Choosing poems for competition
Poetry, to me, has always been the most difficult event in the speech and debate arena. One of the event's greatest challenges is to find a poem long enough – or, alternatively, enough poems – to fill the time requirement.
The best options competitors have are using one long poem (which I’d only recommend to a poetry recitation expert) and using a collection of poems that are related in some way. The latter is my preference as a judge, since it adds variety and enables the audience to see many sides of a competitor.
Here are a few examples of subjects I’ve seen in competition:
Men (“Hollow Men,” ”Men” by Maya Angelou)
Women (”Phenomenal Woman,” “I Stop Writing The Poem,”)
Teachers (”Schoolsville” is great; ”What Teachers Make” is a classic)
Poems by one author (Shel Silverstein, Langston Hughes, and I see a lot of Dr. Seuss for some reason).
Some students also do popular songs, which is OK, but only if it’s supposed to be amusing. Nobody wants to listen to a dramatic recitation of "American Pie." Weird Al’s material is perfect for a humorous poetry selection. One guy did a hilarious rendition of several female pop singers' songs -- Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera, Madonna.
Another option is to find a ton of poems with one random word in them – like “popcorn” or “wildebeest.” After you’ve arranged them to your liking, simply title your collection “Popcorn Poetry” or (if you’re brave) “Wildebeest Poetry.” You may need to do a bit of research to be able to find several pieces with such an unlikely subject for poetry, but doing so will help you to emerge victorious from a round full of dragging epics.
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User Comments
You said you thought that poetry was the toughest speech event...what are the reasons behind your thinking?
I am guessing it is because of the multiple ways one could construct a cutting. It's so open-ended, and that can lead to disaster. Also, what you choose to use can be the failure: one super long poem and you could lose your audience; multiple poems that don't relate too well or with huge differences in quality can leave your weaknesses open.
I never even considered doing poetry for the above reasons. The whole concept seemed daunting. And poetry is ridiculously hard to read aloud b/c of the rhythm/tempo (the natural ones embedded in the work) and from trying to avoid sounding like Dr. Seuss with rhyming couplets/patterns. And poetry has that whole thing of often being abstract and anything it wants to be (hello blank verse!). Poetry has structure (sometimes intense, detailed structure), yet is so free form. It's like an oxymoron. It makes it hard to interpret, read aloud, and listen to. You have to pay attention b/c poetry is not written like prose--words can be omitted and poetic devices are in play.
Why do you think a lot of student's in school dislike poetry unless it is taught properly? At least that's what I got from my past experiences while getting my teaching license.
It's hard to be good in Poetry for so many reasons -- you have to find poems that other people will be able to understand when read aloud, you have to arrange them well, and you have to get the 50/50 balance with your binder just right. It's easy to stand up in front of a room full of people and recite a poem, but it's hard to hold their interest and make it a memorable performance. Good poetry is not easy to find, either, and just because I love a poem doesn't mean other people will get it. There are so many more reasons! I may elaborate on them later. Lis had some good points as well.
I compete in Prose and Poetry Interpretation and our coach is constantly telling us that the more uncomfortable we are reading a piece, the better a piece it is. I do not believe this to be right in any form or fashion and am considering quitting because of this. I would rather not do so, but I am beginning to feel there is no other option. By uncomfortable subjects, I mean subjects such as murder, abuse, and the preferred, rape. Some of this poetry is just disgusting and inappropriate. I would like to know your view point on what is preferred.
There are always other options. Can you get away with doing a happy-go-lucky piece and expect to trump those performing with heavy topics? Probably not unless you are 1000x better. The thing you have to do is find a piece that looks into a topic that is of interest to you--and one you are comfortable with. Issues such as being alone, dealing with divorce, a coming of age tale, etc can be done. They tackle serious subjects while being less "obscene."
Find the story that speaks to you and your love for that piece will propel you to success.
Doing a piece that you are uncomfortable with puts a strain on your performance (an OBVIOUS strain that will most likely drop your rank) and your enjoyment of Forensics. Talk to your coach and tell them flat out you are uncomfortable with a few of their piece selections. Find a piece you want to perform, cut it, practice it, and offer it up as a replacement.
There is absolutely no reason to do a piece with any of the subjects you mentioned; there are a million scripts out there that are just waiting to be read. I definitely think you need to sit down and think hard about what kind of piece you're actually interested in. If you want to do a dramatic piece, but just not on the aforementioned subjects, fine -- look for a piece on disease, homelessness, lost love or one of the suggestions from Lis's comment. If you think you're better suited for a funny piece, awesome! Find something that makes you laugh and run with it. In fact, I think humorous pieces lend themselves extremely well to poetry reading -- one that I've seen do really well is Roald Dahl's take on fairy tales. And using a funny piece for prose is always great for a judge because it breaks up the monotony of the more dramatic pieces.
Most importantly, don't forget that speech is not all about getting to Finals. The best part about speech is being able to do something that you enjoy -- interpreting pieces, acting and performing something you're proud of in front of an audience. Doing a piece you hate isn't going to make you happy.
Coaches have a say in what piece you perform, but he or she shouldn't be encouraging you to do something that makes you uncomfortable. Try to find an interesting piece you're OK with, tell your coach that's what you want to do, and if he or she does not accept your suggestion, you should definitely explain that you're not comfortable with the other piece because of its content. If your coach pressures you to use a script that makes you uncomfortable and leaves you with no alternative, then that's not right at all.
No one can tell you whether you should or shouldn't quit. You just need to stand up for your opinions and do what is right for you.
hi so im a freshman in highschool and forensic auditions are coming up next week. Im completley new to the whole forensics thing. I was considering storytelling however poetry seems more interesting. So do you have any tips for poetry. Also i have no idea how to put together a poetic piece for forensics so could you possibly help a little with directions
hi its the new to forensics peron again, and the poem you mentioned phonominal women gave me intreset, but is it too short to perform?
Hi! I love the poem "Phenomenal Woman," however it is too short to perform as a stand-alone piece (here is the link so you can read). It would make for a great piece in a collection though. Maybe another poem about female empowerment, or maybe even one some sort of abuse or discrimination followed by this to show a rise in Feminism? I dunno. Here is a website with a large listing of female poets...
To put a piece together there are nearly limitless possibilities. You could do a collection of one poet's work, or one long poem, or a collection of poems that relate together (either by similar words or theme). What sort of poems do you enjoy? Is there a way you can link poems you already are attached to? The poetry pieces I have seen most usually consist of 2-3 poems (typically 2) and the reader just performs one piece then moves on to the next. The poems compliment the other but are different enough to allow the performer to show a large range of ability (like one poem will be mostly funny, the other mostly serious).
Have you seen this piece? Maybe watching this will help if you've never seen a poetry performance before:
http://www.forensicscommunity.com/performances/fat-guy-poetry-eric-sequeira
Good luck!
Hi again, so I've cut and put together most of my forensic audition piece and i need an opinion her it is:
Pretty Women wonder where my secret lies
Im not cute or built to fit a fashion models size
But when I start to tell them
They think Im telling lies.
I say,
It’s the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman phenomenally
Phenomenal women
That’s me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honeybees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
During our history, of all race women have been underestimated, cheated, taken advantage of, and have been restricted from most opportunities. Maya Angelou, a famous female author, poet, civil right activist, and autobiographer, recognizes women empowerment by writing two astonishing poems: “Phenomenal women and Still I rise”
Now you understand just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s the click of my heals
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care
‘Cause Im a women
Phenomenal women,
That’s me.
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust I rise.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I rise
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard?
Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Digging in my own backyard.