Week 12 Discussion

The act of reading a poem involves more than simply scanning the words on the page. It requires both an appropriate attitude and the technical ability to analyze the poem’s structure and meaning. A reader must approach a poem with an open mind and a willingness to engage with its themes and ideas. At the same time, the reader must have the necessary skills to decode the poem’s language, syntax, and imagery, as well as an understanding of poetic devices such as meter, rhyme, and metaphor. By combining the right mindset and the appropriate techniques, a reader can fully appreciate a poem’s beauty and complexity, unlocking its deeper meanings and insights.  My personal experience reading “My Mistress” gave me trouble and led to confusion because of how the author talked about his mistress in the poem led me to believe that he didn’t think too highly of her until the end i assumed that the author was talking in code since i could not understand why would he put other things before his mistress these lines in the poem sounded like little insults for his mistress. “And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks”  “I love to hear her speak, yet well I know [10]That music hath a far more pleasing sound”

“Reading a poem is part attitude and part technique.” Restated: Reading a poem isn’t about the words, it’s how you read it and HOW you read it. – This is absolutely true. Reading poetry, is so different from reading an essay, or a play or any other works of literature because you have to FEEL the author’s emotion. Poetry paints pictures of intangible things – moods, emotions, thoughts, “vibes”. The phrase that reading a poem is part attitude and part technique means having a certain technique to understand and reiterate the inflections in the words. Having the right attitude is diving into the poem. Reading poetry can’t (well shouldn’t) be done because you HAVE to, but because you WANT to. 2. Reading Sonnet 130 by Shakespeare, I found this piece funny and ironic. I read this, with all the love I felt Shakespeare had for his mistress. He didn’t think very highly of her physical appearance or or scent, but the love was incomparable. The writing seems to be belittling the mistress at first, with the comparison to hair like wires and her breath that is not like perfume. However, at the end of the piece with the words “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare  As any she belied with false compare.‘ there is no denying the love. I read this piece with a whimsical and smitten heart, as if he was just thinking of his mistress. The attitude felt was she may not be the prettiest, and she may not have the best scent – she’s no Snow White – the “fairest of them all”, but I love her perhaps more than YOU love your spouse. Reading this short piece required a technique to feel the emotions and paint the picture of what he was […]

“Reading a poem is part attitude and part technique.” Restate this in quote in your own words. When reading poems, we must embrace the words, examine each element, and decipher the author’s intentions to unpack and discover its meaning entirely. With specific reference to one of the week’s sonnets, discuss your personal experience with these two components of reading poetry. Be sure to support your response with a short quote from the poem you are discussing. In Sonnet 130, “My Mistress’s Eyes Are Nothing like the Sun” by Williams Shakespeare, the author highlights the beauty of his mistress, “If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.” Him comparing her to things to show that she is imperfect would not stop him from loving her. Not too often do we read poems as such where the lady is not elegant or beautiful; she is just an ordinary person. But that did not stop him from appreciating her for who she was and how she looked. Women are often idolized for their beauty, but we can see in this poem that there is genuine love.

1. Restate this in quote in your own words. ““Reading a poem is part attitude and part technique.” This quotes can be restated in my own words as to understand a poem you do need to have a right mindset and basic skill to understand it. 2. With specific reference to one of the week’s sonnets, discuss your personal experience with these two components of reading poetry. Be sure to support your response with a short quote from the poem you are discussing. When we read “”Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day” by William Shakespeare, if you have a positive mindset and attitude you would be enjoying this line and thinking about love, In order to analyze this poem you do need to have a right mindset of understanding it and comparing it with beauty and love. Understanding a poem also involves on how you  approach the poem and some people do compare it with their past experiences, so if they had any bad experience or they lack in knowledge it would effect the understanding of the poem.

The quote “reading poetry well is part attitude and part technique” is basically stating that reading poetry well and correctly, requires both a certain mindset and a set of skills. With regard to the attitude component, it means approaching poetry with an open mind and a curious mindset, free of preconceived preconceptions about what or how it should be read. The technique part refers to specific skills that can help readers engage with poetry more effectively, such as asking questions and analyzing literary devices. Take Shakespeare’s “my mistress’s eyes are nothing like the sun” for instance, A person might be more inclined to read with an open mind and a sense of curiosity rather than expecting it to follow the norms how they love sonnet. The poems use of metaphors and similes could then be examined in order to better grasp its meaning, for example “Coral is far more red than her lips’ red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.”

