"There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seen, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time."- Malcolm X
WHAT IS IT?
Spoken word is the performance of words. It tends to emphasize rhythm, improvisation, free association or expression, rhymes, and the use of exchanging languages. Spoken word usually is performed to act on a current political or global issue.
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Spoken word reaches as far as the Shakespeare era and beyond, but the performance of spoken word gained popularity in African-American communities starting in the sixties. Taking the aspects of blues, gospel, jazz, hip hop and rap music, spoken word uses the aspects to create an "alternative world" for people to escape from the conflicts of the evolving world around them. Even incorporating African-American traditions, such as call and response, testifying witnessing, and musical recording names. It is not a coincidence that Def Jam Poetry sounds like Def Jam Records!
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"Learning to value the creative expression of words and oral tradition for the purpose of socialization and cultural survival (Williams 4-5).
Although nonverbal communication is just as effective as verbal communication, spoken word highlights the fluctuation of sound.
Spoken word exists in many different forms ranging from jokes to stories to poetry to speeches. These many different forms of spoken word benefits students with cognitive learning disabilities as well as the general public!
Pictured above: Malcolm X