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- Reading responses are due by 10pm on the day PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
I would like to rant about Starkey in his instruction of each different literary medium we have covered so far. In the reading about poetry, he spend a section on "images, symbols, and figurative language" however without going into specifics don't all the literary mediums we have covered utilize one or another of the mention in the their writings? Starkey goes as far as explaining metaphor and "vehicle" and "tenor". In his example borrowed, "a warrior was a lion in battle, the tenor of the metaphor is the warrior, and the vehicle is the lion (Starkey 48). Isn't the vehicle the same as an objective correlative? Is there a difference? That merits exploration. Furthermore his other variarions of metaphors, metonymy and synecdoche, can as well be considered objective correlatives applied in a short term time period as with the example of a captain yelling "all hands on deck (Starkey, 48).
ReplyDeleteThe following section itself, "diction, syntax, and the language of poetry" all serves to illustrate the repetiveness of Starkey in explaining each literary form. Although, i will concede Starkey went into relative detail as to the explanation of poetry, by explaining meter and the musicallity behind poetry. He goes in detail as the different types of rhyming such as perfect, slant, sight, and internal (Starkey, 40). This are all essential to poetry, depending on the attitude of the writer as the current trend for poetry is free verse.
Instead, what I would have preferred to have seen from Starkey is an explanation of the common themes encountered in literature all across. He could have listed the different types of rhetorical tools and the pattern found in storytelling such as exposition, rising tension, climax and so forth. He could have explained the universals in each for of literary medium before attempting to distinguish the difference between each of them. Otherwise, the main difference between nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and play are the amount of pages permitted and the setup use. That itself does not suffice, as we see a prose poem can easily be extended to fit the conventions of a nonfiction/fiction piece. Starkey needs to be able to clearly explain the differences, or be able to explain the gradation that occurs between the different mediums.
-Alejandro Sanchez
While reading the chapter, poetry, to me, has always been something that someone can write when trying to describe something that is going on through their head without plainly saying what is going on. Such as for example, a poet can write about how they are suicidal. They can use different metaphors and manipulate the language in order to describe what is going through their head. To me, it has always been art that can get anyone to describe what they are thinking, feeling and what they are going through without actually telling the world bluntly what is going on. The readers have to work through the words and language to see what the poet Is getting across. However, after reading this chapter, it gives poetry a whole new different light.
ReplyDeleteI always thought it had to be through the language and writing itself that the poet must use in order to describe the message they want to get across to their audience. But not only can they use these two tools, but they can use the lines and stanzas as well. There is also a rhythm and meter to poetry as well. When the chapter talks about rhythm and meter it said that “because the term rhytm is more flexible than meter we often use it when referring to free verse or experimental poetry.” When expressing experimental poetry, to me that shows how poets are willing to go far with their work. They are willing to incorporate anything that is different within their work and by doing so, they can express whatever they are trying to write about or whatever message they want to get across. I never really thought the structure of the poem and also how people write the poem, just structure and also the rhythm/meter of it, can also help identify what the poet is trying to say. It does take a lot of talent to not only think about what the poet wants to say but also how what structure they want to use, how many lines per stanza, how many words per line, and also what rhythm, what ‘music’ do they want to use in order to help them get whatever message they want to get across and also how artistic can look and beautiful it can be when read.
- Andrea Serrano
Poems are great, it is more than just “Rose are red, violets are blue…” They can be used to express love, hate, life, death, and everything in between. There are different ways to write a poem, free verse and a prose poem. Prose is more of a paragraph format where it looks more formatted in a “sophisticated” way, there is nothing bad with that, just looks more formal. Free verse to me seems more modern and is normally the style I choose when writing. As Starkey says on page 14, “Experimental writers push free verse so far that sometimes it almost seems to become a language other than English.” I really like how he says it almost seems to become another language other than English, because if you really put your heart and soul into the poem with all your emotions, only people that have gone what you gone through or similar will understand what you are trying to say. So this can bring the writer and the reader even closer to a different level besides what the words say, because they understand more or less what exactly what he means.
