How to Answer Questions on the Performance of a Poem

How would you perform a given line in the poem?

This question on performance requires that suppose you are presenting this poem, or you are reciting this poem, it is expected that there is a way that you will recite/perform to make it lively.

Performance techniques required in a poem include:

1. Appropriate Gestures
2. Appropriate Body movements
3. Appropriate facial expression
4. Appropriate intonation
5. Appropriate tonal variation
6. Enunciation (clear articulation and pronunciation) and stressing the content words.

1. The use of appropriate gestures in the performance of a poem 

Gestures are forms of non-verbal communication in which visible body actions are used
to communicate messages parallel to spoken words. Gestures include movement of
hands, head, legs and fingers. It’s the demonstration of an action shown by movements
of these parts of the body.

Examples of common human gestures used in the performance of a poem:

• An outstretched hand is a gesture for begging/requesting.
• Rubbing the thumb finger over the index finger is a gesture for money.
• Handshake is a gesture for greeting.
• A hand salute is a gesture for respect.
• Thumbs up is a gesture for okay/approval.
• Waving is a gesture for greeting or a sign of departure.
• Applause is an expression of approval.
• Open palms are a gesture to convey openness/trust/compliance.
• Putting the palms of the hands together is a sign of praying.
• Bowing is a sign of respect.
• Cheek kissing is a sign of friendship/greetings
• Raising the palm to the face is an expression of frustration/embarrassment
• Head shaking/ nodding in approval or disapproval.
• Shrugging and lifting both shoulders indicates a lack of knowledge/concern.
• Raised left Clenched fist to show solidarity of deviance

Example of a question on the performance of a poem

THE CROW

Cross on the wing!

What grace as they swim

Rising and diving

Like fish in the billows

In the willowy air

Or softly as feathers

Fran broken – pillows

How would you perform line one and two of the poem?

The second line of the poem is "What a grace as they swim"

I will use gestures
Moving my hands in a gliding manner to demonstrate the swimming of the crows,
raising the hand up to demonstrate the rising and quickly forcing it down to demonstrate
diving.
raising the hand up to demonstrate the rising and quickly forcing it down to demonstrate
diving.
raising the hand up to demonstrate the rising and quickly forcing it down to demonstrate
diving.

2. The use of body movements in the performance of a poem

Body movements are a type of non-verbal communication in which physical movements are used to express or convey information it entails Showing the demonstration of an action by
moving the whole of your body. E.g. jumping, laying down on the floor, slowly moving away.

Examples of body movements during the performance of a poem

Drizzle

Outside my house

Drizzle

Falling slowly like coins

Outside my house

The thief is hiding

In the shadow of the wall

Let him go out and gather money for the me

From the hands of men

Let him gather money for me

From the hands of women

Let me lie here like a viper

And food will walk straight into my mouth

How would you dramatize the last two lines of the poem?

I would use body movements where I would lie flat on the ground like a viper and gesticulate the action of putting something in my mouth.

3. The use of facial expressions in the performance of a poem

This is the appearance of the face as you read through a line or words of a poem depending
on the context of the line and the choice of words used by the poet. Facial expression is
integral when expressing emotions through the face. Combinations of eyes, eyebrows, lips, nose and cheek movements help form different moods of an individual. E.g. happy, sad, angry etc

The following are examples of facial expressions that one can wear while performing a poem.

• Happy face/ smiling in a happy/funny situation
• Sad face in a sad situation
• Confused facial appearance in case of a dilemma or a confusing situation.
• Shameful facial expression/ saddened look in case of a weird situation.
• A surprised look/ widened eyes/ gaping mouth in case of a surprising instance.
• Focused and concentrated expression- eyes fixed on something and less blinking.
• Raised eyebrows/half-open eyelids in case of tired/ exhausted situation
• Seductive look/ eyes fixed on someone in a case of love or romantic situation
• Squeezed face/shrinking face/ closed mouth in case of anger and stress
• Widened eyes/ mouth opened increased breathing rate in case of fear and anxiety
• Frowning/ withdrawn look in case of a sad situation
• Smile/ slightly opened mouth/teeth display/active look in case of happiness.

4. The use of intonation during the performance of a poem

Intonation involves changes in pitch/voice from rising to falling or from a high voice to a low voice or vice-versa. There are two ways of changing the voice, either rising intonation or falling
intonation. Intonation involves pitch and that is the rising or falling of voice that makes the
words we utter high or low.

In poetry, Intonation is used pragmatically for emphasis, to convey surprises or irony, to pose
a question, for expressing emotions and attitudes and stressing content words in a line.
In a normal conversation, the pitch is usually in the middle or high: a low pitch occurs at the end of utterances apart from a yes or no question. A very strong pitch is for strong emotions or for emphasis. Tag questions with declarative statements would use a falling intonation since they do not actually intend as yes/no questions

a. Falling intonation during the performance of a poem 

Falling intonation in a poem is used mostly in the following instances:

• at the last line of every stanza specifically to show finality.
• at sad instances and seductive/ romantic phrases and emotional attachment.
• used to show emphasis on content words.
• used also in situations that suggest boredom, sarcasm, disinterest

 b. Rising intonation during the performance of a poem

The rising intonation in a poem is used in the following instances:

• used in the beginning/ 1st stanza of a poem to signal the beginning of the recitation.
• It’s also used in expressions of high-energy emotions such as happiness,
  excitement, fright and annoyance.
  
• It is also used in a line of a poem that has a question whose probable answer is yes or no.
• It’s also used in expressions of high-energy emotions such as happiness, excitement, fright and annoyance.

Example of the use of rising and falling intonation in a poem

Cow for breakfast

Six o’clock

And you insist

I must kill a cow

For your breakfast

Here with me

What size of beast

Will you require

For your lunch at

Twelve o’clock

How would you say the first and the last line of this poem?

Use a rising intonation in line1 to show the beginning of the recitation with a high pitch in
the word ‘six’
Use a falling intonation in the last line to show the finality of the poem.

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