Some similarities when writing about poetry and writing poetry I believe for me personally they both evoke emotion. Poetry is what you make of it truly. Poetry can be as personally or vague as you want it to be. When the writer opens up and lets themself go and just flow sometimes have the greatest gifts come out of those experiences. Another quality that I noticed is that as an outsider when writing about poetry I am critically thinking a lot trying to analyze every nook and cranny. It is a somewhat similar experience when I am writing my own work. I am extremely hyper critical of every single word and punctuation.
I mean one of the best ways to learn and become a better writer is to read; learning from the greats. Taking a look at their work and reflecting even toying with their rhetoric. What devices do these writers use to make a quality of work? How can I use this to become a better writer? I took major note when writing my essay as I drafted my work.
I believe having something for students to bounce off of can make students feel less intimidated such as the assignment we did last week. For students that are not as familiar with poetry it was a good stepping stone I'm sure. It also gives an even playing ground and gets the juices flowing for creativity. I personally enjoyed the exercise. I thought bringing food was a very nice gesture as well it made the environment less pressure and more fun and lively.
Hi Sage, I enjoyed reading your post about how you see the differences between writing about and writing poetry. I related to your experiences of both wanting to analyze everything about a poem when I'm reading it or writing about it and wanting to somehow make the impossibly "perfect poem" when writing the poem myself. Obviously the poem I write can never be perfect but I suppose it's in human nature to be a perfectionist. Good job pointing out that one can become a better writer just by reading. You can learn a lot from anyone's writing, not just the greats! That's why I enjoyed listening to all my classmates' poems. It was nice to listen to poems other than just the most famous ones from the most famous authors. I liked a lot of them just as much as I like the poems in the books we study!
ReplyDeleteI definitely wasn't as familiar with writing poetry as I was with reading it so I for sure agree that this was a great stepping stone to possibly write more poetry in the future, not just for me, but for the whole class. I was also impressed with the wide range of poetry everyone in class was able to come up with. Some of it was very dark and emotional while some was very funny and absurdist. I didn't expect so many students to really get into their most traumatic moments and memories through their poetry. It was quite heartwarming to listen to.
Hi Sage!
ReplyDeleteI agree entirely about your idea of what makes poetry poetry. This idea of evokation is vital to poetry.
In William Butler Yeats' essay, The Symbolism of Poetry, he basically defines poetry as an evocation of emotion that cannot be expressed by colors, sounds, or forms. While this, in the modern day doesn't hold to be true as much, considering the methods in which we can modify text to further resemble form, and color, we can still express things that aren't capacitated by those features.
There is a thing that I have noticed with my experience in poetry, and that is the unbecoming that makes the artist. A lot of the time in workshops, people discover that their underlying meaning of their poem is not fully contextualized, because the poet hasn't yet faced the poem's true intent. It is truly an unusual thing to see happen.
When I analyze poetry, I start with the way the words look on the page, how it reads acrostically, and what exactly the shape of the poem indicates to me. Concrete poetry is a very surface-level observation, but understanding the intent of the pacing of each stanza on the page is so important.
I am so glad that when you analyze poetry, you look at every punctuation mark as an intention, because in my experience, it is overlooked.
Lastly, I thought about how so many people in this course are gifted in not only reading, but speaking in front of an audience. I found it so inspiring.
Thank you for sharing, Sage!
Hello Sage,
ReplyDeleteI would like to start out by saying how I liked your explanation on writing your own poetry, and how it can be as personal or as vague as you want it to be. You can simply let your fingers type or write out and your brain will freely come up with associations and words on the spot, but at the same time it can be extremely calculated with every line being fine tuned and perfected. You mention this exact process on the topic of your own poetry so I'm glad to see we don't differ.
I agree completely on what you say about learning from the greats. These poets are masters and read to this day for a reason. Their mastery of the craft should be something to be learned and implemented into our own works. But like some have said, you have to first know the rules to know how to break them.
Making the environment low stakes definitely helps with the first draft of a poem. When you don't have a lot of time to think, you sort of force your brain to come up with a few ideas and then stick with them. If we were to have an assignment where we have to come up with a poem in a few days, then sure, it would be a lot more refined but it wouldn't have the ease in coming up with the first draft.
I personally find it difficult to talk to an audience, but even more so when what I'm saying is a personal subject, but seeing others overcoming their anxiety gave me a boost in confidence, as I'm sure it did with many others.
You had some great insights in your post Sage.