Spoken Word Poetry
This research paper will be about the Spoken Word Poetry culture which has been around for many years. Ancient Greeks are said to have recited epic poems aloud just as actors from the days of Shakespeare recited Shakespeare's soliloquies aloud in front of an audience. As a preteen I became a part of the spoken word community because it was a way for me to express myself through words. However it wasn't until I was fifteen or sixteen that I truly traveled over to the Spoken Word Culture. I learned about other Spoken word poets like Sarah Kay who is the creator of Project Voice. I became interested in Spoken-Word Poetry though YouTube videos and the influence of my older sister who is also a spoken-word poet. Even though there are a wide array of different poets, we all speak the same language especially when it comes to Spoken Word Poetry.
Being a poet is just a mere part of being in the Spoken Word culture. It takes more than the simple ability to rhyme words and connect phrases that contradict each other but yet complement each other. Anyone can be poet however not everyone can grasp the skills of being a Spoken Word Poet. It's not about what the words look like on paper, it's about how they are presented. Most people figure that all it takes to be a Spoken Word Poet is simple knowing how to rhyme and knowing how to repeat the lines they've written. Being a Spoken Word Poet takes a certain level of pride, maturity, understanding of words and sound and a high level of stage presence. All in all spoken-word poetry helps with thinking critically.
Spoken word poetry is not poetry. Spoken word poetry by definition is poetry that is written on a page but performed for an audience. Poetry is meant to be on pa...
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...Cultural Studies. Nov/Dec2013, Vol. 35 Issue 5, p392-407. 16p. Print.
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“Watch your tone young lady” a phrase known all too well to the American culture, whether it be from mom giving her children a lecture or on a television screen being spoken out by an actor. The tone of voice that one uses while speaking plays an extremely significant role in what the spoken words actually mean. Many times one can say one thing and mean another just from placing emphasis on a particular word. With tone of voice plays such a vital role in the meaning of a sentence it becomes clear that poetry, although often times found in books as written work, is meant to be read aloud; this was not all that clear to me until I attended my very first poetry reading. On November 10th Ramapo College welcomed the marvelous poet Mark Doty to its campus. Through Mark Doty’s reading of “House of Beauty” and “Theory of Marriage” it became clear that the use of emphasis and tone are vital characteristics that allows for the poet to challenge poetic traditions and conventions.
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...r’.” Poetry for students. Ed. Sara Constantakis. Vol. 43 Detroit: Gale, 2013. Literature Resource Center. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?>.
Poetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities; it is solely used to evoke emotive feelings in the reader in which to convey a message or story. This form of literature has a long history dating back thousands of years and is considered a literacy art form as it uses forms and conventions to evoke differentiating interpretations of words, though the use of poetic devices. Devices such as assonance, figurative language, alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhythm are sometimes used to achieve a musical and memorable aspect to the poem. Poems are usually written based on the past experiences of the poet and are greatly influenced by the writer’s morals values and beliefs. Poetry regularly demonstrates and emphasises on the
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”
In poetry, we can vent our frustration and interpretations of the world around us on paper. Poets make their points using metaphors or little stories to bring them out. When reading poetry, I always put myself in the shoes of the first or third person to better understand what is trying to be put across in the words of the sonnets. Most poems can mean anything to anybody. There are many cases in which you see people finding beauty in things they don't even understand, such as an Italian Opera or Ancient Hieroglyphics painted on a pyramid wall. Poetry can be silly, cheesy, boring or down right appealing and consuming to the readers eyes.
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,“Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity" as William Wordsworth, the English Romantic poet, stated. Poetry is a way to express vast emotions and feelings in a way which is unique to the poet. Poetry uses forms and conventions to suggest differential interpretation to words, or to evoke emotive responses.
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Poetry is a versatile avenue from which waves or ripples can be made potentially. A writer of poetry has the ability to make their readers feel a while wide array of emotions and situations synonymous with the human condition. I, at first, was completely turned off to the idea of poetry at first because all I was exposed to early on by way of poetry were bland professions of love or lust or seemingly simple poems I was forced to process down to a fine word paste. Edgar Allan Poe was interesting, but it was a tad bit dry to me. But, after reading poems the Harlem Renaissance gave me a bit of hope for poetry. To me, the poetry written during that time period has a certain allure to it. They have serious depth and meaning that I, myself and empathize
Sound Devices help convey the poet’s message by appealing to the reader’s ears and dr...
Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. Ed. Joseph Terry. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc, 2001. 123-154.
Words and emotions can be communicated through the use of poetry and song. They can reflect hope, desire, melancholy or grief. In today’s modern world technology has majorly impacted the way people communicate and express their opinions and share beliefs. Even though times have changed, poetry and lyrics will always have significance in any situation. The Sound of Silence by musical duo Simon and Garfunkel explores the lack of communication between people. In poetry the theme of communication is conveyed more subtlety in the poems The Street by Octavia Paz and Milking before Dawn by Ruth Dallas. These three artists have effectively used poetry and song lyrics to express communication using different techniques. They are all both poetically effective and wonderfully written.
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According to Webster's Dictionary, poetry is defined as "writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm." While this is the technical definition of poetry many writers attempted to further describe what poetry is. There are many contradicting views and no one can agree what is the essence of poetry. Some poets think that poetry is the expression of emotions and rules do not matter, while other poets suggest the poetry is all about the rules and the rhythm that must be followed. The perfect mix to define poetry is somewhere in between.