Spoken Word Poetry Analysis

This piece, "Knock Knock" by Daniel Beaty, addresses the issue of an absent father in a young man's life. Beaty tells the story of how during his childhood, his father was incarcerated and consequently, Beaty was raised without a father figure. Beaty uses the name of a game he used to play with his father, "Knock Knock", as a recurring symbol throughout his recitation, which is an aspect that we have looked at in written poetry. Tone, however, is distinguished in this poem not by diction but by the tone and intensity of the speaker's voice as well as facial and body expression. At the beginning of the poem when Beaty is talking about his childhood, his voice is calm and nostalgic as he reminisces over the years he spent with his father. In contrast, at the end of the poem, his voice is raised and he is very dramatic. Tone, and change in tone, is easily distinguishable in spoken word poetry and Beaty uses this aspect to his advantage. There is no rhyme scheme or stanza organization throughout the poem, but that's not to say there is no form; the form is just not conventional. There is surely a distinguishable beginning, middle and conclusion of the poem, with the conclusion referencing back to the start. This "form" is fairly common in spoken word poetry, as it is necessary to be straightforward and clear with the content of the poem to allow the audience to easily understand. This is necessary because, unlike written poetry, the reader cannot go back and read certain lines over again to get a better or deeper understanding. Spoken word poetry in general is very interesting and brings about its own conventions due to the circumstances of performing the poetry orally.