I really enjoyed reading this article as it helped me understand the mind of a poet and how the reader can use what the poet is trying today in his or her poem and be able to feel what is being said. I have always struggled with reading poetry, being more analytical in my reading and writing, and putting myself in a poet’s shoes.
The article explains that a reader must “complete” the poem, which is when the audience and reader start to think about how the poem plays a part in their lives and to put themselves in the poem.
The poem, “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks, is about her seeing seven young pool players and telling them that life is short. She explains this writes “We left school.” in the first stanza to “We die soon.” in the last stanza. She writes the word ‘We’ seven times at the end of the line for each pool player that she saw.
I am able to complete what the poem set in motion, by putting myself with the seven pool players, having fun and not thinking about what life is about and how it ends so quickly, and Gwendolyn Brooks giving them advice since she is experienced, wiser and older than them because they are not able to see that there is so much store for the pool players.
The article states “This act of completion begins when you enter the imaginative play of a poem, bringing to it your experience and point of view.” I did this by putting my selves with them and always hearing advice from my elders about being careful with the things that I do because life is so short and I should not mess it up doing silly things and hanging out with people who do not have goals.