ReplyDeleteTo me I feel that you shouldn’t force a poem, they should come to you, just open up your heart and let the words just flow. John Keats famously wrote something as is mentioned on page 15, “If poetry come not as naturally as the leaves to a tree, it had better not come at all.” Then Starkey adds, “Ironically, poets frequently spend more time on a bad poem than on a good one, and in large measure that’s because the stronger work tends to emerge more fully formed right from the start.” Which is so true, because when I am writing, the ones that just come out naturally are the ones that everyone usually really likes.
-Roberto Rodriguez
So it would seem we’re coming down the stretch of what I thought was going to be a long semester. Now, I have relatively have little to no experience with writing poetry. I guess it’s a good thing that this section came up last. It’s very insightful to have such a polished angle on poetry, such as is the case here. It’s nice to know that Starkey touches base on what poetry should look to avoid, as well as clichés often found in them. “Show, don’t tell” is the phrase used within these pages, and I could not agree more. However as it is poetry I would think that showing someone would be a little harder to accomplish depending on the limitations given to you through poetry.
ReplyDeletePersonally I find poetry to be among one of the hardest forms of literature in terms of writing. As mentioned before you only have so many words to work with to express how you’re feeling. This makes for a difficult time putting pen to paper or fingers to a keyboard.
Typically poetry has been sequestered to ideals of love and isolation, but that most certainly is not the case. Poetry can be about anything as Rae Armantrout’s can attest to. In fact it has been stated that her book Versed is based on her life threatening illness. In fact her poem, “Duration” has to do with the small memories in life and how they’ve been impactful.
Of course then there’s Gail White. Prom is something this guy will never have the pleasure of knowing. I was never asked, nor did I ever muster the courage to ask. This poem flows well, and I really enjoyed reading it.
Starkey’s words just seem to wrap up this section as a whole and really opened my eyes more than they have been in regards to poetry. I’d much rather be writing short fiction as I feel I can express myself a little more there, but it is what it is, and I look forward to gaining more respect for this genre of literature in the coming month.
- Lucas Zamora
Poetry, oh poetry. I was told once that great minds were the ones that wrote magnificent poetry. I am saddened by this, my mind is not that great or original, I believe. But I have indeed written a poem or two, here and there. And I, like everyone else learned “how to write a poem.” I am also in a never-ending struggle as to whether or not I like poems or poetry. I assume that I are all about death, sadness, and depression. But poetry is romantic and I am a lover of romance and hence will gladly learn the intricate ways of writing a poem. While reading what Starkey had to say about poetry I felt like I was being lectured on how to do math. The lines and stanzas were like numbers, the meter and rhythm symbols, and finally the “music” one large equation. It honestly seems very difficult. But a lecture never hurt anyone. I personally feel that poetry is much harder than anything else we have written because I feel that poetry is really strict and has so many details. Images and such, as Starkey writes about, are inevitable. He says “an image does make us linger.” And poems do linger, they really do say a lot. When I read one I linger on and on about the meaning of it because I know that they are more than just a pretty surface. Starkey also talks about one element that I was not aware of called the music of poetry. He mentions end rhyme which I do know of but I was fully aware of what slant and sight rhymes were which Starkey says give a writer the ability to make a “new” poem. And I believe that that is my biggest fear when confronted with writing. I worry that it will not be new or can anything even be new? How does one create a raw piece of prose, is there a way? There is no answer I feel but I am comforted with the Robert Frosts’ words that poems are often writing themselves and in turn I will hope and apply myself to writing a good poem.
ReplyDelete- Mayra Lopez
Even though I have really enjoyed most of the class readings from the book, it was a nice break to read a more technical portion of the book. This is because, though I have learned through previous classes how to analyze poetry and the different styles and histories behind trends in poetry, I have never learned how to actually write poetry. The poetry portion of our portfolio for this class was making me very nervous (the only assignment that made me more nervous was the one for writing a play), but having read this chapter, I feel more at ease. I feel more prepared and informed, which makes me feel better about attempting to write a poem then I did before. I think that the knowledge and advice offered will be very useful. This probably one of the most helpful and important reading selections that has been assigned this semester. Learning about, not just the technical language, but also the mechanics of and the stylistic options available to the poet was very interesting. Personally, it was very useful to have rhyme and meter explained in the chapter because this was not something I had entirely understood before outside of knowing the names. The examples used in the section were also helpful to look at and analyze, to see what was being explained in use in the poems. However, for me, the most interesting portion of the reading section was the part about the "music of poetry." Coincidentally, I had a lecture in another class the same week this chapter was assigned where the professor also talked about musicality - and the lack thereof in some pieces - of literature, f poetry. The example that professor used was modernism (assonance) and earlier in the semester he had made a point to talk about literature that drew its rhythm and musicality from jazz music. I had not entirely understood the connection between music and poetry then, but as I was reading this part of the chapter, a light bulb went off in my head and I felt like I understood a little better. This is something I would like to attempt to use in the assignment, and I am very excited to try it.
