The video below is an example of "Def Poetry." The poet performing, "Shihan" is most
commonly known from HBO's Def Poetry. For the past 15 years, Shihan has
been co-hosting Da' Poetry Lounge, the nation's largest open mic night
held in Hollywood, CA. A
native of New York’s Lower East Side and a current resident and local
legend of Los Angeles, Shihan is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic
spoken word artists of our generation.
What is Def Poetry?
"Def poetry is a form of poetry typically based on urban culture and
themes, often with an expressed focus on the African American
experience. While not defined purely by racial themes or poets, and
anyone of any race or cultural background may compose such works, there
is certainly a precedent for African American poets in this art form.
This type of poetry typically serves to illustrate the experiences and
lifestyle of those who grow up in urban environments. Def poetry can
take a number of different forms, depending on the poet, though it typically expresses personal opinions and life stories." Source
This week take a look again at the video we viewed in class and react to it. What is your opinion of this example of Def Poetry? Do you like it or dislike it? Why? Give reasons to support your opinion. In your response also be sure to explain one example of a poetic device (metaphor, simile, alliteration, personification etc.) that Shihan uses.
Your post is due no later than Friday at 5pm and must be at least 8 sentences.
I liked the video because it had a lot of alliteration and it was very powerful. Some examples of alliteration are, “melody moonshine” ,“trying to”, “daddy do”, “daddy don’t” and “stage so safe.” It was also powerful when Shihan said, “I’m on the road all the time.” It was powerful because he is on the road and he misses his kids. Shihan looked really sad when he said that. It was also sorta confusing because he talked really fast and I couldn’t understand him but I would still listen to it again. He also used personification when he said, “tears pregnant of guilt.” Over all I would defiantly read it again.
ReplyDeleteIn this video it was a struggle for me to understand him because he was talking too fast for me to keep up. Although I couldn't clearly understand him, I could still find examples of alliteration. What I did notice is that he teared up when he spoke the lines "Daddy do you still love me?" He was explaining that his family and him don't get to see each other much because he is always on the road reading his poetry. Over all i thought that even thought it got a little emotional the speech that he made was very inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed and didn’t enjoy the Def poetry that much because I could only understand some of the words. When you hear poetry you think it is going to be very slow and not spoken in a harsh way but this poetry was spoken so fast it sounded like an auctioneer and he was almost yelling when he was speaking. The one part that was good about it almost sounded like rap. I like rap and rap is good music to listen to because it is inspiring. In the video I saw alliteration and similes, some examples are he uttered “Daddy do” also for a simile he stated “Like a mustard seed moving mountains like a grain of sand”. This poetry wasn’t my favorite and I wouldn’t imagine listening to it a lot because it just isn’t my thing.
ReplyDeleteI have many opinions about the def poetry video. One opinion is that it was filled with a lot of information and at the end, when he was talking about his daughter he sounded like he really meant what he is saying. My other opinion is that it was very difficult to understand was he was saying because he was talking fast. I did enjoy the video because it seemed like he was trying to get a very strong and powerful message across and he did it dramatically. One poetic device Shihan used was a similie. He said "...like a mustard seed moving mountains like a grain of sand..." He also used alliteration. The words "thirty things" have the repetative sounds of "t".
ReplyDeleteI sort of liked the Shihan video for various reasons. For example,in the beginning I liked when he started talking about his family, but then he just went off topic talking about a bunch of things. Second,he used some poetic sound devices like alliteration and personification. For instance, in the video he says, “eyelashes pregnant with guilt” is an example of personification. “makes melodies”, is an example of alliteration. At the end of the video I started to realize that what he said was really powerful. That’s why I sort of liked this video.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion of def poetry is that it is both unique and can inspire people.I thought that Shihan expressed his emotions and what he thought and I enjoyed that.I also liked it because he said it very touchingly and emotionally.Shihan used alliteration in his poem.He also used similes and metaphors.I tink that Shihan should continue writing poetry and keep pursuing his dream.Also his poem reminded me of rap.That is my opinion of def poetry and Shihan.
ReplyDeleteShihan was talking to fast to understand. From what I did understand though it got emotional. Its good poetry but could use some improvements. Even though it needs some improvements, it was very inspiring. At parts you could tell he got tears in his eyes. This proves that it was an emotional time for him, and his family. Overall with minor improvements needed, it was good poetry.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Shihan's Def Poetry. I liked it because he was speaking his mind in a poetic way. An example of a poetic device Shihan used was a simile. The simile he used was "Like a mustard seed moving a mountain like a grain of sand." Shihan also used alliteration in his poem. An example of the alliteration is "Daddy do." If Shihan had just spoke his speech it wouldn't have affected me or the audience as greatly as it did. I think Shihan is an amazing Def Poet.
