why do people snap before and after a poem (poetry)?

Answer 1

Snap?

You mean tower sniper snapped, or do you mean anonymous tough guy chatter in a forum?


Oh Snap! You mean that kind of snap--snapping your fingers, snap.

It's an audience participation thing. It got warped from it's 1950's origin. The same people in those audiences went on to worry about everyone's self-esteem.

Answer 2

It's one of the coffeehouse conventions of the "Beat Generation." It both calls attention to the work and applauds the effort. Unlike whistling, clapping, or yelling one could go on with the inspiration of the moment and still be heard. This was deeper and more respectful.

[I DID NOT go on to worry about anyone's self-esteem, never bothered with the goatee, and certainly wouldn't have been caught dead in black before I was ordained. Poetry wasn't the only thing we talked about, although Ferlenghetti was cool. Philosophy, politics, art, music, and minor things like human rights and justice were pretty high on the scale. I could sit at a table with a Nazi, a Communist, an anarchist, and be the sole Democratic conservative and we would have civil conversations, even with the odd Republican dropping by (usually stoned, but not by the crowd). Grunge was the usual uniform rather than turtlenecks which didn't come in 'til later in the 60's and early 70's. Berets were cool, if you could get your hands on one, I still wear them, but most guys wore watch caps. It was a mellow scene and people respected each other's space. And beatnik doesn't have a c.]

Answer 3

It's an old beatnik thing- back in the 50's, the Beat Generation became very popular with poets and writers like Kerouac, Ginsburg, and Burroughs creating literature that read like a complicated jazz tune instead of a traditional poem. All the cool people, called beatniks, sat around the poetry clubs in their black turtlenecks and berets and whatnot, listening to them. Because these people were just too cool to clap, they snapped their fingers before and after a reading to show their appreciation.

Answer 4

I think you are referring to the beatnick culture, originally the 'counter culture' of the 50's People dressed in black, with goatees reading poetry in coffee houses. They were centered, and applauded with a snap instead of a clap. There has been some resurgence of this movement today, and i think I even saw a comcast commercial portraying the beatnick astronaut

Answer 5

Because its mostly emotion thaugh that they cannot explain or tell anyone. A poem is a way of releasing their stress thaughs emotions and getting it all into words. And when its all into words they have to let it all out usually cry and throw things. They realize whats going on and how they got hurt/how they feel

Answer 6

The beatniks snapped their fingers to set the rhythm of their poetry. It was meant to be songlike