ReplyDelete-Doris Tolar
I never realized how many options I had, when tackling poetry. There were a lot of new definitions in this reading that I was not aware of before. I have always thought of poetry as fun and simple, but this reading has opened my mind to challenge my ability when creating my own piece. The poem “My personal recollections of not being asked to the prom” and “Winter” were the poem structures I was not familiar with. I felt like I was just reading a regular piece because it seemed like a short story. I have observed that the imagery and line breaks are what make the piece more than just any other story. The poem “Duration” was a style I was familiar with because of the short but descriptive lines in the piece. Poems do not have to always rhyme they just have to tell a story. From my experience I have never written a poem without rhyme, but I am curious to see what I can create.
ReplyDeleteMy style of poem would be end-stopped because of the intensity that type of style brings to the readers. It is easy to understand and would be good practice for me to try out poems with only rhythm not rhyme. I never gave blank space that much thought before reading about it because when writing poems, it is hard to avoid blank space. Starkey does make a good point that blank space allows the readers to concentrate on the words and structure of the poem.
Now I realize how important it is when line breaking your poem because the pauses and breaks in the poems produces intensity. Line breaking can also be used in order to keep the readers interested in the next sentence to come. Starkey showed me that I have been using meter and rhythm in my poems all along. I just was not familiar with the term because when I first saw meter I thought about the length of the sentences not the stresses of the syllables. I am looking forward to hearing my classmates’ pieces and getting feedback from them because this type of structure is new to me, but I am sure it will be fun.
Bianca Salinas
Poetry can be used to express any emotion someone can be feeling. Along with writing a poem are a variety of styles to compose them. There are free verse and prose poem. The difference between these is that free verse that is “free” from meters, rhythm, and it does not rhyme. Free verse does not follow rhyme schemes and gives room to the writer to express themselves in an artistic matter. A prose poem “is the ordinary language of writing and speaking” and is like a paragraph all close together that is compacted with symbolic language that can be found in a poem. I always thought that poetry had to rhyme and have some whimsical meaning to it. It really does not. Sometimes people write exactly what they are feeling and the way that they express their emotions is a poem in itself. Some poetry is just random thoughts in different lines and others are like actual stories. I think it just depends on what you are trying to accomplish or what you are trying to express. The poet makes the reader sometimes think hard and sometimes the moral of the story stares us blank in the face.
ReplyDeleteWhen writing poetry there are certain things to consider such as meter, rhythm, lines, and stanzas. Stanzas are made up of lines and those lines are sentences that make up the basic unit of composition. In poetry, there are patterns like meter it includes accented and unaccented syllables. The rhythm is a variable that can be recognizable with strong and weak elements. Rhythm is usually used in free verse or experimental poetry. When I think of free verse and experimental poetry I think that these poets are going to express a new sense of how to write. They are going to mix things together or just try a whole new form of writing. Those that take risks in trying to come up with new ways of writing or that try to get rid of restrictions seem to be like the committed poets. Or like free thinkers always wanting to know what is next or what can be accomplished.
