Performance in Open Mic Poetry

The open mic performance that took place at the Green Feather Book store featured the works of many talented artists. There was usage of Zoom technology that made it able for those who could not go in person to take part in the event. The majority of the poets utilized rhythm, emphasis, and dub-like poetry. Wherein their poems have natural pauses, extra added words for flare, and repetitiveness. All poems utilized a sort of rhythm, whether it was a narrative fable with extreme descriptiveness, or a silly short poem, excelling in its simplicity. Poetry can range from a dialogue exchange of a married couple, to a haiku about how trucks suck. The beauty of self expression allows poetry to exist in a multitude of forms.

Erica Lewis read many of her poems to the crowd. Many of her poems connecting and being inspired to music. She delves into many personal issues that she faced, whilst using language to make her more relatable and appear more like a real person. Connecting to my research on political issues, Lewis mentions the death of George Floyd and making statements on racism and black representation. Many of the open mic performers similarly used allusions, mentioning musicians and political issues. One quote that stuck with me that Lewis had written was: “Everybody that raised me is dead.” This caused me to internally reflect and truly appreciate my parents and grandparents who still are alive and here to support me today.

Poetry Performance in Eloquence and Politics

Protest poetry is a form of poetry that stems from debates within politics. Many poets utilize their writing to spark a movement in the public to argue for their political opinion. This motion of the audience through using poetry is known as eloquence, as John Stuart Mill has described. Political division in the United States is always an issue that pulls the population apart. Many people refuse to hear out other people’s perspectives due to their intense identity within a political party. When somebody does not agree with their political opinion, many people within the United States population take that as a certain attack against themselves as a person. In reality, a disagreement with a certain issue is not necessarily a personal attack upon an individual. Due to the overwhelming nature in which a person identifies within a political standpoint, a poetic work over a political view resonates with a person more personally than intended. While an author might even be only writing for themselves, others will relate to their writing, making the poetry eloquent, even if it is not on purpose. However, on the other end, a performance such as the one that Amanda Gorman had done for a political work is eloquent intentionally. Gorman recited a poem, “The Hill We Climb” for President Biden’s inauguration which deliberately tried to move the public toward common ground. She did this on purpose due to the ever growing division in the United States having spiked from pro-Trump riots, Covid pandemic protests, and the Black Lives Matter movement. This intense level of political violence has lead to poetic performance by Gorman that has altered politics since the day that she came forward with it. Protest should be peaceful, which poetry successfully accomplishes while still being influential.

Final RP Proposal

How is poetry and politics related? Poetry can be presented with a dominance over the audience, displaying messages to sway the people in the author’s favor. This movement is known as eloquence. Poetry can affect a person’s political opinions through utilization of eloquence and poems convey significant power. Politics in past times were similarly influenced by poetry as it is today. American Revolution poets had an authoritative grasp on the willing ears of the time. Even today, the politics of the revolution is discussed and performed through the musical Hamilton. Political division and African American culture is also expressed a great extent through poetics. Some people may identify within politics and write poetry based around their identity which is inherently political. Highly known political debates such as the Black Lives Matter movement have poetry included within them, and the poets guide their audiences to their political opinion in order to modify the public’s opinion. How does poetry affect politics and does it convey a powerful message to the people?

Alyson Miller’s research paper, Ideas, language, action: The protest poetry of #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, delves into the proposition that poetry “gives the nameless a name.” I can make use of Miller’s paper by many different B-TEAM aspects, but mostly utilizing “Argument.” A lot of the claim that I make on how poetry has a large impact on influencing politics is reassured and backed up by Miller’s research. There are many sources carefully crafted within Miller’s writing that bolster the idea that poetry and politics are closely linked, boosting one another up and poetry provides a method in which politics can be communicated. A second source that can be used within my writing is Besmir Shishko’s thesis paper over the impact that the musical Hamilton has over the general population now and goes into depth over its effective employment of poetry and hip-hop beats. This source can be used as an “Exhibit” in order to provide an example over how history and poetry is connected and how politics are a lasting, well-discussed topic that continues to be taught over centuries of time. Shishko’s work will be a great benefit for my research paper to be analyzed and explained thoroughly. As well as “Exhibiting” history from Hamilton, Colin Well’s Poetry Wars: Verse and Politics in the American Revolution and Early Republic is a novel that includes American Revolutionary poems that I can further “Exhibit” to showcase more examples of historical poetry in politics. Through this explanation of historical significance, the research paper can cover both the present and the past on political issues that are addressed through poetry. Thus, answering my question on poetry’s relation to politics, and its power of lasting throughout history and time.

