Slam Poetry on the Spot #2: Harry Baker - 'Paper People'

A while ago I posted my first Slam Poetry on the Spot analysis of Suli Breaks's poem 'I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate'. Since then, I've been building up to embarking on my second analysis of a poem from my Best of British Slam Poetry playlist, this time of one of British slam poetry's most terrific performers. The problem is that the poem of his that I've chosen to analyse is so ballistic that it takes a lot of time to take it in, both in watching the performance and reading the text. The good news now is that I've done it, so let's embark on the long awaited analysis of the poem 'Paper People' by spoken word artist and battle rapper Harry Baker.

Born in Ealing, West London, Harry Baker was raised as part of a Christian community, which is sometimes brought up in his poetry. He initially studied medicine, but switched mathematics alongside German at Bristol University. He has won several poetry slams, including the World Slam Poetry Competition in 2012, becoming its youngest winner. He has also performed in rap battles, had his first collection published in 2015, and is one half of the musical comedy duo Harry and Chris.

When it comes to alliteration, few poems use the technique as extensively as as expertly as Baker does in 'Paper People'. Immediately from the opening lines he dives straight into a tongue-twisting series of musings on what would happen were he to make some paper people. He sets out what he would use to make them, and goes on to describe a paper city which reflects the current state of society. He uses references to Kate and Pippa Middleton, and compares the media's coverage of modern day terrorism with the hysteria surrounding Jack the Ripper, giving the poem a topical feel. When he performs live, Baker spits out the words with rapid-fire pace, and how he does so without tripping on the words is testament to his skill as a performer. Also, while this is going on, he uses some brilliant wordplay to create gems like this one:

'We'd see the poppy paper rappers rap about their paper package

Or watch paper people carriers get stuck in paper traffic on the A4.'

As Baker reflects on his paper metropolis, he posits that a paper society would face the same problems as the real world, specifically corrupt politicians and divisive politics. The alliteration never lets up during this section, and Baker utilises some great rhymes to convey his grievances, which include the government ignoring poverty, greed, police brutality and many other things. I especially love the phrase 'origami army' and a line about how the government will ignore complaints about 'paper cuts'. Occasionally a refrain of 'A little paper me. And a little paper you' occurs. It's at this point that you start to wonder if Baker is making a thesis on the state of society, but the use of a paper population as a device through which to illustrate societal woes gives it a sharp comedic edge. The never-ending rhymes and constant alliteration add to Baker's wry critique and when performed live makes for a ballistic tour-de-force.

At this point the poem seems to be reaching a gloomy conclusion, with Baker lamenting on how the situation is never likely to change with governments remaining identical. However its here where he breaks from the previous tone with a simple declaration:

'I like people

'Cause when the situation's dire,

it is only ever people who are able to inspire.'

In this section the heavy alliteration used so masterfully dissipates and is used more sparingly. Baker affirms his belief in the power of ordinary people to be a force for good. To illustrate this he uses examples from his family, such as his grandparents, where he references his own Christian upbringing and brings in a bit of mathematics as a way of showing the scale of inspiration ordinary people can produce:

'Who every single day since I was born, have taken time out of their morning to pray for me.

That's 7892 days straight of someone checking I'm okay, and that's amazing.'

Baker goes on to list other examples of people able to inspire in dire situations, such as his aunt who organises plays with prisoners and persecuted Palestinians. Although the rhyme scheme is still in place, the alliteration which defines the rest of the poem does not pick up again until near the end. Baker brings his hypothesis of a paper society to a close by suggesting that although authority figures seem oblivious to the problems of the populace, the system does not need to remain the same. To make his point stick, Baker reiterates the same refrains he has used throughout the poem, and ends on another affirmation of his belief in people;

'There's a little paper me. And a little paper you.

And in a pop-up population people's problems pop up too,

But even if the whole world fell apart then we'd still make it through.

Because we're people'.

As an example of a literary technique being used to its maximum effect, 'Paper People' is flawless. Baker uses alliteration for all that it's worth, in the process creating a series of amusing multi-layered puns and turning a hypothetical paper metropolis into a commentary on the state of society. Like much of slam poetry, his assessment of society is scathing, but the final section where he affirms his belief in the power of ordinary people makes for an uplifting conclusion to a terrific poetic roller coaster. It's this, and the combination of technical prowess, phonetic wit and on-point observations that make this poem a masterful piece of work.

(Original Poem: Baker, Harry. Paper People)

Happy St. David's Day!