- Cassandra Martinez
I’ll admit I have been secretly dreading this type of writing that we are beginning to tackle. I believe poetry is the hardest form of writing, at least for me. It seems to have fewer boundaries than the rest of the writing forms. Although, Starkey does state that it does take work if it does not come naturally, and I fear I am really going to have to work on this last form of writing. I liked the quote from Keats, “ If poetry come not naturally as the leaves to a tree, it had better not come at all.” It takes work for the less able in poetry. Poetry although it is a free form it requires some mandatory structure for public understanding and reading. A poet must try to avoid cliché’s in order to make a successful poem. It’s interesting but very true, that poetry is like music, there is a “Rhythm,” a “Beat,” to it, and it follows under being considered “music.” I think my favorite form of poetry is lyrical poetry. It is a form more up my alley. With a more narrative take on writing it also is fairly short and is a type of story telling piece that I think I will enjoy more. Gail White’s poem had parenthesis that helped tie in the rhyming rhythm of the poem without cutting the flow of the poem. Her take on adding the parentheses was a nice touch. Learning about stanzas is another interesting quality to a poem, whether you apply couplet, tercet, quatrain, or any other, affects the flow and “music” of your poem too. It can correlate with what your poetry is trying to help the reader understand or grasp. It is an important accessory to the poem. Also grasping the different “music” of the poetry is important. The different forms of irony, personification, metaphors, must also all be taken into consideration. These can help deliver your point. For example, White’s poem, “ My Personal Recollections of Not Being Asked to Prom” held situational irony and I read it with a heavy scent of that irony, understanding that her situation was different than what was expected of a high school student and her views.
ReplyDeleteClaria Buddle
We have reached the section I have been dreading. Poetry. I don’t mind poetry so much but I tend to overthink when it comes to producing my own and I also have a tendency to be way off in my thinking when discussing poetry. I always seem to have a different understanding of a poem as opposed to what everyone else is talking about. Because of this I don’t like poetry too much. What I did like about the chapter was that it really broke everything down. It's been awhile since I’ve really gone over poetry and the simplicity of this chapter was really good at bringing it all back. The three main poems when I first read them weren’t really clear and this is my problem. I’m a lazy reader. If I don’t get it the first two times I lose interest and poetry takes a lot of reviewing and reflection and after taking a course in survey of literary theory I can no longer look at poetry as itself but rather what kind of critic am I being? I tend to think that I myself am more of a historicist. Going back to the poetry however, I enjoyed the break down of the poem and how to read them. I hate to admit that while, the break from standard metered poetry is intriguing I find it boring and hard to relate. I much more prefer the rhyming poems and poems with alliterations and metaphors. During my short time of poetry writing I was a big user of metaphors, so I’m looking forward to seeing how my writing will be if we explore poetry in the next few weeks. I’m really hoping that I’ll be able to find inspiration and produce some good work. So far every assignment has been interesting and beneficial and I feel like I have really grown as a writer and am interested in what I will come up with with my learning.
ReplyDelete-Diana Zepeda
Starkey introduces his textbook with one of the four genres, perhaps the second scariest for me (first being drama). With little experience in poetry writing, I found Starkey’s chapter to be informative as far as defining some of its crucial elements. It’s funny how the author compares poetry with “wilderness” and a “map” because this creative writing takes the writer into a limitless direction (14). Fortunately, Starkey addresses the typical cliches and warns the new writer about its danger. While his adventurous approach may seem inviting, it is also quite terrifying. . In my experience, at least, I would like to stick with one idea and try to develop a cohesive flow so that others would understand what on earth I’m writing about. However, poetry crosses the lines of structure sometimes and one is found “lost in the wilderness of poetry” with some “wonderful revelations.” After studying Starkey’s chapter on poetry, I find myself amazed in way that a poem can express the writer’s attitudes in just a couple of stanzas. I agree that diction and tone are major in conveying a theme in poems. Moreover, Starkey notes that the less words in a poem, the more attention it will draw from its reader. I find it incredible because it is so true! Thus, for one audience a poem may mean something, while to others it may be interpreted otherwise. Still, It does make sense for one to sit down and analyze a given piece in order to grasp a fuller meaning. The author walks the novice writer into the topics of stanzas, lines, rhythm, symbols, syntax, and diction. The three poems presented in Starkey’s book, represent three different approaches to writing poems, and each made me “stand still” rather than “walk.” From learning about meters and rhymes to the overall flow, Starkey nailed his point when he introduced these three pieces written by White, Stone, and Armantrout. The most difficult, though, was “Duration” and required more critical thinking than the first two.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the greatest lesson I drew from Starkey’s chapter on poetry was that even though a poem can reflect different messages, the author needs to be intentional about finishing each line or breaking it. Whether it be a free verse or a rhyme poem, I would like to attempt writing one using the first two examples Starkey provides, since the third one was just confusing.
