Slam Poetry
In earlier times, poetry was the main literary form both as repository of cultural and historical knowledge when writing was not yet so widespread. This means poets had to almost memorize everything in the literal sense of the word to portray important societal events. But in modern times, poetry has lost its allure and given way to more pop culture inventions like the novel and the short story. Poetry was retained in the music industry, however, because it is in this form that people can easily relate to. Poems set to music have the power to inspire us, move us to action, make us ponder and think, arouse emotions like love, hate and anger, make us sad and cry or elevate us to the heights of ecstasy. True poets can harness their creativity, originality and imagination by using poems to express themselves. Gaining popularity lately is a new form of poetry which is free verse. In this style, poets write their thoughts without so much a regard to rhyme, meter, indentation or form. Its only characteristic is lineation.
Newer forms of music like rock and roll, rap or reggae are actually poems set to music and there are eminent artists to represent each type. In the same way, poems can also be read aloud in stage performances to a live audience that brings out the life in a poem. This newer type of performance poetry is called as poetry slam or def poetry. In this new genre of poetry, the poet reads his written composition so the audience can better appreciate what he wrote. In other words, it is almost similar to a declamation but not quite. Because of this new form, it can be said that poetry has taken on a new life instead of being relegated to academic studies. A poetry slam is a form of competition in which poets try to outdo each other and gain points with the audience and the judges. No longer is poetry considered a “private, hidden art” that is best discussed in hushed tones among academicians (Nester x) or poets as reclusive artists. It has...