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)
