Poem Analysis
Although Bob Holman's How to Wake Up is only one line it is still a incredibly powerful poem. During the 1990s the minds of adults in their 20s and 30s were filled with new and idealistic ways to improve the world. The question is, how do you go about changing the world? For many slam poets the answer to the previous question is you change the world through your dreams. So when I read How to Wake Up I felt as though Holman was trying to say, in order to change the world and maybe even change yourself, you need to know what your goals are and how you want to achieve them. Another point Holman may have tried to make is, that in order to realize a mistake, you must think/dream about it in a time when your mind is clear, that time is usually when you sleep. The structure of How to Wake Up suggest that it is a list, since there is only one line Holman is saying their is only one important instruction you need to follow. When looking for an interesting poem to choose for the Slam poetry movement I was having a difficult time understanding many of them, but when I came across Bob Holman's How to Wake Up I had no trouble relating to it.
Literary Devices
- How to Wake Up by Bob Holman is a paradoxical statement. Line one of the poem contradicts the title of the poem. Holman suggest that in order to wake up you must got to sleep, but going to sleep would defeat the purpose of waking up. What Holman is really trying to say is in order to change the world or realize a mistake you need to be in a state of unconsciousness, this way you are able to determine your true emotions.