Poetry out loud

Part One: Website Cruising.
1. Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
2. "Alone" by Edgar Allan Poe
3. Sarah suggested Do Not by Stevie Smith. I suggested Onions.
4. For love by Robert Creeley and You charm'd me not with that fair face by John Dryden

Part Two: What do you think?

• Out of the five poems, I would have to say that I like For love, You charm'd me not with that fair face, and "Alone". I really like those ones because the first two are about love and romance and togetherness while "Alone" is kind of a dark style and it talks about when being a child, this person was not able to do things and go places that the other children were able to do and go. I like them, they're not the shortest but they're not the longest either. I don't know exactly why I like those three but they intrigued my thoughts to go deeper and created a picture.

• I didn't like Kubla Khan or Do Not, they weren't my style and the words didn't... I'm not exactly sure what I don't like about those. They just don't appeal to my likings. In Kubla Khan, the beginning is boring and I just want to skim it. I don't want to get into the poem and really image what the poem is trying to say. It's kind of the same thing with Onions... I don't like onions and the poem is talking about  sauteing them in butter and I got something along the lines of animals being in the poem and it was kind of confusing and not my style.

• I actually chose a different poem to do than the ones on the list above. It's called Follow Thy Fair Sun. I was just looking around and I came up on this one, I liked it a lot more than the other ones so I chose it. But if I had to choose one of the six poems above, I think I would choose... "Alone". I really like it because of how the aura isn't fake, it made me think that I could see the child and everything that was going on. 

• Follow Thy Fair Sun and I connected. I'm not quite sure how but I do know that I really like the flow of the poem. There is a rhyme scheme and that pattern is A B B A. I just really like the way it was written and it somehow really spoke to me in a way that the other poems that I read didn't. 

Part Three: Scoring Criteria

• Two criteria topics that will be easiest for me are Physical Presence and dramatic Dramatic Appropriateness because I don't have that bad of stage fright. Sure I have a little but so does everyone. I'm good at looking around the room and making eye contact with the audience. I can stand up for a long time in a good posture and my body language isn't going to be negative. Also I know not to over do the poem. Not to exaggerate on every word and to just let it flow and be natural. I have a good strong voice and I know how to control the volume it is audible but not over powering. 

• Two criteria topics that wont be as easy for me are Accuracy and Articulation (that's part of Voice). They wont be as easy for me because there are a fair share of difficult words that I may have a hard time pronouncing and the poem also uses words like thy and thou and divineth. Sometimes I get nervous and I start to speed or forget things really fast. And then the words start blurring together and are comprehensible.

• There are 7 grading criteria topics that are listed. Physical Presence, Voice and Articulation, dramatic Appropriateness, Level of Difficulty, Evidence of Understanding, Overall Performance, and Accuracy. All the topics listed are important while resiting the poem. You must have good posture, be in consideration of your eye contact, body language, and poise. Your volume, pace, rhythm,
  intonation, and proper pronunciation must be in your mind and with rhymed poems, you have to be careful not to recite in a sing-song manner. Also watching your breaks, dont make them too long, take one if you need one but don't over use the opportunity to take a break. Don't act out the poem, it's not a skit, or a play. A hand gusture here and there is allowed but not preferred. Keep in mind the accents, what;s an inappropriate tone, singing, distracting or unnecessary emoting. Level of difficulty is all up to you. It's your choice. Chose one that speaks to you, one that you like. Not your neighbor or mom or dad, but you. Don't choose a super easy one though, make it challenging and fun. Be attentive to
  the meanings, allusions, irony, tones in your poem. Be sure you know the meaning of every word and line. Overall performance is many things that are added together. It's just the little things that aren't but into a criteria category. Make sure that you know how to pronounce your poem, deductions will be put in action if things are miss recited or miss pronounced.

Part Four: Videos
Stanley Andrew Jackson- "Writ on the Steps of Puerto Rican Harlem"
Right off the back his voice is very intriguing and his facial expression want you to watch more and see where he goes with it. His articulation is excellent and he really puts power and meaning to every word that is spoken. He has really good stage presence and has a voice that you want to keep listening to.

Allison Strong- "Sonnet CXXX: My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun"
She has a really good voice and is very articulate with everything. If you weren't watching the video and just listening to it you could tell what her expression and emotion was just by listening to the sound of her voice. Even though I hinted a rhyme scheme, she didn't do the sing-song thing. She kept it alive and the language up to date even though it was written by Shakespeare.

Part Five: Summary
I think that Poetry Out Loud is going to be fun and challenging at the same time. I'm not sure about the competition because I don't know everyone's speaking styles, strengths and weaknesses. I don't know if they have an amazing voice or if they have a way with reciting things. I think that I will do pretty well. I have stage fright to en extent. I'm always afraid of messing up and people laughing at me or not remembering or totally going blank after working so hard to remember it. Overall I think that I'll make it out alive and with a pretty good score. Maybe I'll move up to the school round but you never know. The poem I am memorizing is called Follow thy fair sun.