Poetry gives people the opportunity to express their thoughts and emotions through written words. The technical term found in Webster's is "literature in metrical form evoking feeling." However, poetry has a much deeper connotation to others than Webster can describe. For example, it is a way of life for some, while for others it helps relieve stress and clear the mind. One person in particular who illustrates his spoken word poetry in a colorful, dramatic, historical, and entertaining way is a man named NicePeter. NicePeter's poetry is most clearly seen in his rap battles called Epic Rap Battles of History. Epic Rap Battles of History take place when two prominent figures, whether historical or cultural, face off in a verbal duel to determine who is the "spit" or "battle" champion. NicePeter uses a multitude of ways that have been discussed as what makes spoken word poetry successful and then he applies these characteristics to his raps and this helps make his rap battles so successful. However, what makes his battles so successful compared to other rap battles? Is it the presentation, is it the humor, his character choices or is it his rhyme scheme that he uses? To understand and make an informed decision, one must first evaluate the areas of poetry, spoken word poetry and rap battle and see which areas make NicePeter's battles so epic. What makes poetry exceptional? John Haws believes that awakening your senses and having a message that hits home is the key to successful poetry. Connecting the senses to the audience's senses can be difficult, but if it can be done successfully, then the poet can effectively display their emotion and still be successful in their work. With relative poetry middle of paper......while doing it, that's what a rap battle essentially is. When participating in or attending an event like this, I highly recommend not going if you are easily offended. Most rap battles tend to resort to a bit of profanity, as evidenced by NicePeter's Epic Rap Battles of History, but he's no exception. Spoken word poetry or rap battles can be ways to effectively convey expression about a topic or person to the audience if done correctly following the previous rules. Works Cited Escher, animator. Flocabulary's official ten-step technique for learning freestyle rap. Internet. May 11, 2011. Haws, John R. “What Makes Good Poetry?” » http://home.comcast.net. Web.May 11, 2011.Herrick, Jack. “How to Survive a Freestyle Rap Battle.” Wikihow.com. May 6, 2011. Internet. May 11 2011.