Contemporary Poetic movements and Chicago
Slam poetry and resistanceIn previous weeks we have discussed how poets and artists have used the language of poetry as a site of resistance to historical systems of oppression and inequality.
In this unit, we will discuss how contemporary poets living in urban areas have used the lyrical qualities of poetry to create new forms of resistance to inequalities that you have faced everyday as urban youth. |
Louder than a bomb - a new chicago tradition “As the specter of violence in Chicago creeps into national headlines, Louder Than A Bomb: The Chicago Youth Poetry Festival offers a counter-narrative from the perspectives of the young people most affected by the violence. During the course of the festival we will certainly hear the horrors of what it’s like to be a young person in a moment when the city feels, for some, like a warzone, and we will also be privy to the hopes and dreams and blueprints out of such predicaments. In the most segregated and most violent city in America, these are the stories that go unheard and unreported. Louder Than a Bomb is the platform and forum where they can be listened to, one young person at time, from every neighborhood in Chicago, gathered together to listen to and speak with one another, alive & direct.” – Kevin Coval Artistic Director (YCA)
For more information about Young Chicago Authors and Louder Than A Bomb, click here. |
lOUDER THAN A BOMB - DOCUMENTARY SCREENING AND DISCUSSION
To further our understanding of how contemporary poetic forms can be used as a form of resistance to systems of oppression, we will screen the documentary film Louder than a Bomb. The film features four high school poetry slam teams from the Chicago area as they prepare for the 2008 Louder than a Bomb Poetry Slam competition.
Post film discussionAfter the film, we will discuss how the individuals featured in the film use poetry as an art form in which they can express their perspectives on their own individual experiences as urban youth in Chicago.
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gUIDING QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
- What similar experiences do you share with the students we met in the film? What differences do you see?
- How do these individuals use poetry as a form of expression for social justice? How do they use poetry to speak out against systems of oppression that effect their experiences?
- What struggles do these individuals have to overcome?
- What common themes do you see in the lyrics or lines of these individuals poems?
- What structures of support do these students have access to? Do they come from schools, instructors, other students or the community?
Final project
As part of this unit on Poetry and Resistance, students will be required to write a 3-5 Minute Piece inspired by the students they learned about in the documentary Louder than a Bomb.
The project will also be based upon a cumulative response to the lessons taught in the past three weeks of classes including:
· Elements of Poetry
· The History of Resistance to injustice in Chicago – Past and Present
· Contemporary Poetic Movements
For a more detailed description of the assignment, follow this link.
The project will also be based upon a cumulative response to the lessons taught in the past three weeks of classes including:
· Elements of Poetry
· The History of Resistance to injustice in Chicago – Past and Present
· Contemporary Poetic Movements
For a more detailed description of the assignment, follow this link.