“Reading a poem is part attitude and part technique” In my opinion, this means in order to understand a poem you have to use the correct tone. For example, when it comes to William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130: My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the Sun” I would not read it in a happy and positive tone. I read it with more of an annoyed or distasteful tone because he is analyzing his mistress and almost comparing to other women who are attractive or “appealing” to him; meanwhile his mistress is not. “I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight, Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.” I, for one, am not big on reading poetry because I usually have to reread it multiple times in order to fully understand what I am reading. For example, William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” I had to go back for a second time, half way through after getting an idea of what I was reading. The language also plays a part in the “technique” of reading a poem. The way writers used words such as “hath” instead of has, “thou” instead of you, and abbreviations such as “grow’st”, “ow’st”, and “wand’rest”. These are all tongue twisters in my opinion and can be all be factors in your understanding of the reading.

The full experience of reading a poem involves what you assume about the poem beforehand and what you do with the information you receive after reading it. These two factors stood out to me after reading “My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun” Before even reading the poem I looked at the title and seen that Shakespear was the author and automatically assumed that this sonnet will be the typical poem full of sophisticated language and beautiful compliments like “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” After reading lines like “And in some perfumes is there more delight/ Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.” I realize this poem is more satirical than romantic. I was so distracted by this that I failed to catch the fact that the poem ends with love until I reread it multiple times. The lines “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare/ As any she belied with false compare.” were assumed to be more insults after focusing too much on trying to read the poem with the intended rhythm, but now I see this was the type of compliment I initially thought the poem would be riddled with.   

My way of rephrasing the quote “Reading a poem is part attitude and part technique” is “Read a poem with an open mind to truly interact with it.” Before reading “How To Read a Poem” by Edward Hirsch, I always read poetry trying to find the meaning behind it immediately. I guess it is my impatient nature to want to be able to properly understand the abstraction behind more difficult poems. After reading the essay by Hirsch, I attempted to approach the sonnets in a different, less preconceived manner. The last poem “What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why” was the most successful for me to read in this nonjudgmental way. I read it twice to myself and twice aloud. While reading it, I asked myself of the qualities of the poem; including what is the rhythm? How is imagery used? One of the first things I noticed was the use of imagery to create a hauntingly lonely atmosphere. For example, “Under my head till morning; but the rain Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh Upon the glass and listen for reply, And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain” (Millay, lines 3-6) Each time reading it, I absorb more of the speaker’s mood and how she feels about the lovers of the past she is referencing. It inspires me to ask, is the narrator just somber in her solitude or does she long for a new love?

“How much we receive out of a poem depends on how receptive we are to its themes and language.” While reading Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130, “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” I experienced two aspects of reading poetry: attitude and technique. I approached the poem with curiosity and found it interesting due to its realistic portrayal of love when he describes how he is in love with her cheeks. “I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks;’ Technically, I noticed the poem’s structure and use of language. The first line, “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” This line sets the tone for the rest of the poem by establishing that he is going to describe her honestly and realistically. Through it, I learned to appreciate the unique way that Sonnet 130 looks at love and to understand Shakespeare’s literary techniques. I also found that reading poetry requires both an open attitude and an eye for technique. Attitude allows us to appreciate the emotional impact of the poem, while technique helps us understand how the poet achieves that impact through structure and language.

“Reading a poem is part your own understanding, and part understanding the format”. When I read a poem, the first thing I do is try to understand the format of the poem. I look at how it is written, if it rhymes, and how does it all come together. My personal experience is there is usually a format, this helps me understand how to read the poem. Once I understand the format then I delve into my understanding of the poem. I try to understand what the author is saying with this poem. I try place myself in the person writing the poems shoes. I also try to relate to the poem itself if possible. “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any belied with false compare” (Shakespeare). I used these two methods to understand this poem, and I totally relate to it.  To me this poem is about love being unconditional, not about beauty which fades. My attitude, and personal experiences help me not only understand the poem, but also personalize it.