- Julio C. Manzano
I am quite intrigued by what Starkey has to say about poetry. I find it quite informing of what goes into the poem and the different elements into it. I only had a brief time learning poetry, so reading his version helped me figure out what goes into the poem. I do like how he gave examples for different styles to give options for people going into poetry for the first time, it shows the possibilities that they can try out when they write their own poems.
ReplyDeleteHe talks about the different lines and stanzas that are pretty vital in poetry along with the message that the poet wants to deliver. I agree that tone, imagery, and word choice is very important for the piece since they do "paint" the picture that the poet wants to create with their work. He even gives pointers that less lines means more interpretation from the readers to grasp the multiple concepts of what the lines are trying to say. The part about the meters are also extremely useful to know about since there are people who are more comfortable writing shorter poems than others, and knowing about the foot and meter is a great way for them to achieve the length that they want for their poem.
Starkey's definition of style can also help out novices in terms of what they need or want to do for their own piece. I also find the part about symbolism to be highly agreeable since symbols do play an important role in any kind of genre, whether the reader knows it or not. Rhythm is also very vital since the poem does need some sort of pattern going on to make some sense to the audience in question. Starkey made an excellent point with the "music" in poetry being important as well since the reader needs to feel that there is sound being made through the rhythm and wording within the piece. To enhance it with assonance and consonance that breathes life into the poem and not just writing words on paper.
I do quite enjoy reading Starkey's version of what poetry is and I found that what he said to be very helpful for anyone who wants to write poetry in the future.
-Alexa Rodriguez
After reading Starkey's theory of poetry I got a better understanding of poetry. Before I read his definition I learned that poetry is something that can be expressed by many things. It can be as simple as a couple of words to a whole two or three page reading. Poetry reveals experiences that are expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices and to evoke an emotional response. With the poems that I have read I feel like they're usually told from experience from either hate and or love and many other emotions of course. It is always an expression of self. In my own understanding poetry is always been done with creativity, the best of the poems always come from the heart followed by the mind. As for Starkey's indication there are different elements, there should be lines and stanzas because when we write, the sentences are the basic unit of composition. Meter and rhythm are also very crucial to poetry from my perspective because i think it makes the poem sound poetry not like any ordinary story. Also in poetry, just like an ordinary reading there can be images, symbols, and figurative language, diction, syntax, etc.
ReplyDeleteWith this next form of writing, I feel like it is going to be difficult for me because I'm not one to be so creative with words it takes me a while to put a "good piece" together. I understand that it's like art or even a "sculpture". Each piece or part of it is different. Some are beautiful to enjoy. Some are horrible. Some are sad. Some are funny or angry or relaxing.
It depends on the poem, the poet, the reader and listener.
But poetry in general is about freedom of expression. It's another medium to express your feelings. Also I learned with Starkey's interpretation is that poetry you will never know what you're going to be saying and will not know you would be able to say something you thought you could (Pg. 15). So with that indication, I feel like once I get a grasp, better understanding and strategy of poetry I will be able to put something worth reading together.
-Aliza Longoria
Thinking of poetry it recalls a time when a professor had said that poets are great liars. Over centuries, poets’ writing has evolved. Three types of poems are mentioned: a sonnet, free verse, and experimental piece. Although a poem is smaller than most types of writing styles, it takes practice and a lot of thought goes into it. Poetry is thought of like a song; it rhymes, but Starkey’s examples show other elements of poetry that make it a poem. The differences of poems even goes to the way it is read, whether it be read out loud or in your mind, some poems are just not meant to reach audiences ears.
