Title: Somewhere in America. How one slam poem investigates the… | by Brittany Atkinson | Medium
Headings: Somewhere in America
Somewhere in America
How one slam poem investigates the darkness of America
The Logical Argument
Repetition is Key
An Emotional Appeal
Closing Thoughts

Content: Through these lines, they connect listeners through the silence of emotionally traumatizing events — where victims are sexually assaulted but told to not talk about it. In their argument, the assaulted are victim blamed and then told the trauma is “explicit,” and therefore should not be a topic of discussion. This reference to Maya Angelou’s work creates a universal sympathy in listeners, making them question why rape should be censored when women are still feeling the repercussions of assault. Even if a listener has not experienced sexual assault, the poet’s emotionally charged words likely infect listeners with the same emotion, as Walker articulates. Later in the poem the poets address poverty. They declare,
“Kids on the south side spend hours searching through the lost and found because winter is coming soon and that’s the only jacket they have” (Brave). An Emotional Appeal
The poets not only discuss poverty, but create a mental picture of what it truly means to be impoverished as a child in winter. This again creates a sympathy between poet and listener, where the audience becomes forcefully exposed to the emotional center of poverty’s devastating effects. Heather Bruce and Bryan Davis analyze the use of slam poetry in violence intervention, but also present the pathos slam poets bring through their meshing of writing and performance: “Writing releases pent-up emotions, and performance brings acknowledgement and support, which urge healing and understanding” (Bruce 125).