Howdy everybody! Today I wanted to talk about poetry. I have been into creative writing for a long time, and, though I always liked reading fiction more, I preferred to write poetry. It always felt freeing to me, allowing me to experiment in form and meter much more than adhering to “proper” grammar present in prose. I have written poetry in my free time, even extending to some songs (though those were mostly writing lyrics and melodies, not so much the rest of the instrumentation). To me, writing poetry is more effective than journaling because it can bypass the perfectionist parts of my brain to allow me to use more of an outline form for my thoughts, which feels more raw.
There is a massive difference in writing versus analyzing poetry. Because of the way I write poetry, I view analyzing poetry as almost a psychoanalysis of the poet. The choice of the form or the diction shows how structured the poet’s brain was at the moment of writing. The rhyme scheme shows whimsy but also an adherence to rules, yet a lack of one can show a more unrestricted mindset while being a little more serious. I am of the opinion that the study of a thing informs and therefore aids in the performance of a thing, so I encourage the study of poetry for the means of bettering your writing. It’s the difference between a point guard who shoots threes as much as he wants to a point guard who can run a play to move the ball around; the first one is good at basketball and scores some points, but the second is great because he sees more opportunities for points. Analyzing poetry forces you to learn more about poetry to decipher its meanings, but that means that the knowledge is now rattling around in your head for you to utilize when writing it later on.
Ultimately, this exercise called “analysis” is one in exposure. Exposure to great poets through analysis allows for the exercise of the portions of the mind that create poetry. It is the same reason athletes watch game tape, actors watch other performers (or interact with a subject they might portray), or prospective teachers spend time observing and student teaching: practice makes perfect. Analysis is just a form of education, letting the analyst learn the intricacies of a thing through critical thinking. This is true for poetry as it is for teaching as it is for anything that requires skill of any kind.
Hello Jeffery, I was once a creative writing major! I always preferred poetry as well. I’ve been known to be an unexpressive individual. I feel that poetry allowed me to express things through metaphor that I may not have been able to, then dissect them into plain language. I believe that engaging students to see both side writing and writing about poetry would help those critical thinking skills, as you have mentioned, as they may dive beyond the poem itself. I’ve always been told in different places in my life that reviewing someone else's work allows you to strengthen your own. I think this is true, and allowing students to review poems and other art forms helps build interpretations and thinking outside the box, which can benefit them in future classes as they develop their background knowledge and critical thinking skills. Analysis is definitely a skill that is important as students continue their education. - Millie
ReplyDeleteHi Jeffrey, I'm kind of the same way! I always preferred reading fiction to trying to write it, and writing poetry has always come a little easier to me than trying to interpret it. I can completely relate to the freeing aspect as well. That being said, I really like the way you compare writing your own original poetry to having to analyze every aspect of someone else's work. It's definitely an art form that demonstrates a poet's perspective, feelings, and thoughts in a way they may not be able to express otherwise. I've found that though I don't necessarily enjoy writing poetry, it helps me express certain things I wouldn't know how to otherwise. Both writing and analyzing poems are beneficial, so I would agree with your encouragement for people to study poetry!
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Hey Jeffrey, I really enjoyed reading your post. I loved your personal experience with poetry and how it feels more effective for you than journaling. I kind of see both sides to this because I loved journaling, but sometimes I opt for poetry when I am feeling intense emotions. I think that it is a more powerful form of expression because of how much meaning you can fit into a certain structure. I love that I am not the only person who thinks like this. Furthermore, I would agree that consuming more poetry would only positively inform your writing. I am certain that most, if not all, of us English majors are better writers or poets now than when we first started at the collegiate level. The continuous exposure to and (sometimes forced) analysis of poetry has made me a better poet throughout my academic career. I really like how you related it to athletes watching game tape because it really is the same things. It’s also true that most professions have their own version of this. You really do get better just through more exposure, and I think that’s something that we should share with our future students who may be scared or intimidated to analyze or even create poetry. -Emma
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