ReplyDeleteI liked the video because he has high hopes. He has hopes that his dauther will become to good for any one. He hopes that his son will be more than they ever thought possable. He isn't afraid to hope for his kids family. "The only thing perfect about me is my family." Shihan believes that his family will succeed in life. Butnot being there is more painful to his than anything else. He isn't afraid to hope.This why I liked it so much.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed listnening to this video. I thought it was inspirational because of all of his poetic devices and the meaning behind his poem. I thought that it was really nice because he said,''The only thing perfect about me is my family''. That shows that he really cares and loves his family, and so the poem is mostly about how he misses them when he leaves to go on road trips. I also liked how he used various poetic devices such as similies when he said,''Speaking to me like how God would speak''. He really believes in his daughter. He also quotes, ''She makes melodies out of moonshine'', which is alliteration. THis poem was musical sounding, kinda of like a rap. But, I didnt really like it because he talked to fast for me to understand at some parts. Overall, I appreciated watching the Def Poetry video.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first heard Shihan performing his def poetry, I didn’t understand it and like it, because he was talking to fast. Though once I really focused on what he was saying, I ended up really enjoying it. One of the things that made me start to like it, was that he showed emotion when stating the poem. For example, when he was talking about his children growing up to be successful, and how his children’s babysitters spend more time with his kids then he does, you can see the sadness in his eyes. What made me like it even more, was that there were tons of poetic devices in Shihan’s def poetry. Though one thing that stood out to me the most was alliteration. He states in the poem, “Thirty things thirty told” and “makes melodies out of moonshine”. Using the alliteration really grabs the reader’s attention, and makes them more interested in the poem. This is why I enjoyed Shihan’s def poetry.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the def poetry was very interesting. It was fast and not easy to comprehend. He did use a lot of figurative language tho. He used a lot of alliteration like "daddy do" and "stage so safe". I thought his poetry was very inspirationaland had a lot of good potential. When he said in his poem " daddy do you love me." and " now you tell me if being here is worth missing my family". This showed that he missed his family and his children and he didn't get to see his family all that often. He was asking the audience if him being there reciting his poems was worth him a missing his family. I liked the poem but not the pace that he was talking at. I don't think I could see myself listening to def poetry in the future.
ReplyDeleteI thought that def poetry was really interesting. I liked it because it was so casual. The first time I watched it I didn't even realize it when he was saying the poem. The second time I heard the poetic devices like alliteration like "missing my" and "Daddy do." However the last couple of times I watched it I learned what he was really talking about. How much he loves his family and how much he cares about how they feel. He's basically saying that family is the most important thing and he's wondering if what he does as a poet is really worth all that time away from his family. I liked the def poetry and I DO see myself reading/listening to it again.
ReplyDeletemy opinion on the def poetry is that it was really meaningful and emotional. for him to get up on stage and just blurt out his feelings like is amazing and something i wish i could do. I especially liked when he said "my heart felt like...well I ain't got a metaphor for that, it just hurts." I feel like the things he says a lot of poeple can relate to and that's why he's so popular because he doesn't talk about nature or whatever, he talks about real stuff and for some people, that hit close to home for them.
ReplyDeleteI really liked, and enjoyed the video. I thought it was very powerful, and Shihan really catches your attention. One of the things I liked about it was that Shihan showed emotion. Also, you could tell that he really meant what he was saying. It was really moving the way he talks about his family, and how he says the only perfect thing about him is his family. Shihan uses poetic devices in his Def poetry too. The way Shihan uses alliteration like "stage so safe", and to tell them", really makes his words flow together well. Shihan used personification when he said "tears pregnant with guilt." He used a simile by saying, "Our son will grow to be something more amazing than we can ever imagine, like a mustard seed. Moving mountains like a grain of sand." Overall I really enjoyed listening to Shihan's Def poetry.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion of the video was that it was a bit confusing. It did make me understand the pain he felt when he was away from his family. He holds his family very close and has great hopes and expectations for them. He uses a simile when talking about his son. He says, "like a mustard seed moving mountains like a grain of sand". He feels his poetry is sending a message to people. He feels what he is doing is important. This is why he makes the sacrifice to be away from his family.
ReplyDelete