ReplyDeleteThe way to see poetry is like the iceberg theory, there is so much more to what is written. This is probably why the comment that those who write poetry do not tell the truth was mentioned; when reading something it can be interpreted in a whole other way. Many may be discouraged to think that they could write poetry, but not for the reason of being considered a liar, because the stress goes into the meaning behind writing it. Reading David Starkey, writing poems should be much as ease since it is not all about rhyming. The way to see it is like a river that flows, that’s where the rhythm plays a certain role. Since many ways to interpret, there may be some poems that you understand, and same goes for your own writing of poetry, there may be those that do not understand the meaning, but if it has the right elements that Starkey has shown (lines and stanzas, meter ad rhythm, music of poetry, etc), then it should be considered a poem.
Sandra Villarreal
Poetry before getting into the deep end always seemed like a border free expression of freedom that allowed you to let out the feelings that truly mattered and could be said in whatever way and form. That type of thinking towards poetry has come to change quickly from the information that was given throughout this section. It is not to say that poetry isn’t still a form of creative free expression but now it’s a technical form that involves certain forms and boundaries in order for the words to be able to be expressed out to the readers. As this section continues there is more and more information to lead you away from poetry than towards poetry as a writer of the poetry. The poems enveloped an emotion or a time and place to let out a massive emotion you have lingering inside into the smallest few lines to express it. And that is a very powerful type of creative writing because all your emotions and thoughts of this one thing are being minimized down to the fewest lines possible. That is why poetry is so powerful and if you really start thinking about it, it is something that takes work to get all those feelings out into a few lines of a poem. Even if the right words are found to let out that emotion there is still a long list of revising to do because of the prosody of poetry. It is all the metrical structures that need to fall into place to form a certain piece of poetry whether it’s a sonnet by Gail White, a free verse by Ruth Stone and or a experimental piece by Rae Armantrout. There is a lot of technical things that need to be looked at in order to form these types of poetry because there are enjambments and line stops and much more in one poem as in the case with Gail White’s piece. She uses the different forms of poetry to create one piece that readers will attract to. It seemed like poetry would be an easy form of expression but with all the structures there are to follow it will be a challenge as a beginner in poetry.
ReplyDelete-Victor Vasquez
The genre of poetry is probably one that I might or may not like. I’ve never liked poems, but reading them is very interesting. I didn’t picture writing a play at first, on the other hand, hopefully I am convinced. Poems somewhat make sense to me. What I like about poetry is that you are able to express ideas and emotions which are hidden within you are ready to be let out. When I read this chapter about writing poetry I had no idea so much thought had to go into writing a poem. One thing that I have liked about poetry is the use of rhymic and figurative language. That is what makes poetry such a great genre to write and express yourself in. In poetry, images, symbols are the key elements in poetry. In this chapter, it explains that poems usually are born from an idea or a phrase, these may also include rhythm along with the idea or consists of. You have to structure the poem when you are right unless you’re using freestyle. The poems work in very different ways. I’ve never written poetry, but I’ve always found it daunting to try and write a poem. When it comes to writing poetry it is the most emotional kind of creative writing. I hope that in writing a poem I can become at least descent. Going back to the craft of poetry, using a certain tone and setting a great line by following the beginning structure. I enjoy poetry because it is something that I have experience in. Rhythm is a very important vital when it comes to poems. There are many different ways to write for one subject which is to try to comprehend it completely instead of just focusing on one aspect. Overall, this section in the book was enjoyable but I’m kind of nervous to begin writing my own poems I’m hoping what I have read in this will really help me improve my poetry writing skills.
ReplyDeleteAndrea Espericueta
Reading Starkey’s chapter on poetry proved to be painfully onerous. Not only did I have to re-read multiple times out-loud but it was incredibly stressful he didn’t go into depth in the beginning by explaining exactly what it was he was saying. I think that writing poetry is one of the hardest things to write because as a writer, one must keep in mind the rules of structure even if trying to do something experimental. It’s highly stressful. This chapter reminded me of classical painting and of the movements that surge in the early 20th century from tying to rebel against them. Pioneers in the movements of Dada, Cubism, Modernism, and Surrealism all had a background in classical art training but the works for which they are known for dismiss those ideas. I guess what I’m trying to say is that in order to create something totally new one must be aware of the theories before them. In some way poetry can get away with breaking the rules but personally I feel trying something if I don’t know some of its history before-hand. I was really impacted by what Starkey said regarding the significance of short poems and the importance of emptiness in the value of a poem. His explanation makes sense yet I would have never come up with the same conclusion as him. I think it’s because it writing, I have generally come to think that more is better-more pages in an essay, more sentences for an explanation, and what not. But like he explains, in poetry one must condense so much thought into a few lines. I would definitely agree with the statement the author makes about students that are so accustomed to one form of writing being correct. I think this is why poetry is so liberating but at the same time it has baggage. Poetry has rules to allow writers to make with their work what they will but the tools are to do it in the most significant way. Like others have said before me, I really appreciate this chapter for its technicality and comprehensive approach.
