Whenever I read poetry it wasn’t always understood completely, either I haven’t gone through any experiences to understand the meaning of a poem or I simply just did not understand how the said words were meant to be taken. Although, I had some misunderstandings I always appreciated poetry; the way a speaker speaks poems and the way I could just envision the poet speaking their words. In Week 11 readings I was able to understand every poem, the preparation steps truly helped me to analyze and interpret the poems. Activity 7 was my favorite poems which contained “How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and “Why Do I Love You So Much?” by a poet who is not named. I adore stories about undying and infinite love, and that is exactly what these two poems represent. The title “How Do I Love Thee?” confused me a bit, because I took it too literal thinking it meant “How do I love this person?” but it’s more “This is how much I love this person!” Browning goes onto explain in every way and any circumstance her love is so deep and strong for this person. In “Why Do I Love You So Much?” is kind of the same level of extreme as brownings poem, the poet goes onto say that they trust this person more than anyone else, that they look for that person to guide them to happiness.
Daily Archives: November 5, 2022
With all the activities the class was given this week I was able to learn more about poetry than I ever had before. I remember learning about haiku’s in gradeschool but do not remember learning about the deeper meanings of poems. All of the videos were extremely helpful in explaining the different types of poems as well as giving examples. After what I have learned I realize that I really enjoy reading poems that use imagery. It’s another fun component added into the reading to create an element of imagination vs the emotions you would typically feel from reading a deep poem. I really like to use my imagination and try and visualize what the poet is depicting. I want to read and maybe even get back into writing poetry again just so I can try and make some using imagery.
My ideas about poetry broadened tremendously after doing the activities affiliated with this weeks discussion. Being a songwriter growing up I’ve learned about ballads and how to separate your verses, chorus, and bridge. I also wrote poems but never put thought into what type of sonnet it may be. I would just put lines together and make sure they rhyme. The short video in Activity 3 really gave me a lot of insight on what poetry is. The way she dissected each part of sonnet was very clear. A sonnet consists of 14 lines and there are two types of sonnets. Italian (Petrarchan) and Shakespearean (Elizabethan). I learned that certain sections actually tell a problem and another section gives a solution. Learning this allowed me to read the poems in activities 4-8 much differently. I actually read the poems looking for the problems and solutions. I allowed myself to feel what was written and use my imagination more vividly.
