Recently I attended an event in which the spoken word was celebrated. There were passionate speeches, entertaining stories, and uplifting poems. Although many of the stories spoke to me, and I could relate to many of the speakers, one poet really stood out.
Not a sound could be heard except the sharp clicking of his shoes on the wooden floor as he took his place in front of the audience. When he took the stage, the room grew quiet. Everyone was silent, anticipating what was to come. As he began his poem, I could feel his intensity, his passion. He spoke of the inequalities he had experienced, his identity, and societal issues. Even though his poem was personal, his message was received loud and clear.With each word, I could feel the rhythm and the rhyme working simultaneously to create an experience the audience would not soon forget. He started off slowly, enunciating each word. But as he continued, his pace quickened. Each word grew more urgent than the one before. As he grew more powerful, I could feel the tension rising. Suddenly, a man appeared behind him. He was dressed in baggy jeans, a plain grey t-shirt, and clean white sneakers. The poet kept speaking with even more conviction. The man in the grey t-shirt slowly started to act out the poet’s words. The poet’s rhythm began to change. The words started flowing, creating a beat of their own. As the poet continued, the man in the background began to dance. The words, the beat, the rhythm, the tone all matched perfectly. The simple poem became a rap in which the dancer could also express himself. No music was needed. No speakers were used. And yet, these two men on stage were able to engage the audience in an art performance like no other.
This is an example of the poetry and rhythm discussed. It is a poem by Talib Kweli presented on the show Def Poetry Jam.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGvZ9aXg5Xs
This is an example of the poetry and rhythm discussed. It is a poem by Talib Kweli presented on the show Def Poetry Jam.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGvZ9aXg5Xs
Wow... this description is breathtaking.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could have experienced it. I think poetry is such a strong medium of communication, because unlike narratives or speeches, it has a distinct rhythm. For an oral medium of communication, rhythm has such a deep influence on the way we understand a concept. And the fact that the sense of rhythm was further emphasized through the dance sounds fantastic.
Woah, that sounds wild. I listen to a lot of rap music, but I don't like a lot of the rap that is mainstream because they just use dumb sayings. However, I think there are a lot of rappers who are forms of poets. The make their words come alive, and while you talk about someone physically dancing to the poetry, when I listen to some rap songs, the words dance and flow.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you saw quite and amazing performance though. It was very creative and intuitive on the part of the artist. And I think it is in doing or saying something that has never been said before that exemplifies that someone is an artist.
That sounds pretty amazing. I was once in DC and there were two street performers who I think were pretty similar to this. But I don't think they were previously acquainted with each other. The dancer was a tap-dancer, and the rapper (but he was so good it was poetry) just came up beside him and let loose. The beat of the tap shoes combined with the lyrical genius of the rapper made it an extraordinary experience.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Joy--great description in this post!
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate how this week's post looks at rhetoric from a completely different angle than last week. If this is something that interests you, you might revisit the topic in future posts, or possibly in an upcoming writing or speaking assignment. While some things have been written about the intersection between rhetoric and poetry (and rap, in particular), it's one of those topics that needs to be explored further. Maybe it could be you!