You will be doing a journal based on two different performances of “Building Nicole’s Mama” by the author, Patricia Smith, at two different times in her life in two different settings. (The first video was taken at a slam performance; the second was taken a standard poetry reading. Here’s required information (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poetry_slam) on slam poetry–the first three paragraphs are all you need to read.)

 

Here are two videos of “Building Nicole’s Mama” as performed by the author Patricia Smith, as well as the text of the poem.

 

Video #1 (Younger Video): https://youtu.be/B2fapDja9Kw

Video #2 (Older Video): https://youtu.be/ybJARtVIXfA

Text of Poem: https://www.rattle.com/rattle27/smithp2.htm

 

Your first job will be to listen carefully to each version (maybe several times) with the text in front of you.

1. Consider differences in body movements, including facial expressions.

2. Consider differences in the way she uses her voice: pitch, intensity, volume, pauses, rhythm, tone.

3. Consider the effects of these differences.

 

Your second job will be to write about at least five differences in the way she delivers five specific lines (or sets of lines), as well as the effect of the differences. Make sure you quote the lines. See my quote below. Put (Smith) after your quote. If you quote across lines, put a slash before the second line begins. (I’ve done this below before the name “Lakinishia,” which starts a new line. You can be informal, but still please capitalize the letter “I,” names, and the first word of each sentence.

 

Here’s an example. (I wrote it as though I were a student.)

Difference #1: In the beginning when Smith says  “I am astonished at their mouthful names–/Lakinishia, Chevellanie, Delayo, Fumilayo” (Smith). I noticed two differences in her delivery. First, in the younger video, the microphone is up above her, so she seems more tentative; in the older video looking down at the microphone, she seems very much in control. Also, in the younger video, she seems to almost laugh as she says the names, as though she is bubbling up with joy at them. In the older video, she seems to take quiet pleasure in the names–a little smile, a slow reading of them.

 

Effect of Difference #1: In the first video, I felt joyous myself at these names of people she loved, but also, worried about her nervousness, which was a little distracting. In the second one, I felt a more secure happiness, like the children were in the hands of a loving mother who was no longer flipping out at the newness of being a mother.