Overview: The documentary Louder Than a Bomb is a film about passion, competition, teamwork, and trust. It’s about the joy of being young, and the pain of growing up. It’s about speaking out, making noise, and finding your voice.
It also just happens to be about poetry.
Every year, more than six hundred teenagers from over sixty Chicago area schools gather for the world’s largest youth poetry slam, a competition known as "Louder Than a Bomb". Founded in 2001, Louder Than a Bomb is the only event of its kind in the country—a youth poetry slam built from the beginning around teams. Rather than emphasize individual poets and performances, the structure of Louder Than a Bomb demands that kids work collaboratively with their peers, presenting, critiquing, and rewriting their pieces. To succeed, teams have to create an environment of mutual trust and support. For many kids, being a part of such an environment—in an academic context—is life-changing.
Louder Than a Bomb chronicles the stereotype-confounding stories of four teams as they prepare for and compete in the 2008 event. By turns hopeful and heartbreaking, the film captures the tempestuous lives of these unforgettable kids, exploring the ways writing shapes their world, and vice versa. This is not "high school poetry" as we often think of it. This is language as a joyful release, irrepressibly talented teenagers obsessed with making words dance. How and why they do it—and the community they create along the way—is the story at the heart of this inspiring film.
(Summary from Louder Than a Bomb Website. Click the link for more information).
Directions: When we finish the film, please compose a comprehensive blog response of 300-500 words, describing your reactions to the film. Post the blog response in this blog space. Please be specific. You will be asked to compose your own spoken word poems, and your final assessment for Margaret Edson's, Wit will be to create a group poem.
For the record, I can't believe they made a contest out of this. The point is the poetry, not the number of point you score. These were all good poems by good poets. Why do they have to make the stakes look so high? Competitions are just for politicians. Conflict has no business in sports and show business.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, as for the "Be specific" part, I've forgotten some of the poets' names, or the titles of their poems, or who wrote what, so I don't know how specific I'll be able to get. Maybe I'll just have to give you enough of a description to guess what I'm referring to. Did I really need to say that?
DeleteMaybe I did.
DeleteNo nursery rhymes or Dr. Seuss silliness here. From Counting Graves to whatever that one about the school shootings was called, these are some really serious poems. Some of the poets wrote about their origin stories, none of which are laughing matters. Nate wrote a poem advising his nephew how to look after himself, what to put up with and what not to put up with, and so on and so forth. It sounds as hard-boiled as advice from a film noir character. Counting Graves sounds like a title Edgar Allan Poe could've used.
DeleteFor whatever reason, I've hardly memorized enough details about this film to get me much further than this.
DeleteThroughout watching the film Louder Than a Bomb, I could really feel the passion in each and every single one of the contestants. Even from the very beginning as they were introducing each of the key contestants, I could see just how much the competition Louder Than a Bomb meant to them. This event was clearly an integral part of every one of those students. It gave them a great opportunity to be themselves and brought in a different possibility for those students who did not have the same chances as other students. In particular, when the group performed so well with the “Counting Graves” performance and then lost out by one point, the disappointment in the group could be felt from the viewers. Every one of their rivals had to congratulate them for such a wonderful performance when they were eliminated. I as a viewer, can sympathize with the group particularly since they were so close and yet they still didn’t make the cut. For me though, it definitely felt like the first place winner almost cheated to win since their biggest competition was knocked out by a measly point. Also, they kinda rubbed salt into their wound as the winning team wrote about them losing, which feels like they are sympathizing, but also rubbing their loss a bit more into their face. For me, the passion shown in the competition as well as the quality of each group makes “Louder Than a Bomb” a very unique opportunity for some students to live their dream. Overall, “Louder Than a Bomb” provides a great experience for those who feel a strong passion for writing.
ReplyDeleteLouder than a bomb was a documentary following a few of the contestants and teams competing in the poetry slam competition Louder Than a Bomb. It was really interesting to hear different people from different backgrounds and areas talk about their experience with slam poetry. Every contestant was incredibly passionate, not just about the competition, but about the poetry in general, and that concept of the poetry itself being more important than the competition was a running theme throughout the film. As they wrote and performed, each person was willing to make themselves incredibly vulnerable, and, at times, that was difficult to watch as a viewer. Some of the poetry, like the pieces performed by Nova Venerable, were very personal and emotional that it felt like an intrusion to watch or listen. It takes a lot of courage and confidence to perform the way that all of these contestants were able to do. The teams were also not afraid to discuss controversial topics like race, sexuality, gun violence, and numerous other currently controversial topics that are prevalent in society today. The poem Counting Graves performed by the Steinmenauts is an example of the emotional, thought provoking poetry featured in the film.
ReplyDeleteIt was really interesting to see the teams write, and struggle as they progressed through the competition. I was rooting for everyone featured, and even though the Steimenauts did not end up winning first place, their loss really showed how much more important poetry is than winning. The ending was really good, and the ending poem Look! was the perfect piece to end with. Overall, the film really opened my eyes to the different types of poetry and how it can be really important and give people a platform to express themselves.
