Middle School Poetry Recital

Middle School Poetry Recital

Grade 7 Chinese teachers organized a poetry recital on December 12th to increase awareness of our students on the life and works of our national heroes through the art of poetry recitation. The competition also provided the students with the opportunity to appreciate our heritage as well as share their abilities and talents in our community.

It was a beautiful Wednesday in winter. The audience was aquiver for the poetry recital to start. We couldn’t wait to hear what would be delivered! Voice is an active, physical thing in oral poetry. It is a bodily creation that thrives in live connection. Our poetry recital became a fun way of learning Chinese language and culture and exploring our rich history and arts. All the contestants performed incredibly well and were clapped and cheered on by the audience.

Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings and it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility. It is central to our culture and is capable of being the most powerful and transformative of the arts. Poems have changed the way we look at and listen to the world. Poetry is important because it makes us think, it opens us up to wonder the sometimes astonishing possibilities of language. It is, in its subtle yet powerful way, a discipline for re-engaging with a world we take too much for granted. People write poems because the rhythms of poetry and the way it uses language to celebrate and to honor, rather than to denigrate and abuse, is akin to the rhythms and attentiveness of justice.