I saw a spoken word poetry competition today for the first time and was wondering why the audience snaps their fingers sometimes instead of clapping?
2007-07-21 18:44:31 · 11 answers · asked by booradley 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Poetry
Because they have traveled back in time to the 50s-60s?
2007-07-22 13:18:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋
Beat poet cafe's were often held in basements of building where people lived above such as in places like The Bitter End on McDougal St. in Greenwich Village. So the attendees would not upset the residents of the building with their loud applause after each reading, patrons were asked instead to snap their fingers as a way of showing their appreciation.
2013-12-05 10:48:19 · answer #2 · answered by Ray 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
During the days of the beat poets I saw readings done where the poet snapped his/her fingers to communicate whatever rhythm, beat, meter, cadence (you get my drift) in which he/she intended the poem to be heard. This was in Massachusetts in the Cambridge area. I have never seen an audience snap their fingers instead of clapping. It (snapping by the audience) almost sounds like a spoof on beat poets and that era.
2007-07-25 16:44:14 · answer #3 · answered by margot 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Nice answer to those of you that refer back to Beats poetry and mention the respectfulness of it. Also, snapping in the US often has to do with rhythm. Poetry is rhythmic, melodic, musical to poets and those that love poetry... So we snap.
2013-11-21 06:16:53 · answer #4 · answered by MD 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Poets have very sensitive ears. The audience wants to show their appreciation but they don't want to harm the poets. Clapping would be much too loud and would frighten them.
2007-07-21 18:53:05 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 4⤋
It's supposedly a holdover from the days of the Beat poets in the 1950s and it's been depicted that way in several movies.
But, it's purely bogus.
2007-07-21 18:53:05 · answer #6 · answered by desertviking_00 7 · 0⤊ 4⤋
When I first read this question, I thought that maybe they do it out of respect in a quieter fashion.
2007-07-21 20:21:35 · answer #7 · answered by Freebird-Robin 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
because of fact it extremely is quieter than clapping, extra unique, and- oh, purely extra imaginative, i assume! i think of it extremely is exceptionally cool. it extremely is like whilst orchestras stamp their ft to applaud. -hop I helped!
2016-11-10 02:32:12 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its to keep the quiet hush at the end of the reading, like not to disturb the thoughts of the listeners, and to respect the reader.? I think.
2007-07-24 14:59:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
To act like highly intellectual sophisticated people.
Please note: snapping of the fingers proves nothing about a person's sophistication.
2007-07-21 18:49:25 · answer #10 · answered by nickp 4 · 2⤊ 3⤋