The Louder than a Bomb documentary was eye opening for me. Previously, I had a very narrow definition of what poetry is. After watching the film, I now understand that poetry is quite multifaceted. A diverse group of students and coaches took part in louder than a bomb and presented a diverse set of material. It was extraordinary to see how such a wide range of topics could reach an entire audience. My favorite poems to watch were the group performances. They were in sync, loud, and their messages were heard. The Steinmetz group poem from the final round, “Counting Graves”, was really moving. They were effective in sending their message and clearly were very passionate about the material. I was especially fond of the part where they counted down from ten in rhythm and told a story as they went. They did not originally plan on doing that piece, but were able to do it flawlessly without any practice. I also really enjoyed the work of Nova Venerable. She wrote about deep topics that were really personal to her. She had written a lot about her dad, but in the competition wrote a moving piece about her diabled younger brother. Her poems were deep, hard core, and sometimes had material that was hard to hear, but those qualities are what made her work remarkable. It was awesome to see how hard the teams prepared for this event all year and how their hard work paid off. Although the competition ended without everyone being a winner, I think each poet cared less about the amount of points they received and more about what poetry meant to them.
ReplyDeleteThe documentary Louder Than A Bomb showed different contestants competing in the poetry slam competition. It was really interesting and amazing to see and hear the emotion in their performance every time they performed. Nova Venerable was on of the contestants that I liked. I related to her writing since my parents also got divorced and it was a hard time. The teams were not afraid to talk about their race, gender, violence in their writings because it was important to them. It took a lot of courage to stand up in front of a crowd and to be judged. I rooted for everyone and was so impressed by every single contestant.
ReplyDeleteThis contest gives people who have a strong passion for writing, a chance to express themselves by writing about any topic they want which gives them so much freedom.
Everyone was so supportive even other opponents and the audience after every contestant. Every contestant was so close to winning or won. They struggled and progressed so much after each performance. They all have a very powerful impact on our generation and the future ones.
ReplyDeleteOverall the louder than a bomb documentary was filled with energy, stories, passion, hardship, and perseverance. It seemed like all who performed were ready to yell out their stories with the utmost energy and passion to really sink and instill the feeling and energy into the audience. Most of the poetry that I observed was very well written. Some poems more than others but overall I noticed that the contestants did focus a lot on the poetry alone and not so much the score or potential score. What the adults were saying was that the event was really about teamwork, friendship, poetry, and experience more than anything else. The scores were really just there, it seemed to juice up the competition and add some more kind of tension to things as well. In the end, yes what most people were paying attention to were the scores but deeply beyond that were the stories of hardship, passion, and the energy brought with them. Some of the students have gone through things that I have never encountered before such as taking care of a sibling like you were a parent to them. In some ways, race did also play a part in who we saw performing and the outcomes and past experiences that we saw as well. The students and teachers really did persevere on the poetry level to achieve their scores but also you can see what was overcome in the reading of what the poem was describing itself. These poems were very personal and specific to the people and groups of people who were involved in creating it. Each poem probably reached every person in a different way. This can happen in both how it makes you feel and what you think about the poem overall.
ReplyDeleteI found the experience of watching this film to be interesting. I found it cool that they decided to make a documentary about a relatively unknown competition, but I do find it strange that this competition exists in the first place. I feel that poetry is supposed to just be shared, so I find it strange that it was judged. Obviously for a competition they need to be ranked so there can be a winner, but it is just strange how they were getting judged. Going off of that, I feel that this documentary focused on “the road to winning the competition”. With the performers like Adam and Nate, it seemed like they were actually doing it because they loved writing and performing poetry, but with Nova and the Steinmetz team it seemed like they enjoyed doing poetry, but it seemed like they wanted to win more than they wanted to enjoy the poetry process.
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing "Louder than a Bomb" I realized how much literature/poetry means to people. It was more than just a passion of poetry, it was like poetry was a part of each of them. Like it was a piece of their identity. In addition, I love how "Louder than a Bomb" was able to bring so many people from different backgrounds together. It is similar to a sporting event get together, except the idea bringing the kids together was poetry this time and not sports. Also, I love how the directors was able to capture the "family" aspect of each team in a sense. How even outside of the club, the kids continued to stick close to one another, rely on one another, and always have each others backs. What really made "Louder than a Bomb" come together in my opinion was how it did not just show the ending, or the final of the competition, but how it showed the road to the finals. The struggles each team went through, the amount of practice, creativity, mentoring, the students needed in order to perform at that level. They were able to encapsulate the idea of how "Louder than a Bomb" required dedication, passion, hard work, and much more.