RP proposal draft

How is poetry and politics related? Poetry can be presented with a sort of influence over the audience, displaying messages to sway the people in the author’s favor. This movement is known as eloquence. Poetry can affect a person’s political opinions and conveys power. Some performers even die for expressing their political view through their poetic expression. Sometimes people who are not high in the ranks in the political scene can elevate their status through recitation of poetry. If utilized correctly, poetry is a powerful tool in changing a person’s mind. How does poetry affect politics and does it convey a powerful message to the people?

When it comes to sources to answer this question, I will be using work by Brathwaite, Mikey Smith, Gabrielle Bellot, Ford-Smith, Amanda Gorman, and John Stuart Mill. Already, there are lots of sources from class that I could pick information from to fit the topic of politics. Some difficulty I may face may be attempting to keep my paper neutral and avoiding delving into politics that may be too controversial. Another issue may be finding sources that connect poetry and politics together.

B-TEAM

To set up the background of the information, John Stuart Mill’s paper “Thoughts on Poetry and its Varieties” provides lots of insight into what eloquence is and the difference between performing for oneself and performing to move the audience. This can help develop the the basis for explaining poetry as political speech. For a theory, I could potentially delve into Brathwaite and Bellot’s essays to show controversy over Caribbean poets and the discrimination they face. This theory being that poets with different dialects hold less influence over people outside of their countries. For deeper analysis within the “Exhibit” category, Amanda Gorman’s speech is a well-known political poem that could be further dissected and studied for why it was so effective. Potentially, I could find another source that discusses Amanda Gorman further. For the argumentative standpoint, I would need to find a source that disagrees with poetry’s power to introduce a different viewpoint and then disprove the perspective with evidence gathered to support my claim of poetry’s political influence. This could pose a difficulty depending on how many author’s may believe that poetry is not important in that regard. Finally, for the motive behind the subject of poetic arts in politics, I could utilize the source of Ford-Smith as he covers Mikey Smith. Mikey Smith is an example of politics being his demise. It is a situation that shows how intense political divides can be and how truly influential poetry can become if it is merged within politics. I could find more sources to further prove the importance and the dangers of politics.

Short Video Influencers

Two Norwegian women became famous on TikTok for their videos which showcased a form of eloquence that John Stuart Mill has described. They moved their audience with messages of love and power for one another as the women got married and shared their lesbian relationship with strangers online. They are eloquent in how they respond to others who may shame them, claiming that they do not care what others say, and that through it all, love wins. They continuously shared their journey of renovating a new home for themselves, of going on hikes together, and of their journey of getting a child through sperm donation. Through and through, time and time again, the social media influencers spread a message to their audience that loving one another will always conquer hate. This is how the wives displayed their own form of eloquence.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

A large part of the message behind the poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay” is that small moments of love and beauty will only be there for a short period of time. Showing gratitude and appreciation for the smaller and golden things in life can fill your heart with wonder. There are many beautiful things in our day to day lives that many people take for granted. It is important to stop and smell the roses. In comparison to the poem that was seen in The Outsiders and the political poem that Amanda Gorman presented, both are seen as an uplifting message. Both forms of art convey a brighter light, pleading that people should stop and appreciate one another.

Amanda Gorman; Poetry Vs. Politics

Question: What do you think the relationship between poetry and politics should be; what do you think Gorman herself feels about this question?

I believe that poetry can be utilized to display the conflict and peace between all things. Therefore, it can easily be formed into a message about a political statement. The relationship between politics and poetry could potentially be positive. Both of the two subjects surprisingly have a lot in common. They both have passion imbued within them, portraying messages about representation, humanity, and division. The way that politics and poems are presented are also similar, as they require composure and influence. Poetry can work hand-in-hand with politics. Using the rhythm and rhyme to grab people’s attention in order to communicate a lesson. Poetry should be used to portray the truth. It is an art form that can be used to bring problems into view whilst being peaceful and harmonious. Gorman herself most likely feels the same way, describing how the country needs to band together to face adversity in a clear and beautiful poem. She encourages others to stand strong and together, because she believes being accepting is how the country will prevail. She presents a confident poem to the president, showing vulnerability and truth. Ultimately pushing for people to work together.