ReplyDelete-Maria Fajardo
I have read poetry in my life because I’ve had to. It is not a popular subject in my life. It has been an important with some of my family, but I do not like it, it is something that I have hated during my youth. I never believed to be the sensitive type of guy. My grandfather wrote a lot in poetry throughout his whole life. He would write booklets,books, and even recorded his own voice on records. He had a radio show in Reynosa, Mexico, the family still collects his material, and I have a few pieces. The show was about stories, reading and poetry. I respect poetry. I believe it requires a skill and wisdom to write it. Anyone can write it, but then anyone can also do anything, whatever. I personally do believe it should be written right, otherwise do not write it. Also, I do not believe to be good at it, and it requires a feeling, sentiment, and the flow of words, regardless whether is a verse or prose. In my experience and humble opinion as musician, I also believe it should always be appreciated better and be enhanced with music . There are a many elements in poetry. The way is written, read, and sound are just a few. It is also the expression of the writer to define an image and a story. In regard to poetry, I always focused it towards music and creating songs.
ReplyDelete-Francisco J. Aboytes
For me, poetry is one of those mediums that works much like visual art. Meaning is conveyed in a way that cannot be translated to other more straightforward or descriptive mediums like an expository piece. This quality is something that makes it unique and easy to work with but affords it an overwhelming liberty. I do enjoy poetry but I will admit it is not something I usually seek out. I own perhaps one poetry book amongst a hundred novels and short story collections. I can appreciate it for the art that it is and the skill it requires to craft a good poem, especially one with special qualities like a rhythm that sounds like the galloping of horse hooves. It is no simple task and one that some are able to produce effortlessly while others work tirelessly to emulate. I do not mind writing the occasional poem, but it is simply not as rewarding to me as writing a short story or even a play (now that I’ve experienced it). I, like many other students I imagine, have written many poems, since elementary school even. From Mother’s Day poems to ‘serious’ academic poems, I’ve tried it enough to know it will likely never be something I pursue with a passion. I do respect that it is therapeutic for many in that it makes it easy to simply pour out feelings, be they frustrations or reliefs, poetry is like a bowl one can toss anything in and produce something that will make sense to the reader in the way the author intended. I feel bad saying it, but I along with this malleability comes the possibility to come across as cheesy or a ‘try-hard.’ I’ve read many a poem (both published and in peer review groups) where it is obvious the person is trying much too hard to be ‘deep.’ So much so that the poem is often unreadable or difficult to take seriously. Poetry is something that when done right is awe-inspiring and when done wrong is simply cringe-worthy. I do not believe I fall into the awe-inspiring category so that only leaves me to fall in the other.
ReplyDeleteJessica Rodriguez
I found that Starkey’s introduction poetry enjoyable because it explained numerous features of poetry that are generally not discusses in English classes. For instance, one the first page of our reading, Starkey explains the difference between prose and verse, two terms often heard and unfortunately misused. Later he goes over meter and rhyme, describing difference metrical terms that we often hear (e.g. “iambic pentameter”) and even meteorically analyzes one of the stanzas of the first model poem. This I found enlightening since I’ve never seen it done before. However, the analysis of meter and rhythm calls the recollection of Dead Poet’s Society where the teacher instructs the students to rip studies if these things out of their books.
ReplyDeleteThis brings up the notion of freedom and both poetry and freedom seem intricately linked. I imagine this must have started with Whitman along in other popular authors such Ginsburg. Further, the Beatnik generation continued this by making ample use of both poetry and jazz, exploring how they were able to freely mix both words and music. But, as Starkey points out with the example of Hip-Hop, newer forms of popular expression are shying away free verse and free music and utilizing structure.