ReplyDeleteWhen I finished watching "Louder than a Bomb" it made me realize the individuality of each person, and each person goes through different struggles in life. These kids use this style of poetry not only to compete but also share there story and struggles. Also, at each school, each group that competed formed somewhat of a family, they supported each other, pushed each other, and called each other out when they were slacking, or doing something they shouldn't have. Not only did they create a family within each school, but also in the competition. This competition helped these kids meet new friends and talk to other kids that share such a deep passion for poetry as they do. Also I liked how none of the kids were ashamed of what they did, but instead were proud of what they created. In high school they must have been picked on or teased for being part of poetry team by all the other students, but they didn't get embarrassed, and instead they owned. I also liked how they all unanimously said that it wasn't about the points but instead about the poetry, or it wasn't all about winning, because sometimes people can get caught up in the heat of winning, but instead about what they write and how it makes people feel because you cant grade poetry, every piece is sentimental to all the students and you cannot really give it a grade. This film opened my eyes to slam poetry, which originally seemed silly, but as I watch more and more of it starts to become become interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt was cool to see the spirit in each student during the entire process, from writing multiple drafts to performing it in front of their poetry peers. I also found it very inspiring that many were able to persevere through the ups and downs of the process, whether it was an individual struggle or a group struggle. It was also interesting that in the documentary there were able to showcase students from different schools and communities in Illinois and see how their life affected the way they composed and performed their poems. One of those poems I recalled was the “Counting Graves” poem: it talks about shootings and presents different perspectives on how people can be affected by a horrible incident. Even though as a viewer I may not know much about the livelihoods of these students, when they talk about a topic so raw as shootings, they were able to execute their performance so well and do feel the effects of such an incident. I also liked the different dynamics within each group as well as some of the solo poets performing such as Nava. She talks about the struggle within her family and conveys it in a very genuine manner where you can hear the sincerity of heart, especially when talking about her father. Louder Than A Bomb brings such a huge impact to students and gives them a creative outlet and opportunities to express their ideas and concerns about the world they live in a literary medium, which is what I really love about this documentary and the event itself.
ReplyDeleteIt was really interesting to follow the journey of the students from the beginning to the end of the competition. The writing process especially was really cool, seeing how the writers chose their topics and how they edited and practiced their pieces. It was clear that they were very passionate about poetry, and about what they were writing. They tackled really difficult topics, but managed to do it in a thoughtful and impactful way. They performed the poems really well. I didn't realize how much performance went into slam poetry, and how much they had to think about movement and emphasis. It's clear that having a place to talk about and perform the topics they covered was important to the students, and it was really cool hearing about how the poetry club impacted their lives. The group poem especially was impressive, it was coordinated really well, and I like how they added the singing. Even though none of them won, they looked proud of what they had accomplished, and that just having that space meant more than winning.
ReplyDeleteThe Louder than a Bomb documentary exposed me to something I would normally have never heard of. I did not realize poetry could be a competition but as displayed by the documentary it also isn’t about the competition. I was in awe of how passionate the contestants were and how they tackled controversial topics. All the poems were cohesive and had complex themes that carried throughout them. Their performances also made the poems even better. They let their emotions show as some of them chose topics that were very personal. The last poem by Nate was my favorite because most of his lyrics were about situations that I could understand, unlike other more personal poems. I also liked the flow of the poem as he performed it in a smooth beat. The teams have a super long time to write their poems but it often took only one moment of inspiration to get the idea for a great poem. The poetry in the competition was also very free-form were no 2 poems were that similar. All the poems just expressed the thoughts and beliefs of the author.
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I think what was the coolest about the documentary, was that it wasn't strictly about poetry. aside from the main competition, they didn't actually speak much on their poetry itself. Their thought processes and the way each person wrote their poems remained mostly confidential which gave them much more time and space to focus on the personalities of each individual. I actually got emotionally attached to each of the contestants they focused on. Watching the final competition and seeing everyone preform was suspenseful because the filmmakers did a good job focusing evenly on everyone (at the beginning at least). It really felt like an underdog story and even when they didn't win in the end, I feel like everyone involved including me, as the viewer learned something from their experience and their hard work. One of the better in-school documentaries I have been made to watch :)
ReplyDeleteI’ve always hated poetry. The abstract language used just confused me and I could never reach the high quality and creativity that professional poems. However, after finishing “Louder than a Bomb”, I realized how much variety there is in poetry and how much it can mean to some people. Poetry doesn’t have to be so creative or so abstract. It can be simple and to the point. Many people use rhetoric since the performance matters a lot. There is a lot of passion in the competitors and it has opened me up to new ideas and confidence. I loved how the event brought so many different people from different backgrounds especially those from more impoverished towns. I think they made the biggest impact because they wrote about such difficult topics. Guns, violence, family, etc. were some of their ideas. In addition, their commitment to the club and competition is admirable. They work way harder than I do and I think that is truly inspiring. Overall, I thought the film really presented their authentic passion, creativity, and commitment to the art of poems.
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