Spoken word is a rhythmic poetry. It is performed enthusiastically rather than just read plainly. Like other art forms, it is a form of self-expression, and can be used as therapy for the artist and the listener.
Shane Koyczans
poem called To this day makes the audience laugh by using hilarious
and haunting stories about his past. Poet Shane Koyczan puts his finger on the
pulse of what it's like to be young and ... different. "To This Day,"
his spoken-word poem about bullying captivated millions as a viral video. Shane
talks about when he was younger and all the problems he faced including
bullying, his parents leaving and also him being depressed. When he says “They
asked me what I wanted to be and told me what not to be” made me think about
what I want to do in life and what everyone else tells me not to. He gives his
poem life with backstory and violin accompaniment by Hannah Epperson. The mood
is serious at times and also humorous.
Javon
Johnsons poem called cuz he's black discusses how he’s not
happy with the way we raise black boys. The poem is based on is nephew who is
asking him questions in a car ride but then sees a cop car and yells “Oh man,
Uncle, 5-0, we gotta hide.” His nephew learned to hide from the cops before he
could read. Javon makes is point by stating that black kids are not treated the
same as a white kid would be in the same situation involving the law. He
implies that Cops look for black boys to arrest instead of other races.
Marshall
Jones poem Touchscreen talks about how we interact with each
other now and how easy it is to become a friend with someone without knowing
them. We he says the line “It
used to be difficult to connect when friends formed cliques but it’s even more
difficult when clicks form friends.” He implies that consequently,
it’s even harder for him to connect—he’s even more “out of
touch” with the real world. When he says “but with 3,000 friends
online only five I can count in real life why wouldn't I spend more time in a
world where there are more people that 'like' me”. He is saying that we can
interact with too many people in little time. Marshall is worth watching not just for the idea behind his poem, but
for the wonderful wordplay throughout. He moves like a robot to emphasize a digital life.