So it's St. David's Day here in Wales, and for the first time in about ten years it's snowing. There's a red warning in place from the Met Office for most of Wales, and I can tell you that Frynwys is snowed under. My plan of action is to wait for it to pass, but judging by the forecast it appears I won't be going anywhere until Sunday at least. To pass the time, here's some updates on what will be occurring on this blog in the near future.

For those of you who've recently joined us, I release the first installment of Slam Poetry on the Spot yesterday, analysing a poem by Suli Breaks. It took me a while to get that article together after numerous delays, so it's a relief to have it finished. Next up in the frame is Grand Slam poetry champion Harry Baker, so look out for that (I can't put a specific date on when that will come out, but hopefully I won't do a George R. R. Martin and take six years to write it). In a similar vein, I'm working on the next installment of Frynwys Features, and judging by the whiteout going on at the moment I suspect there will be more than a few new developments.

Poetry wise, I've got a couple of new poems close to being finished, one of which was meant to be for today but didn't make it in time. With a few adjustments it should be posted in the next couple of days. On that note, the animal poems (especially the tiger themed ones) have not gone anywhere, so expect a few more of those as we head into March. Otherwise, it's pretty much business as usual here. I'm going to try and keep things fairly consistent and post more often, because it's been a long wait between posts at times. Hopefully I can shorten the waiting times and all will be well in the world of verse.

Anyways, those are the updates as they stand. So wrap up warm if you're going out, enjoy those Welsh cakes if you're not and look out for slumbering dragons if you're doing both!

Slam Poetry on the Spot #1: Suli Breaks - 'I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate'

I've often mentioned slam poetry on this blog, but until recently I haven't examined it much. On my YouTube channel is a playlist consisting of what I consider to be some of the best slam poets in the British slam scene. In this new and hopefully ongoing feature, I'll be analysing the poets and some of their work to see how slam poetry works and how it fits in to the wider poetry spectrum. Kicking off the proceedings is spoken word artist Suli Breaks and his absolutely terrific spoken word poem 'I will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate'.

Darryll Suliaman Amaoko, better known by his stage name Suli Breaks, was born in London and first performed poetry in 2008. Since then he has gone on to become one of the most influential spoken word artists operating in Britain.  'I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate' was released on his YouTube channel back in 2013, and having watched and listened to it a couple of times now, I can tell you it's a tremendous piece of work.

The poem starts off with Breaks conveying a conversation between a mother and her son after a parent's evening. The son is falling behind in his studies and asks his mother why he needs to study subjects he won't use in later life. The mother replies with the oft-repeated mantra of parents that he needs the grades to get a good degree which in turn will lead to a good job. She adds that she never had the same opportunity at her age. The son replies with an armour-piercing response:

"But you were born a long time ago, weren't you Mum?"

With this one line, Breaks brilliantly encapsulates the first part of his argument, which is that the rules of the societal game have changed for the younger generation. The mother ignores the question, but Breaks explains that it is because she doesn't know any better other than what the teachers and society has instilled in her. In the last part of this first section, Breaks notes that the child in question has a very sharp mind, but is instead labelled as problematic due to his individuality, which the education system works very hard to erase.

With this set-up, Breaks then launches into the meat of his argument against the current education model in Britain. This is where Breaks hits his stride, and the message he delivers is brilliantly illustrated by his versatility with words. He wastes no time in taking the education system to task for its emphasis on memorising facts and figures ahead of exams, asking why such a rigid system is used to test a group of individuals who have varying skills. Breaks then launches his next assault on society in general, and its hypocrisy in regards to subjects. He includes in this abortion, wealth and social inequality, charity and greed, and the disparity between the importance placed on education and its increasing cost. He uses a mixture of word play and great rhyming to convey this message. The line which struck me the is most is as follows:

"Parents that say they want "educated" kids/
but constantly marvel at how rich Richard Branson is.".

Throughout all of this, Breaks uses a refrain at the end of each train of thought; "Huh, the irony", to convey the internal contradictions of the education system promoting equality but treats individuals far from equally. He then proceeds to argue that the current system of education doesn't prepare its students for surviving in the outside world, and that the results children get at the end of education often define them to their prospective employers. An interesting situation Breaks illustrates is a pretentious English teacher dismissing a student's work for being too 'informal' before going on to reference Shakespeare, only to be told by the kid that Shakespeare was regarded as an early "innovator of slang'. Pervading all of this is a sense of such severe contradiction between the aims of education and the outcome, where some students are left feeling undervalued due to a low grade despite it not amounting to much in the wider workplace.

