Module 16:

Poetry Performed

Essential Question:

How does reading aloud affect poetry?

As you have seen in your research, and in your lessons, poems were originally meant to be spoken aloud or performed. Many people today feel that great poetry must be read aloud, and that the words lose something if you merely read them silently. Today, we will examine videos of actors reading poems aloud, and truly performing them. Watch them carefully and consider the effect this has.

Key Terms

Performance

Tone

Breathing Life into Words

Because of the rhythms worked into every line of poetry, it truly is best to read them aloud. Speaking the words helps us hear those rhythms, but also many of the other sound devices like rhyme and alliteration.

When reading a poem, tone is sometime hard to catch. An actor is able to quickly add effective tone, and by changing how the words are said, the entire meaning of the poem can change. By presenting the work in different tones, a poem could even change from silly to serious. Consider this careful as you move through this module.

Reading and Listening

We have read a number of excellent poems thus far. Today, as we compare reading and listening we will look at Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky".

The poem is a classic, and sometimes referred to as "nonsense" poetry because Carroll invented about half the words for the poem. However, the careful craft of the poem leaves no doubt to the meaning of these newly coined terms, and a number of them have even entered common usage.

To begin. read the poem here, at The Poetry Foundation.

Consider the poems meaning and the emotions that are conjured by the tone as well as the meter of the work.

Then watch the video which animates the poem as it is read by the actor Benedict Cumberbatch (That's right, none other than Sherlock Holmes/Dr. Strange/Khan himself)!

Activity: Preparing to Recite a Poem

As we move through this unit, we will prepare to recite a poem, as well as a monologue from one of Shakespeare's plays. Because this is no small task, we will work on this over the course of a few days. For this assignment, I would like you to select a poem to recite and begin to read it and come to understand it fully.

An excellent list of suggestions from Poetry Out Loud is available here. It even breaks the list down based on the poetic elements most on display in each poem.

And for some tips on reciting poetry (sonnets in particular) from Shakespearean actors, take a look at the following video.

I hope you're happy with the poem you've selected.

Now we'll consider the power of Shakespeare's words.

Monologues and Soliloquys

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