http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVe2pEZB7VA&feature=related
Daniel Beatty – Duality Duel
He has a faint, brief smile, as if he knows what’s about to come and must compose and contain himself. “There’s a battle going on inside of me, between my well-crafted external persona and an internal force trying to brake free” he frowns as he says inside of me, as if asserting this with the raising of his brow, his head nodes slightly as well, as he stays completely still, moving his head round slowly addressing the entire audience. He uses his hands, to gesture the two ‘personas’, his hands begin to slide together slightly as if they are about to join, as that is the intention of the poem, but not to be implied yet. “It’s a battle you see between the nerd and the nigger in me” his left hand turns on it’s side and pushes forward slightly, as if offering something to the audience, but it’s only a small insight at the moment, which is why the gestures remain small. When saying this his voice is specifically soft and high, emphasising the ‘nerd’, he also has a slight gleeful pleasant expression on his face. He then uses his hands again to gesture the two personas. His voice deepens significantly with “the nigger in me”. His eyes widen, a ferocious aggressive facial expression that is emphasised by a confident but subtle nod, he pauses briefly wit this expression as if to allow the image and detail of his words to fully impact. “Can the nerd and the nigger co exist?” said in a calm, inquiring voice, that’s of the narrator the ‘nerd’. He then brakes quite smoothly in the second persona the nigger, his body slants to the left and his head turns to the right, while saying ”they goin have to nerd” like a confident, nonchalant, forceful school peer. His face holds an expression I cannot see due to the camera angle but I imagine it’d be serious. “But nigger it doesn’t make sense” the nerd in denial and in his pleasant manner refuses the fact of them merging. This is comical simply because the idea of two persona’s arguing about existing together, but importantly because of his delivery and adaptation of himself into the personas. “I didn’t spend four years in the Ivy League learning how to think, talk and feel in order to jump into a rage every time they try and kill me” the nerd is logically stating why he cannot be a nigger, he counts the think, talk and feel, senses one has for emotions something a nigger refuses. Like with the Cipher blog of Styles P, Lupe Fiasco and Papoose, the Negro has no feeling he is a phantom (not existing), because he does not use and poses such emotions. “The truth is nerd, I always been around, when that poison Ivy bullshit was beating your ass down these strong nigger arms they held you told you not to feel it, gave you time to heel it, and become a nerd again.” He slips back into the slouched slant, with a forceful voice and attitude. The ‘nigger’ is the inner strength, while the nerd is thoughtful, emotional and sensitive. His neck twitches emphasising the characters attitude, and manner, and his arms are curved possibly to emphasis there always there for protection. “When that poison Ivy bullshit was beating your ass down” his right arm nudges forward a little as if the nerd is standing right next to him, and technically in terms of how he has positioned the two characters he is, his nudging represents the reminder, I am reminding you of why I am here, and is a bit like the child in the playground poking or pushing the ‘nerdy’ kid. Made a reference of poison ivy, like they are only weakening you, here his face remains stern, and aggressive, emphasising the important traits of the character. “Told you not to feel it,” said with assurance and force, as he pushes his arm forward again. That’s important as the arms that keep him strong nudge the nerd so he feels the power of the arms, and why he can refrain from feeling getting ‘beat down’ from the poison Ivy. “Gave you time to heel, and become a nerd again” important as he is talking to the nerd persona so while he is not feeling he takes the nigger’s traits, his tone of voice is final towards the end, as he reaches the end of the line but also the end of the nerd not being able to feel, and having heel the hounds. “But nigger” as if to say yes but hold on in a very cool manner. The dialogue between the to personas of how of how to get publicity is extreme and more for comical effect, but does lead onto the point next point, also this is meant as an internal dialogue therefore getting a smooth progression of the back and forth is important, and the humour is part of each personas characteristic. “You are more than that cold stony glare, those waddy timberlands and that nappy head” a good image of a well-known stereotype. His expression is of disappointment when saying this, especially with “and that nappy hair”. “Aw hold up now” is good, show of interchange between characters, consistency in terms of positioning, timing and the progression of the dialog. The nerd said before the nigger was too aggressive and he displays it. His voice dips, with “you in jail” and his hands point down, “burning in a nigger in thug nigger hell” the nerd is being passive, assertive and confrontational. “Aw shut up nerd you aint heard a word I said” here is the rage that has been slowly building through out the dialog, when saying this he nudges him again, that is in reference to smacking his “well brushed head”, and that’s a reply to the nerd labelling his air nappy. “Without me there is no you” “no nigger lets talk this thing through” that’s interesting as they are two personas of the same person but this gives it the edge of it being two completely different people and the nerd is scared of the ‘physical battle’ that’s suggested. His expression changes from anger and rage to fearful. Emphasising the different characters. He pauses, as you’d imagine one would in a situation where one is threatened and is fearful.
The nigger begins to breaks it all down for the nerd, his face displays pure rage and aggression, and his arms are know very forceful as they’re pointing and nudging. “Cause these little niggers in the street they need you, but they think they can’t relate cause you act all removed” that’s with great emphasis on “they need you”, the next part his face screws up as if reacting with discussed and disappointment to him acting removed, but as he says removed his facial expression adjusts and chest is pushed out displaying a possible removed person. “When the truth is nerd what they are is you” said like he is breaking it down completely, and revealing what he has been hiding or denying. “No matter how hard you try to deny the way you think talk and feel” going to Ivy league school did not teach him emotions, rather it was a veil for the emotions of his inner nigger, which is he is anger, rage and frustration, as said earlier that rage will keep him in jail and of the headlines, which is why the nerd neglects or disregards those feelings, and they have been tamed so much he is scared of that side of him. “Your daddy still smokes heroin, your brothers still on crack” said in with an earnest, matter of fact expression tone of voice. “Your mama is still black” there is no denying or hiding the truth, your mother, where you come from is black, the final blow of the list of realities. He had a similar ending with his “Knock Knock” poem. Similar in the sense that it was powerful and he had built it to a fever pitch of intensity. The ending is good as the nigger finally breaks through and releases the reality and lets out the rage and anger but telling the nerd he must let the nigger in him be free, as that can help to benefit others.
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