Breaks brings his thesis to a stirring conclusion where he dedicates the piece to those who found their future outside the world of education and academics. Those he includes in his dedication include those with followings on social media, unemployed university graduates, "shop assistants, cleaners and cashiers with bigger dreams", as well as self-employed entrepreneurs. To this Breaks pledges that no matter the number or the grade, they will never let an exam result decide their fate, and thus the title is dropped at the end of the poem. It's a strong message for anyone struggling with education in school, university or anywhere else, and by the end of the poem Breaks has succeeded in explaining his position while performing poetic acrobatics.

Ultimately, "I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate' sets the bar pretty high as far as performance and slam poetry goes. Not only is it impressive as a feat of rhythmic and poetic sophistication, but in using these techniques to convey an argument and break it down through each stanza, Breaks demonstrates his complete mastery of the format. The use of refrains and a consistent rhyming structure add to the musicality of the piece, which only enhances the point Breaks is trying to convey. A lot of the slam poets on my list demonstrate such ability, but the potency of Breaks's argument combined with his brilliant choice of words and structuring make this poem one of the best I have heard in recent years.

(Original Poem: Breaks, Suli. I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate)

In Defence of Hollie McNish

It seems that the literary world is on entertainingly dismissive form again. I've talked about spoken word poetry a couple of times on this blog, and how my personal opinion is that while it can sometimes be too serious and on-the-nose in conveying social messages, the poets themselves are brilliant at what they do. So you can imagine my interest in seeing an article in PN Review apparently about the effect of spoken word on modern poetry, but in reality a critique of the work of Hollie McNish.

I do not claim to be familiar with Hollie McNish's work, but I did include her poem 'Embarrassed' in my Best of British Slam Poetry playlist on my YouTube channel. That poem is a great example of versatility in wordplay and rhyme to convey a social double standard. However, it seems that McNish's poetry has riled up the PN Review's reviewer, but the reasoning used to justify her criticism was something that was so hilarious I had to talk about it.

I should note before starting that McNish has already responded to the article in question, and since she hasn't named the author of the article in her response I will not do so either. She addressed the author's specific complaints, but I will address the overarching themes of the article which is the death of modern poetry via amateurism and ignorance.

The first thing to address about the PN Review article is the utter contempt for modern forms of poetry displayed by the author. In the first half of the article the author decries the current trend of posting poetry on social media and it's supposed 'dumbing-down' effect. The author attributes this to a desire for instant gratification from young poets. Of course there are a lot of problems with social media, especially its ill-defined rules and regulations, and the narcissim that often comes with sharing your whole life online, but in the right circumstances social media can be a useful tool. I see nothing wrong with poets sharing their material on social media platforms (technically I myself fall under that heading), as it helps to spread poetry to a wider audience than the establishment would seem to prefer.

The author goes on to bring Hollie McNish into the conversation along with Kate Tempest as poets who gained recognition online before being picked up by publishers. What follows is a critical mauling of McNish on the grounds of too much honesty, "slapdash" use of words, "faux-humility", insufficient education regarding the poetry canon, refuge in audacity, vanity, insulting her audience through use of a false working-class persona, and to top it all off the author accuses McNish of luring in her audience to purchase and consume deliberately bad poetry.

Several problems with this article. The first is that the author assumes the level of McNish's intelligence and education. She criticises McNish for lacking a literary mind, to the point that she uses the word 'mind' in quotation marks, and decries her ignorance of the greats of the poetry scene; Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Larkin etc, claiming that poets like McNish are pretending that they are the first to address taboo subjects in their work. Making assumptions about people's education and intelligence is not only childish in the extreme and equivalent to name-calling, it adds nothing to the author's critique of McNish's work, and she ends up reviewing the artist's personality rather than her poetry. Also, while a lot of reading is essential to the development of the individual poet, influences are not limited to the wider backlog of the poetry canon. Influences can come from anywhere, be it the literary or the visual arts, and to suggest otherwise resembles blinkered-vision.

On to the more amusing subject of elitism; the author notes that poetry can no longer be accused of being elitist due to poetry publications being afraid to critique amateur poets. She then asserts that we expect our doctors, hairdressers and athletes to be the best of the best (which in itself is a fair point), but to equate the live-saving and psychically demanding work of doctors and athletes with writing poetry is a bit unfair. The author goes on to accuse McNish of being a "warrior" intend on leading an "invasion" of poetry by amateur on the basis of equal opportunities.

This situation strikes me as somewhat self-fulfilling prophecy. There has long been a concerted effort to introduce poetry to the masses, which is essential if the art form is to thrive, and yet someone like McNish who is doing just that is criticised by a reviewer on the grounds of leading an amateur "invasion". Engaging new audiences with poetry is key to its survival, no matter what form it comes in. To disregard spoken word artists like McNish on the basis of their "amateurish" style is a bit like a classical music reviewer dismissing rock music on the grounds of "too much noise". Different styles and forms of poetry carry equal merit; just because McNish is not as polished or refined as the Wordsworths and Coleridges of this world does not lessen her value to poetry as the PN Review's writer seems to imply. To see a reviewer so frightened of poetry reaching new audiences is as amusing as it is ridiculous.

