of "What's Your Story?" by Tyler Joseph is informative and inspiring, yet disheartening at the same time. Throughout the poem, the tones begin to contradict, becoming more desperate and negative. At the end of the poem, the author's words become slightly hopeful and more encouraging, stating "You will kindly find my feet and my spine are on the plus sign and I'm not moving. Where are you?"

Mood:

• The mood of this poem is slightly depressing, motivational, and surprising. Near the beginning of the poem, the author states what you can find on "either side of the line", the plus being the positive side and the minus being the more negative side. It may upset readers when they discover what is found on either side of the line, supporting the idea that words are powerful and your actions on the internet can strongly affect others besides yourself. As the poem nears the end, the author gives you a choice to choose either side. This may inspire you to pick the plus sign, and rethink your actions.

Why Tyler Joseph?

I chose Tyler Joseph as my poet, because a majority of his music and words are relatable. You can interpret his songs in many different ways and attach a special meaning to the lyrics.