Tasks: What is Spoken Word Poetry?

Discuss:

The TED Talk by Shane Koyczan, ‘To This Day… for the Bullied and Beautiful,’ raises important questions about what it is like to be young and different.

Watch the video. Then, discuss the questions below in groups / in class.

What is the central message of “To This Day… for the Bullied and Beautiful”?
How does Koyczan use imagery and metaphor to describe the experience of bullying?
In what ways does the spoken word style influence the tone and impact of the poem? (Consider elements such as repetition, rhythm, and performance.)
How does Koyczan communicate with the audience beyond his words?
What do you notice about his use of voice (volume, tone, intonation, pacing, etc.)? What effect do you think this has on the audience?

Some poetic devices often used in spoken word poetry.

Repetition: Repetition of key words or phrases in order to hammer home a message. E.g. in Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech the phrase ‘I have a dream…’ is repeated.

Alliteration: The repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables. E.g. ‘Peter Pepper picked a peck of pickled peppers.’

Assonance: The repetition of a vowel sound in two or more neighboring words or syllables. E.g. ‘Lean, mean, fighting machine.’

Comparison:

Metaphor: a word or a phrase used to describe something as if it were something else. E.g. ‘The curtain of night fell upon us.’
Simile: describes something by comparing it to something else, using ‘like’ or ‘as’. E.g. ‘Life is like a box of chocolates.’

Allusion: A short, indirect reference to a person, place, historical event etc, the significance of which the speaker expects the audience to know. E.g. ‘We do serious work in my classroom. It isn’t the Mickey Mouse Club over here.'

Onomatopoeia: A word that imitates the natural sound of a thing. E.g. ‘The buzzing bee’ or animal sounds like ‘meow’ or ‘oink.’

Hyperbole: Exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis. E.g. ‘Your suitcase weighs a ton.’

Personification: An idea or thing is described as if it had human characteristics. E.g. ‘My alarm yelled at me this morning.’

Have a look at a fuller list of literary devices.

Drag and Drop:

Literary devices are used to create a special and pointed effect in writing and to help readers understand texts on a deeper level. Remember, you can also use literary devices to spice up your writing.

Go through the literary devices in the box above before you do the exercise.

Write:

Write a text where you analyse a performance of a spoken word poem. Comment on the use of literary devices and on the performance itself (i.e. the use body language, pitch, volume, pauses, pacing, intonation etc). What is the message in the poem? What is your overall impression of the performance?

You will find plenty of spoken word poetry on the internet, but why not choose one of these? Use the search terms:
– Taylor Mali: What Teachers Make
– Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye: When Love Arrives
– Sarah Kay: If I Should Have a Daughter
– Lee Mokobe: A powerful poetry about what it feels like to be transgender

Relatert innhold

What is Spoken Word Poetry?

An article about spoken word poetry, or performance poetry.