The youtube clip above is a performance by Saul Williams of his piece "Coded Language." I picked this poem because Williams' performance is an example of the way in which a poem's presentation can shape and enhance the effect it has on the reader. It's apparent from the words alone that "Coded Language" is a passionate attempt to advocate higher consciousness and social progress. In the youtube clip, the thundering, ranting, spitting, scroll-reading version of the poem strengthens the emotional aspect as Saul's tone and behavior creates a suffocating sense of urgency in regards to the subject matter. The lack of structure in the poem can be overwhelming when read on paper as there are many abstract thoughts involved in the piece. When performed, however, the elements of the poem seem more related based on the abrupt and violent way in which he addresses every concept.
I agree a lot with you on how the presentation and performance play a big part in conveying the tone of the poem. By using the scroll he seems to be making an authoritative decree, which goes along with the theme. His delivery (rapid, intense, loud) plays into the urgent and angry tone.
Williams’ poem would not have the resonating effect were it simply to be read in a book. Although there is a lot of information in the poem to digest, I think that it is probably best understood when presented as Williams does; to read it in a book would be to look at a giant list of names, phrases, etc. with apparent disconnect. Williams’ oratory manner, though, hints that the poem serves to ‘prod’ the audience to be informed, conscious citizens; to take after the list of trailblazers he reels off. Reading off the scroll also adds to the poem’s effect: the scroll reminds me of a scene from Philip K. Dick’s “A Scanner Darkly,” during which a character swallows a substantial amount of hallucinogens and imagines that, as he is on his deathbed, Death (personified) is reading off to him, off an incredibly long scroll, a list of his life’s sins. To that end, Williams is reminiscent of a manifestation of death, or maybe a prophet of sorts; consequently, his poem serves not as an object of literary amusement, but as a warning, omen, or treatise on what has been and what is to come.
I agree a lot with you on how the presentation and performance play a big part in conveying the tone of the poem. By using the scroll he seems to be making an authoritative decree, which goes along with the theme. His delivery (rapid, intense, loud) plays into the urgent and angry tone.
ReplyDeleteWilliams’ poem would not have the resonating effect were it simply to be read in a book. Although there is a lot of information in the poem to digest, I think that it is probably best understood when presented as Williams does; to read it in a book would be to look at a giant list of names, phrases, etc. with apparent disconnect. Williams’ oratory manner, though, hints that the poem serves to ‘prod’ the audience to be informed, conscious citizens; to take after the list of trailblazers he reels off. Reading off the scroll also adds to the poem’s effect: the scroll reminds me of a scene from Philip K. Dick’s “A Scanner Darkly,” during which a character swallows a substantial amount of hallucinogens and imagines that, as he is on his deathbed, Death (personified) is reading off to him, off an incredibly long scroll, a list of his life’s sins. To that end, Williams is reminiscent of a manifestation of death, or maybe a prophet of sorts; consequently, his poem serves not as an object of literary amusement, but as a warning, omen, or treatise on what has been and what is to come.
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