https://youtu.be/cjkau3jb87s?t=995 (16:35 – 18:50)

This genre is a spoken word performance. It is a video of Rupi Kaur performing her own spoken word poetry at India Today Conclave 2018 in Mumbai, India. I wanted to explore how Rupi Kaur is represented through the genre of performing. The world sees Kaur through her poetry, and her written words. I could have chose a number of videos to portray Rupi Kaur, but I came across this piece of her performing her poetry and thought it was perfect.

You can feel her emotions and her story. She almost brings you into her world for those short few minutes and transforms the way you see your traditional surroundings. Especially hearing and watching Rupi Kaur speak her own poetry that I have previously read, it adds a whole new dimension to her work. She is able to bring her work to life so effortlessly. One of the poems that she reads is one that I have on my “Poems” page. On paper, what looks like a short poem, Rupi Kaur reads aloud and makes it feel like a story. A tale that brings to life the realities of being a woman in a society that favors her appearance. The other poem that she reads aloud was a part of her book the sun and her flowers and was titled ‘timeless’. I have actually come across this poem before in print, and skimmed past it because it seemed long and did not catch my attention. But after hearing her speak it out and perform, it is now one of my favorite poems of hers. This goes to show how powerful a performance and the genre of spoken word can be. Rupi Kaur continually impresses, and seeing her displayed as a performer gave me a new found respect for her.

Citation:

Conclave, India Today, director. Rupi Kaur Spoken Word Poetry At India Today Conclave 2018. YouTube, YouTube, 10 Mar. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjkau3jb87s&feature=youtu.be&t=995.