All the poems and activities in week 11, helped me to view a different standpoint on poetry and the way it is written from the author’s point of view. I was never a fan of poetry and thought that it was always silly. This was because poetry was introduced to me in school and there were always questions that I needed to answer. Multiple-choice questions and short responses taught me to see poetry the way test makers saw poetry. I felt dismissed when it came to how I felt and what I saw in poetry. Poetry has such deep meaning, much deeper in passages, because of the way the stanzas are written, the personification, the time that the poetry was written, and even the author shows us how all these details really helped to impact the way the poem was created. It is interesting to know that poetry is such a huge part of the English Language because you gain something so much more that you won’t be able to gain when reading an article, essay, and/or passage.
Daily Archives: November 2, 2022
The essay written by Edward Hirsch (How to Read a Poem) provided a comprehensive and solid foundation for my understanding of poetry. His descriptions about common pitfalls really resonated with me, as those were things that held me back from genuinely appreciating the craft. Recalling the frustrations of figuring out the literal meaning of the poems. After reading the essay, I know now that poetry should not be rushed, and the words are meant to “felt” more so than read. We don’t have to figure out the literal meaning of the poem in one reading and that’s okay. I figured that’s the point. To write creatively and freely without pressure and to show the reader to allow themselves to get lost in the lines and the imagery. To search for questions or answers and play around. That you don’t have to think too hard but also use your imagination to experience and feel things that can’t be felt directly.
