This assignment was similar to the monologue one due to the whole process of memorization and such, but this spoken word project was more interesting in my opinion. The reason being that a poem can say more than a monologue and how it can tell more than one story. The liberty of choosing a poem that we could recite out loud was interesting as well, because each person could choose a poem that they connected with.
I chose the poem “To Pimp a Butterfly” by Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick is a well known hip hop and rap artist, and the poem is about his upbringing in Compton, how he changed after his career started and how he eventually came back to his hometown to teach the people what he had learned when he was away. The reason I like the poem is because it shows his transformation in a non conventional way, by portraying himself as a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. I could also identify with it due to me being the only member of my family away from home, and how this experience has made me grow as a person.
Working on memorizing the poem was tough, especially because it uses unique words in some of the stanzas which were hard to memorize. Combining the poem with background music was also challenging, due to the speed and rhythm of the poem. But after help from some classmates I found a good track to settle on. It consists of a buildup created by jazz drums which reach to a climax at the same time the poem reaches its own. Due to the short length of the track however, I would have to match my pacing in order to finish the poem before the music ended.
As for the other presentations, they were excellent. Lauren’s was timed perfectly with the music, with her expressions matching the mood of the poem. Chelsea’s music had the same effect, matching the topic and theme of her poem.
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