On Monday in seminar class we began our poetry recitations. I was interested to see how the whole event would turn out. To my pleasant surprise, I enjoyed it a lot. Austin began with To Brooklyn Bridge. I easily relate to most of the poems recited because of their connection to New York City, which we are all a specific part of. This poem by Hart Crane was full of vivid imagery of the city and its inhabitants. I liked the author’s style, although it was slightly difficult to interpret at times.

I especially enjoyed Amber’s poem and performance February Evening in New York. Her performance was astounding with the combined effects of the sounds of the city audio background, and her devotion to read the poem with passion in the way she interpreted it. I respected her devotion to her performance and it gave me some inspiration to later read my own poem.

The last poem that really had me thinking was Ariana’s poem about Marilyn Monroe. The poem instantly stood out among the other poems I was hearing as something more explicit and sensual. The author revered Marilyn Monroe instead of bashing her like many people during her time. I found the mixed opinions and impressions of her among classmates interesting. It showed how we can all perceive media and history differently.

On Monday, we started our poetry recitations. It was different, because all semester we watched different performances, but we were never asked to be thee performers. It was my first time performing in front of a college audience, and I must say, it was quite the overwhelming experience. Everyone else’s performances were great, and so I felt compelled to deliver an exceptional performance as well.

Although I’ve discussed numerous poems in high school, I was never asked to recite a poem with so much emotion. Everyone’s poem covered a certain aspect of New York City, something that we could all relate to. I felt that everyone’s poem recitation somehow revealed their actual personality, and that’s how the performance came to life. We all had to tap into the emotion the poet might have been feeling when he/she wrote it. Everyone poem was unique, but this time I enjoyed it, unlike high school.

Ariana’s poem was definitely a memorable experience. I loved how we discussed aspects of Marilyn Monroe’s personality, and how she might have really felt. It made us all wonder that maybe Marilyn Monroe had more to her personality than just beauty and lust. It’s possible that maybe she used her popularity as a promiscuous woman to help fuel her acting career. I liked the overall message that the poem communicated, which was how all women would like to be treated respectfully regardless of their looks.

Overall, I enjoyed all the poems that were recited in class.  I liked how the poems took place during different time periods, but somehow they are understandable till today.  The poets made timeless works which could be related to the past and future New Yorkers. At the end of class, I could really say that I had a new understanding of poetry. I particularly enjoyed listening to everyone’s insights on their own poems, definitely making the experience memorable.

Today in seminar, we started our anticipated poetry readings in front of the class. This was a very interesting event for our class. Usually, we would go see performances of professionals displaying what they have practiced for a long time, but this time, the roles were reversed. We were the performers in front of our entire class, reciting our poems and reactions. Being a performer, I do not have a big problem with stage fright , but I was anxious to see how everyone else would go about their performances. And honestly, everyone did an excellent job.

Amber was the talk of the class as she dominated the classroom with the sassy attitude she conveyed as she read the poem. I always knew how much of an emotional impact songs could have as they were heard in concert, but I could never imagine how the words of a poem could have that much of an impact until now. With every word our classmates read, whether the poem was about something cheerful or dismal, you could feel the emotion behind every word, just as much as a great song or opera can affect you. Great job, guys.

Wednesday’s seminar class marked the start of our poetry presentations.  I was very curious as to how my fellow classmates would handle talking about something as complicated and deep as poetry in front of the entire class.  Everyone seemed to be nervous to some degree, and knowing that I was not the only one who felt a bit uneasy about presenting, made me feel better.  As more and more students went through their presentations, it became evident that there are so many different styles of poetry, as well as a wide range of topics that can be covered.  I was surprised at how much emphasis was put on the way in which each poem was read.  I then became curious about how the reader is supposed to know how the poet intended for his piece to be read.

The poem that stood out to me the most was the piece that Ariana was assigned, which focused on Marilyn Monroe.  I was interested in the poem from the beginning in that, I never really knew the details of why Marilyn Monroe was so famous or even who she was in the world.  Thanks to this poem, it was brought to my attention that Monroe’s personality and lifestyle were under much scrutiny, which she didn’t necessarily deserve.  I found the suggestion that Marilyn Monroe would not have had to deal with so much criticism if she lived in a later period to be riveting.  It was disappointing to hear that a positive and confident woman, such as Marilyn Monroe, could be perceived so terribly.

Today in seminar class, we started our poetry presentations. Although I am not very comfortable with public speaking, I had fun doing my presentation. I enjoyed my poem and I enjoyed performing it in front of the class. We all had a good laugh while I was trying to re-read my commentary. I would really like practice public speaking so that I can stop ending every sentence like a question and focus on looking at the crowd more. I am glad to know what I have to improve on, and I know I will be less nervous the next time I go to speak in front of an audience.

Overall, it was nice to see everyone’s performances. Everyone put their best foot forward in performing their poems. I especially enjoyed Amber’s performance because I saw a side of her that I had never seen before and she did a great job acting out her poem.

We had a lot of interesting discussions about the poems as well. It was interesting to talk about Marylyn Monroe. I did not know a a lot about her besides that she was a provocative actress in the 1940s. From this poem and the discussion we had, I realized that I only have this idea based on the media’s portrayal of her, which should not be my final opinion about her. People should not be judged based primarily on how the media portrays them. They should be judged based on facts and from our own interactions with them.