From what I understand, reading poetry requires a proper attitude and skill. In William Shakespeare’s Eighteen Sonnets, I believe that having the proper attitude and skill is necessary to understand the beauty and message of the poems. The poet compares his beloved to a summer’s day, but he asserts that she is more beautiful and peaceful than any summer’s day. To understand and appreciate the subtleties of this comparison, the reader needs a certain attitude and skill. For example, when the poet says, “And summer’s lease hath all too short a date,” he implies that summer is short-lived and temporary. Readers must be willing to recognize and accept the transience of life and have the skills to understand the language and imagery used in the poem. In addition, the reader must have the proper attitude to appreciate the message behind the poem about the eternal nature of beauty. The following quote illustrates this point: “But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest. Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade. When in eternal lines to time thou growest:” Here, the poet implies that the beauty of his beloved will never fade or disappear because he praises her in his poem, making her immortal. To fully appreciate this idea, the reader must have an open mind and a willingness to consider the possibility of beauty’s eternity. In addition, the reader must have the skill to understand the metaphorical language that describes the beauty of the beloved as an “eternal summer” that will not fade with time.

“Reading a poem is part attitude and part technique.” 1. Reading a poem requires a certain level of openness and curiosity of what the poem actually means or stands for, and it needs to be read in a meaningful way. A poem cannot be looked at as though it is simply words put together in lines. You have to approach the poem free of judgement or indifference and ask yourself questions as you do so. 2. In my personal experience throughout this course, I have had to learn how to read the poems we’ve been given. I have learned that approaching the poem with an, “I don’t want to read this,” or an, “What is the point of this,” attitude, is not helpful at all in trying to understand what the poem means. I have also realized that it’s okay to misunderstand the poem at first read. In Sonnet 130: My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun, for example, by just reading the title, I said to myself, “well damn,” because at first it sounds a little rude (lol.) Even after reading a little further, he is describing her hair as coarse and her breath as being a little stinky, but when I read the last two lines, 12-14, “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare  As any she belied with false compare.”  He ends the poem by saying he loves her more than anything else and his love may be truer than any she’s ever experienced. I will admit it took me reading this poem twice in my head and once aloud, before I finally understood what he was saying and it’s beautiful. He loves her with her coarse hair, her dull skin and her stinky breath.

The quote “Reading a poem is part attitude and part technique.” in my own words reading a poem requires a combination of both a certain mindset or a set of skills or methods. One sonnet from this week that I can discuss is “Sonnet 18” by William Shakespeare. In my personal experience, reading this poem requires both a certain mindset and a set of techniques. The attitude or approach I bring to the poem involves an appreciation for the beauty of nature and the passage of time. Meanwhile, the techniques I use include paying attention to the rhyme scheme and meter, as well as analyzing the use of metaphors and other literary devices. In the opening lines of the poem, the speaker compares the subject of the poem to a “summer’s day.” This metaphor sets the tone for the rest of the poem and emphasizes the beauty and perfection of the subject. By recognizing and analyzing this metaphor, I am able to better understand the poem’s message. Furthermore, the poem’s use of iambic pentameter and rhyme scheme also contribute to its overall effect. As the speaker praises the subject’s beauty and perfection, the poem’s structure and rhythm help to reinforce these qualities. For example, in lines 5-6, the speaker says,”Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed”.  

1- “Reading a poem is part attitude and part technique. Attitude Technique is also very important for understanding, the repetition of certain words, the rhythm or even the style of language to use can be very useful for understanding and for the emotions that the writer is trying to communicate to us. 2-At the beginning of the reading I was very confused but after having read the poem again and used the literary techniques my approach totally realized all the irony present in William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 “My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing Like The Sun”. ‘‘My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips’ red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks .’’ Unlike classic poems that highlight the beauty of women using exaggerations, the author does the opposite. He compares the parts of his lover’s body to beautiful objects, but each time he does so one realizes that he is describing his lover’s body as less beautiful than the thing he is comparing it to. For example, he says his eyes aren’t as bright as the sun and his breath isn’t like perfume at all and it “reeks”.

