I would first like to credit Shane Koyczan for this phenomenal piece of writing I was moved by. There are several aspects to the presentation of this poem that help it to have a profound impact on the viewer. Koyczan has parts throughout the poem where he describes something very dramatically and in a fast pace, this creates imagery while also showing passion about the topic. However, what is most grasping is the way Koyczan ends these intense descriptions by slowing everything down and whispering or saying a few words very softly. A clear example of the speaker using this method to impact the audience is when he says moving at the speed of sound, the words "moving at the speed" being very fast paced, while the word "sound" being whispered and drawn out for effect. Also, the poet cleverly uses other sounds throughout the poem to create imagery, such as when he says snaps his fingers at the very beginning of the performance when referencing Beethoven's abusive father. These snaps represent the abuse from his father and the sound helps the viewer to form a clear image. Finally Koyczan uses repetition of Beethoven's name to remind the readers of who he is talking about , and the lines "not good enough" each time getting louder and louder, to show the intensity of Beethoven's Father's expectations. Near the ending Koyczan even sings part of Beethoven's Ode To Joy as an ode to the beauty of his music.
The writing of the poem is also extremely well done. Several lines are clever, insightful and original such as "The man got down on his knees for no one, but amputated the legs of his piano so he could feel the vibrations through the floor. The man got down on his knees for music." The poem also begins and ends with the same word, "listen". Koyczan uses the word at the beginning, addressing the audience to listen, then ends the spoken word with the sentence "to know the man all we ever had to do was...listen." Because the poem is about the genius of Beethoven's compositions, the word "listen" is very appropriate and provokes the audience to find the beauty in the poem as well as Beethoven's legacy.
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