The section on rhyming was also enjoyable wherein we learned about the various types of rhyme. Beforehand I hadn’t given it much thought so it was enlightening to me to discover the various kinds of rhymes that may be employed. I was aware of the perfect rhyme but did not know its name. This is the rhyme we are all most familiar with, and Starkey gives the examples of “dead” and “read” – two easy, spot-on rhymes that clearly sound alike. But the discussion of other rhymes does fill this author’s head with ideas to explore. Sight rhymes seem like fun though, as an English Teacher as a Foreign Language, this is clearly not something I’d like my students to see! However, artistically their use would be fun since it would require the readers to pause a little and digest what they’ve read. Slant rhymes are fun too since they are not precise rhymes, but close, and could and should be employed to provide the reader’s ear with a please glide.
Then there are other ideas such as alliterations, consonance, and assonance. Utilizing these things give the author ample room to create fun musical-like entities for the reader to enjoy, whether internally or spoken. Words are fun and can be crafted to say so much, so much that not necessarily be profound but enjoyable, eloquent, or puzzling, all enjoyable.
Elizabeth Barham
Poetry is something that can be incredibly intimidating to someone that doesn't know what it's about. I am by no means an expert on poetry as I have tried many times to dabble in poetry unsuccessfully. the way that Starkey broke down poetry was extremely helpful for me. Reading about the different types of poetry and what make each of them unique is what helped me the most. Personally I tend to lean more towards prose poetry because I think it is the simplest way for me to express myself. One thing that Starkey said that I think is really important is the line structure. The poem had to be rhythmically pleasing. It needs to flow. Without this, it can be sound more like a random rant or rambling. The structure of a poem is key. Poetry, in my opinion is one of the best and most creative forms of expression. It is more than just putting words that sound pretty together. Like most forms of writing, it is used to evoke emotion with images and sounds in a way that flows with a pleasing rhythm. It doesn't have to be pretty. Many poems are gritty and raw, but they convey emotion in a way that other forms of writing can't. It is definitely an art form that isn’t easy to take on. Not only do you have to consider that content of the poem. You need to consider the way that you want to present the information. Much like in the other forms of writing that we have studied pauses play a big role in how the poem is read and interpreted. Many short sentences may evoke a feeling of building tension while longer sentences that have more of a flow can give a serene tone to the poem. For me, I feel like this is the trickiest of the forms of writing that we have tried so far this semester and I am extremely excited to improve on something that I already love to do.
ReplyDelete-Erin Valdez
Here we go. If I could summarize my experience with writing poetry utilizing only one word, it would “Dynamic”. I’ve had all sorts of experiences with writing poetry, ranging from writing a poem for a loved one that flowed out of me almost naturally, to disaster pieces which made me want to carve words on a wall with a knife out of frustration. Poetry is by far one of the formats which I feel somewhat uneasy about. Although I don’t fear writing poetry, I can never be sure if I’m going to have an easy or hard time writing it. I can either write something in 10 minutes that sounds satisfying, or take 1 hour to write 2 lines. I think that I am much more comfortable with Free-verse as I can write without “hard” limitations, although I do like occasionally limiting myself to meters and rhyme as it forces the individual to really think for words that fit the criteria of their subject of the poem. All this being said, I thoroughly enjoy reading poetry and breaking it down as I can imagine what the writer’s process for finding the words and structuring must have been like. Outside of that, I also enjoy reading poems as there is a “beauty” to it. This is not to say that poems are inherently beautiful because common perception of them is the concept of love, but rather hard-hitting the verses can be. As avid lover of music, I highly appreciate poetry as I feel the similarities of the “meaning” behind each word, much like a song. Also like a song, it is common for me to fall in love with one verse in particular, like a verse in a song. Personally, I almost always love the endings of poems, as they can be some of the strongest of its kind. There’s a sense of “finality” or “totality” in many of them, which I thoroughly enjoy. Some are open-ended, sure, but I find myself constantly coming back to the poems whose endings have that sense of “absolute” to them, even if most of the time they tend to be grim.
ReplyDelete-Pedro Conchas