“Reading a poem is part attitude and part technique.” To do anything in life is part attitude and technique if you really think about. Not only is it the attitude of the person who conveys or reads in this case, but it is the attitude that the poem itself creates. This can be best described as the tone or emotion a poem instills in its audience. Just with most literary works, understanding something like a poem takes time technique. To be able to find out the true meaning of that small line that seems to be coated with details but yet so small in its bigger picture. To relate your experiences to the poem, in order to dig deeper. Many literary techniques can be utilized to break down a poem to understand it clearly. 2) After reading Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare, the quote above and those two aspects of it were truer than ever. Throughout reading the poem at first, it was confusing to understand what Shakespeare was comparing the person in the poem towards. However, after using literary techniques, I was able to break it down line by line to understand.  For example, it states, “Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, and often is his gold complexion dimmed”. This quote at first baffled me but after reading the line before and after it, I got a clue of what the poem was saying about summer in comparison to the person in the poem. Regarding attitude, I had to slow things down and match the poem’s energy to understand clearly. 

“Good poetry reading is part attitude and part technique”. I want to start by saying that during our course, I carried over a few thoughts for myself. The first, concerning the goals and objectives of art and literature in particular. I have always believed that literature should have a purpose. Now it seems to me that literature owes nothing to anyone. However, if a universal thesis arises, we can say that its goal is our emotional and mental response. All literary devices and art forms appear for this purpose. Therefore, I understand the word “attitude” as a reaction to what has been read and the following interaction. Thus, a kind of dialogue between the reader and literature takes place. However, in order to start this dialogue, we must have a number of knowledge and skills, or techniques. This is especially true of the genre of poetry, the genre of the most capacious and more complex “interlocutor” than prose. Form, rhyme, literary devices, they all build our experience and perception of poetry. Sometimes, you need to understand the background of it. Just recently, for example, I read a poem that tells about a letter that came to the mother of a soldier during World War II. The lines of the verse were composed in such a way that they appeared with a triangle. These forms of letters were sent to mothers, wives and children of soldiers from the front. People were in trepidation and horror opening such letters with the hope that their husband, son or father is still alive. The use of such a form prevails over the feelings and sensations that people experience. However, if you are not aware of this fact, it will be just a poem in the shape of a triangle. 2. After reading sonnet 18 […]

  “Reading a poem is part attitude and part technique.“ In order to understand a poem, the reader has to get into it and read it as they feel it, paying attention to the language and tone of the poem, which would be the attitude. As well as having a technique to help understand such as looking up confusing words, connecting related ideas, listening to its sound and rhythm and paying attention to repeated words and literary techniques used by the author.    In William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 “My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing Like The Sun” the author uses irony to emphasize the beauty of his mistress, by comparing her to things that show she’s not perfect but he still loves her.  “Coral is far more red than her lips’ red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head” (Shakespeare lines 2-4) It took me a while to understand because I wasn’t really getting the point, but then I realized he was comparing her and being realistic about the woman he loves, as many poems try to idealize and exaggerate woman’s beauty, he did the opposite. My attitude while reading this changed after I read it a few times, at first I was confused, then i read it as a love poem and my technique was just reading it and trying to figure out the author’s message, technique and ideas. 

When I look at the quote “Reading a poem is part attitude and part technique” (Hirsch) what comes to mind is feeling and interpretation. For example, your “attitude” could be how you feel about reading poems in general, if you do not enjoy reading poems, then it would be harder for you to interpret the poem versus someone who enjoys reading poems. Also, how you feel while reading the poem plays a part in how you interpret the poem because a happy poem could make you feel sad and your interpretation from the poem would be as such versus someone who would read it in a happier attitude. Your “technique” is how you read the poem and your ability to understand the poet’s style. In William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18″ Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” I read it as a love poem. Because I received it as a love poem, my attitude was more open and calmer, and I absorbed the words more. Shakespeare uses a lot of personification in this poem by making nature more humanistic. For example, he says “Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed” (Shakespeare lines 6-7). In this line, he is referring to the sun and when the sun sets which is what he means when he says, “his gold complexion dimmed”. In this poem, I interpreted Shakespeare saying that the woman’s beauty is as raw and bright as nature is during the summer because the heat is brutal but it’s bright.