Another problem in the article is the claim that McNish is somehow attempting to bring poetry down to its base level by tricking her audiences under the pretense of representing the working class. This is a serious accusation to level at a poet, and although it is true that this kind of faux working-class persona can be problematic, I have not seen enough of McNish's work to comment on the validity of this criticism. What I can comment on is the suggestion that McNish is out to con her audience. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion; there are many who enjoy McNish's work, and others who don't, but to continually suggest that an audience has been tricked into liking her poetry seems like a concerted effort to discredit her as an artist, turning the article into a hit-piece rather than a straightforward review.

The reviewer also accuses McNish of "faux-humility", whereby she protects herself from accusations of substandard poetry by admitting her own flaws, resulting in praise from critics for writing honest poetry. Self-deprecation is an old tool of stand-up comedians used to endear them to their audiences, and I think its use in spoken word poetry is not necessarily a bad thing. If a poet exposes their flaws and shares their early poetic efforts before moving on to their current work (which is presumably of a higher standard) then it shows the progression of the artist. Anyone looking to take up poetry can see that an experience poet like McNish had to learn their craft, thereby creating a connection between the artist and the audience.

There are many other things in this article which trouble me, such as the reviewer's pretentious assertion that McNish's work would have enraged Schopenhauer (a long since deceased person who's opinion we can't claim to know), suggesting that publishers push her work because they feel it is all that working-class audiences deserve, and continually inferring that McNish lacks the education, the influences and the mindset to produce worthwhile poetry. The one that makes me laugh however is the suggestion that poets have a job. Not a job with a fixed hourly salary, but a moral obligation to "safeguard language" and to continually strive to make it memorable as a defence of "civilised values". The reviewer suggests that no one should be encouraged to listen to artists such as McNish because their work is based on "what I think", thereby making it irrelevant.

Firstly, poets are not obliged to do anything. If a poet takes their work that seriously, thinking that poetry is some kind of barometer of the state of civilisation, good for them. However, I'd like to think that poets write because they enjoy the act of writing, instead of striving to uphold some abstract company mission statement. As such, it is not my, McNish's or any poet's job to do anything unless they choose to. To ascribe this mission to all poets is obtuse in the extreme. And thus the assassination of Hollie McNish and her poetry is concluded with the suggestion that audiences should not be encouraged to listen to her work. It may have escaped the reviewer's attention, but each poet writes from their individual perspective, which is no less legitimate or worthy of reading than the next poet. It goes back to my earlier point of if the audience enjoys something, who are you to tell them they only reason they like it is because they've somehow been played?

The reviewer concludes her article by imploring a resurgence of intelligence thought, and that we can start by not celebrating "amateurism and ignorance in our poetry". For a piece in the professional poetry outlet which PN Review is, I am surprised to see such amateurism in critiquing a poet and her work and such a blatant underestimation of the intelligence of spoken word audiences. For what it's worth, all I have left to say is this; Hollie McNish is free to write whatever she wants, just as audiences and critics are free to like or dislike her work, and loftier poets are free to write what they want and to adhere to a higher mission if they wish. After all, poetry is subjective and it's beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

(Check out Hollie's own response to PN Review here. Alternatively have a read of the original article here. In the meantime stay tuned for more good stuff coming soon!)

New Feature Announcement: Slam Poetry on the Spot

With so much going on right now, it may seem foolhardy of me to be announcing another feature, but that's exactly what this post is about (if you didn't already guess by the title). As my second new feature on this blog, I'm pleased to announce the first installment of Slam Poetry on the Spot will be up in the next week or two.

On my YouTube channel I have a playlist consisting of who I consider to be the best British slam poets working today. There is a thriving slam poetry scene in America where poets are doing lots of great things, and I have covered the topic of spoken word and performance poetry before. So, for the foreseeable future, I will be analysing a slam or spoken word poet and one of their poems (or several), looking for what makes them great at their work.

If this sounds like your kind of thing, then stick around and check it out. Seeing as I talk about written poetry quite a lot on this blog, it will be fun to discuss performance poetry again, especially as it appears to be taking off and growing into a larger community by the year. The first installment will be focusing on spoken word poet Suli Breaks, so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, coming up next is my long awaited analysis of Owen Sheers' poem 'Mametz Wood'.

Hope you're all enjoying the summer, and see you again soon.