Slam+Poetry

Undivided Attention by Taylor Mali

media type="youtube" key="_1MHVqAWGmI" height="315" width="420" 1. Search "Taylor Mali" on Youtube. Listen and watch to several poems. Choose one that you understand and that "speaks" to you.

2. Create a new page on your wiki called “Slam Poetry” embed the video onto your page. On your page discuss the use of poetic devises. Discuss the overall meaning of the poem (theme). Discuss why you choose this poem. Identify key words and phrases. Of course, use specific examples from the poem!

*hint you may be able to find the text for your poem on his website.

Due Monday January 9th

Undivided Attention

A grand piano wrapped in quilted pads by movers, tied up with canvas straps - like classical music's birthday gift to the insane - is gently nudged without its legs out an eighth-floor window on 62nd street. It dangles in April air from the neck of the movers' crane, Chopin-shiny black lacquer squares and dirty white crisscross patterns hanging like the second-to-last note of a concerto played on the edge of the seat, the edge of tears, the edge of eight stories up going over, and I'm trying to teach math in the building across the street. Who can teach when there are such lessons to be learned? All the greatest common factors are delivered by long-necked cranes and flatbed trucks or come through everything, even air. Like snow. See, snow falls for the first time every year, and every year my students rush to the window as if snow were more interesting than math, which, of course, it is. So please. Let me teach like a Steinway, spinning slowly in April air, so almost-falling, so hinderingly dangling from the neck of the movers' crane. So on the edge of losing everything. Let me teach like the first snow, falling.


 * __ Poetic Devices Used in This Poem __**

There are a lot of poetic devices used in this poem. Some are: More similes were used in this poem.
 * dirty white (oxymoron; the color white is generally thought of as clean as opposed to dirty).
 * Let me teach like a Steinway, (simile; he is comparing his teaching to a piano company).
 * Let me teach like the first snow, falling. (simile; comparing teaching to the first snow).


 * __ Theme Of This Poem __**

I think that the theme is expressed in the last sentance (Let me teach like the first snow, falling.). He means that he wants to teach like the snowfall; he wants to grab the students’ attention and teach them math. In the last line, he compares his teaching to the snowfall; grabbing the student’s attention every time he teaches (comparable to every time it snows).


 * __ Why did I Choose This Poem? __**

When I chose this poem, all I read was the title and I was interested in the poem. Why? Because undivided attention is unseen of these days; the fast pace of life makes everyone want to multitask. So I thought that it would be interesting to take a look at what is called “Undivided Attention”.


 * __ Key Words and Phrases __**

So on the edge of losing everything. Let me teach like the first snow, falling.