what is the best way to learn lines and poetry off by heart?

Question

My dad used to tell em loads of poems that he knew by heart, and I can never remember more then the first stanza. There must be some special technique. Also, I am thinking about getting into ameture dramatics so I would like to know about learning lines.

No bleedig obvious answers please!

Answer 1

I can tell you from personal experience (I memorized and can recite certain passages from Shakespeare's writings) that taking the time to understand the verse, and I mean really understanding it and appreciating it so much that it really means something to you makes memorizing it very easy. If you can find a written passage that you can deeply appreciate and relate to, the words almost become your own.

Answer 2

A lot of people are saying repetition, and it can't be denied that that's useful... in addition, try to get into the rythm of a piece... if I'm learning a new song or poem, I will learn it one little bit at a time, listening, then repeating it myself, until I can do the whole thing... of course, it takes a few times to get the whole thing, but learning a little bit at a time is really helpful, don't overload your brain by trying to get the whole thing immediately. Vocalise the words too, then you'll have sound association with the words and your own voice.

I'm not sure a dictaphone is necessary, it might work, sure... I've just never used that technique... what I was saying about rythm though- words and music have a beat to them, if you get so that you can feel the beat of the words you want to learn, it could help a lot...

Finally, practice! Like your dad knows lots of poetry, he must have taken the time to learn it by heart... I think it gets easier the more you do it... then again, I can think of a lot of things I've taken the time to learn that I can't remember right off when I want them... but I could at the time, and if I try, I can call them back... I've got my favourite songs and poems off by heart, that's the important thing to me.

Be warned though, if you learn a lot of stuff by heart, you might lose your ability to improvise... not a hard fact that, just a feeling I get sometimes...

Good luck!

"Sue worked on the second floor and Simon was a troubador,
and as it was Wednesday they were both along just for the ride."

Answer 3

there are many good suggestions already here, but I would advise playing to your strengths when selecting the best way in which to achieve your goal.

For me, learning them parrot fashion (verbatim) is a good way. This is when you just memorise the whole thing, section by section.

However, to emphasise emotion, intonation etc, I would recommend first understanding the prospective of the writer in terms of the content delivered, so that you can read aloud in the manner in which the work was intended.

Once this has been achieved, memorising lines will be a lot more easier...good luck! Oh and another thing, you need to focus on the issue at hand. If your mind is wandering off, then not only will you get frustrated, it will take even longer to achieve..

Answer 4

With conventional poetry, the sort which comes in stanzas, I used to try to find a tune which would fit them and sing the lines to it. You have to have a good repertoire of possible tunes to be able to do that, so it isn't for everyone. However, it really worked!

I have never tried rap as a way of learning lines, but I think it would also be quite good.

In your dad's time (as in mine) children were simply expected to learn poems by heart and recite them. We did solo performances in class later on (a moment to be dreaded!) but in primary school we all used to recite them together as a class until we knew them by heart. The teachers were quite old and this was the traditional method of doing things. A lot of information was imparted in this way, including the times tables. My own dad told me about how one of his teachers had the whole class spelling out the name of a certain river in the USA rhythmically: "em eye double ess, eye double ess, pee pee pee EYE!" Being able to spell Mississippi was probably of no practical use, but it gives the idea!

No, I have to conclude that if there is any technique it all boils down to rhythm. Chanting or singing really stores lines in your head. I still remember those poems which we had to learn in school and that's what I put it down to.

Answer 5

Just read them aloud and keep at it, so you get into the rhythm and then they come easily. That got me through English A Level - I managed big chunks of about 10 Keats poems.

It also helps if you really love the poems and they have some memorable turns of phrase.

If that was a bleeding obvious answer, I apologise.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

I've been performing in plays since I was about 6, and I've done several classical plays in poetic verse. When it comes to memorization, the most important thing is concentration. People don't remember something word-for-word if they skim through it, or just read through it several times without really focusing on it. The only way to commit words to memory is to actively focus your attention on them.

Try to find a room with little distraction. Block out some time, say about an hour, during which you're going to focus on nothing but the task at hand. Then read through the entire poem or play without trying to memorize anything. Instead, try to really understand it, involve yourself in it, feel something because of it. Be an alert reader. The more you receive the meaning of the text, the easier it will be to commit it to memory.

After you've read through it once as a whole, you need to break it down into smaller parts. Grab a pencil. If you're looking at a book that you can't write on, then make a photocopy or just write it out onto another sheet of paper. Then begin to divide the text into smaller chunks that make logical sense to you. Draw a line where you feel the tone shifts, or where a new thought is introduced. If it's a poem that isn't already in stanzas, divide it into them. Look for divisions that make sense to you personally. Make notes in the margins (such as "Intro" or "First mention of the battle") if it helps.

A quick note: If you want to retain what you memorize for more than a few hours, you'll need to look at it again and again over the course of a few days. As you do this, try to use the same copy you worked with the very first time, along with your origninal marks and notes. I've often found that the position of certain words on a page can make them memorable, for whatever reason.

Once you've broken it down into chunks and you've made your notes, go to the first line of the first chunk. Focus on the first phrase. Your short term memory can only retain about 9 things at a time, so look for a phrase that includes 9 words or fewer. I recommend covering the next few words or the next line with your hand, so that the only words you can see are the ones you're trying to learn.

Read that first phrase, then close your eyes and see if you can repeat it back to yourself. If you can't, then look at it again. Then close your eyes and try to speak it again. Continue this process as much as necessary. Be a stickler when you're repeating the text to yourself, especially when it comes to small words. If you don't remember whether the line is "Stepping through the door" or "Stepping through a door," then you haven't memorized it.

Once you've got that first phrase, move your hand to reveal the next few words or the next line. Do the same process: read it; try to recite it with your eyes closed; repeat as necessary. Then move on to the third line or phrase.

But after three lines, you should stop, close your eyes, and try to combine everything up to that point. Again, be a stickler. This step -- going back and putting little bits together -- is the most frustrating. Just stick with it and keep your concentration up.

Once you can do the first chunk that you marked off, leave it alone while you learn the next chunk, line-by-line just like the first. Then combine those two sections.

Keep going with this process -- revealing just the next few words, memorizing them, then combining them with what you've previously learned -- and with enough time you can learn anything from Shakespeare to Shakira. Good luck!

Answer 8

I am a bit like you dad, can recite loads of poetry, the way I do it is when I have been reading poetry, if something reaches out and grabs me then that is the one I commit to memory. Could be one that makes you laugh or makes you cry or even touches your heart, as long as it touches you in some way then you will be able to learn it as it will be something you have enjoyed.

Answer 9

No the answers ARE obvious, actually.
Sometimes you might be able to come up with mnemonic devices to remember short poems, but long poems you would find it difficult to do.
It just takes reading and re-reading and memorization. Nothing you can really else do. Just keep reading it aloud to yourself. Write it down. Make a game out of it. That's it.

Answer 10

start learning it all trough by studying like this :
in parts - all - in parts... after u study in parts, trying to memorize all the thing will help to add separate parts to the whole idea.
Try to vizualize what are u saying - it will not only help u memorize things better but it will also add some extra charm to ur voice and to the meaning.
don't try to learn pages of literature 'cause it will all be wothless. better take a page(a poem, story) each one a day. next day - memorize teh old one and start studying new next one. give urself soem time off learning 'cause ur head needs to have some rest so it would put the information into the 'brain cells'.