Creating Purpose - Rachel

One reads poetry in order to gain an appreciation for the written word; ultimately poetry is an art form that serves to both entertain and make the reader think. However, there has been a split in genres between entertainment and analysis, slam and page. Though both forms strive for the same goals, I believe that there are strengths of both slam and page that separate the genres. Specifically, slam poetry has the primary motivation to entertain an audience. Critics argue that is this quality of slam poetry that neglects the role the author and self-expression, therefore eliminates slam poetry as a true poetry art form. There is also criticism against slam because there is also a competitive aspect to a poetry slam. Because slam poets must make an immediate connection with their audiences, poems become simpler, due to the fact that they must be comprehensible on their first read. Additionally, the slam poet must beware the danger of delivering a formulaic performance. In an attempt to give emphasis to the piece, a poet may begin to speed through or increase the volume of their performance. Yet, when one simply reads poetry there is still a common poetic structure to escalate the tone of the piece. Word choice may become more vigorous; the internal rhythm may speed up. But it is up to the reader to correctly interpret the specific emotion that the author intends. In contrast to slam poetry, written poetry requires some degree of analysis from the reader. While there has been a recent effort to balance the literary quality and performance aspects of slam poetry, the true differentiation between written and spoken word is the critical analysis by the reader to interpret the overall purpose of the poem.