I believe that having a poem read to me is more powerful then reading a poem off of a page. When I close my eyes I can see the words that the reader is speaking, instead of trying to understand what the author is attempting to write to me; so it is easier for me to understand what the author is communicating without decoding the words.
When I close my eyes as someone is reading, the reader paints a picture in my head of what the author has written and I can also see the words that are being spoken. The poem being read out loud helps me to get a better understanding of what the author was trying to say without reading between the lines.
Having the poem read to me also helps me find different authors that I might not have looked at before or even heard of . So it gives me a bigger variety of the authors I might enjoy reading and an opportunity to ask any questions about what is being read. When I read a poem straight off a page I don’t not know what words to say strongly, it is like I’m reading a really boring article in the news paper or reading a story with no expression. For my logic to work I must assume the person reading to me knows the poem and knows the words to emphasize.
Therefor having a poem read to me is more powerful then reading a poem off of a page because I get a better understanding of what is said, I can ask questions. Especially if the reader uses the proper emphasis on key words.