Oratory vs. Conversation

4 Comments

  1. Joseph Hutchison
    Joseph Hutchison January 23, 2009 at 4:03 pm .

    Brian—I think the "spaces of quiet" you mention just don’t work on TV in a public venue full of a million plus people. Alexander’s poem is strong, I think, but its strength isn’t the kind that can be <I>heard</I> in that situation.<BR/><BR/>Scott—I had a hard time finding an "authorized" version myself, though now it’s all about the ‘Net.<BR/><BR/>Andrew—You’re probably right about the term "

  2. Andrew Shields
    Andrew Shields January 23, 2009 at 6:44 am .

    As I noted in a later post, I was struck by Alexander’s brilliant conversational tone with Stephen Colbert. The reading of the poem was not in the voice of her conversation. A "conversational" reading of the poem may not have caught people’s attention any more than her actual reading did, but it might have satisfied more of the members of the poetry community who were listening.

  3. S_Allen
    S_Allen January 23, 2009 at 1:58 am .

    Thanks for posting this up Joe – I would have never been able to find it, nor would I have remembered to look for it.

  4. brian a j salchert
    brian a j salchert January 23, 2009 at 1:04 am .

    Given its words, I felt this poem could not be read oratorically. However, I just read it so. Was it better? No. Just different.<BR/><BR/>Why are spaces of quiet and thought dissed by the many? It’s the world we live in. We are drunk with spectacle after spectacle. We can’t get enough of them. So the many say: Make me laugh. Keep me jazzed. Rip it and flip it. Razzamatazz.

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