The text makes the poem clearer and gives more imagery that one would not get from the performance. For example, when he said that we are chopping down our language, the words created a tree that was chopped down by the next words he spoke. Although Mali's performance had a more comical appeal to it, the text is what makes you really sit down and understand exactly what he is trying to say.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Taylor Mali Breaks it Down
Taylor Mali's performance of his poem versus the written out version present different interpretations in one's brain. Although Mali's performance was well acted out, the use of the text brought forth a better understanding of the words that were being spoken. The words acted out what Mali was saying; each defining word had some sort of animation that set it apart from the rest. It highlighted exactly what needed to be emphasized and made one realize exactly what he was saying to a better degree.
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I agree with you in that the effects used with the written text do give the poem a special and figurative character. But I feel like we can't ignore the importance of the oral performance. I think that actually seeing someone up on a stage, underneath the spotlight, looking right at the audience gives the piece of art an emotional quality that cannot be achieved through the written text, no matter how fancy the effects are.
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