Importance Of Spoken Word Poetry

El Jones: The importance of spoken word poetry

Spoken word poetry is a medium used to spread the concerns of generally disadvantaged groups in a non-structured widely received form. Many civil rights speeches use this style of poetry due to the ability it has to reach such a vast audience within a limited time and on poor finances. El Jones uses this style of poetry in her work to create a message that can reach a broad audience of varying social classes. In El Jones "I know what you see," there is an allusion to many political and economic troubles present to residents living within Halifax's Africville. She presents these issues in a spoken word form accessible to all people due to its clarity, less formal language, affordability, and rapidly growing style of poetry.

Spoken word poetry tends to be a less formal form of poetry with a distinct focus on keeping a diverse audience engaged. This informal form allows for a vast audience to be exposed to the worlds issues, such as inequalities, even if they lack

The author references this in the lines "we come from a place where we can't get pizza delivered…where roads don't get plowed for days after a blizzard" (Jones). The fear businesses have to serve the area, which is in the middle of the city, displays the severity stereotypes have on the neighbourhood. The comment on the city not giving priority to the region with snow clearing shows the little care and attention they have for residents living in the area. El Jones argues these points in her poem not only in hopes of sparking an uprising but also in the hopes of catching the attention of media and officials. The poem acts as a voice for change as the realities it presents regarding the treatment people in a specific city region receive would be shocking to the average person causing for a call of action from various