Poetry Out Loud

Part One

1. Mezzo Cammin by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

2. Dreamers by Siegfried Sassoon

3. Invitation to Love by Paul Lawrence Dunbar

4. Piano by D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence

    Fern Hill by Dylan Thomas

Part Two

Of these five poems I thoroughly enjoyed Invitation to Love and Piano. Both of these poems described scenarios and the inner most feelings of the writer. I related to both of these poems which made me want to read them over and over again. I did not enjoy reading Mezzo Cammin and Dreamers because they were depressing poems. Poetry is supposed to show feeling but I felt like I did not relate well to either of them. Of these five different poems I would be interested in studying Invitation to Love the most. I feel like this poem shows love and that connects with me in many different ways. I also really enjoyed the way he almost van paint a canvas with his words.

Part Three

Two of the criteria that I believe will be easy for me are physical presence and evidence of understanding. I am very good at giving presentations and reciting different things in front of people. I also have very good comprehension skills which helps me understand what I am reading. I feel like I will have more difficulty with dramatic appropriateness and accuracy. I am not the most dramatic person and I hope that I do my best at conveying my feelings about my specific poem to my audience. I can sometimes rush when speaking and that could possibly impact my accuracy.

Part Four

I watched Writ on the Steps of Puerto Rican Harlem by Gegory Corso and Forgetfulness by Billy Collins. Both performers had slightly satirical poems and did very well with the dramatic appropriateness. They thoroughly understood their poems and that was noticeable throughout the performances.

Part Five

I feel that Poetry Out Loud will be a very good experience. I liked being able to read different poems and hear different opinions about the same poem. I think the competition will be fun and that we will all learn from it. I feel that I will do well, I enjoy memorizing different things. The poem that I will recite is Invitation to Love by Paul Lawrence Dunbar. I chose this poem because I felt have a connection with this poem and I enjoy reading it, I want to share that same enjoyment with my classmates. The website was extremely helpful in trying to find different information quickly and effectively.