I actually read Lucas’ journal before typing my own, to get an idea of what the topic was (as I was on a cruise to Mexico for a week of sun and relaxing, and that tends to melt the brain), and I find it interesting that he and I feel the complete opposite about poetry and the analyzing of it. I have this great fear of writing poetry, because I approach it with all of those analytical terms in mind. Does this rhyme? Can I fit alliteration in here? What is my theme? Oh my god, this isn’t profound enough! Backspace! My experience with the wrecking poem was just that. I had some ideas on the computer, and deleted them all because I thought they weren’t good enough, or moving enough. This fear of not provoking some great emotion in poetic writing cripples me, and it was only when I woke up at 6 am and decided to just write it without thought that it actually worked. That’s the problem! I think too much, which helps with the analyzing side.
It is much more difficult for me to write my own than it is to read and deconstruct someone else’s. Analyzing poetry is much like analyzing a novel, or a short story. Different terms, and different things to look out for, but you use these things (such as alliteration and rhyme) to expound on a greater theme or issue like you would use sentence structure in a novel. Finding support and evidence of this issue is like a puzzle, and trying to fit the pieces together to form the strongest picture for the case is an adventure. I’ve heard the phrase “Those who can’t do, teach” before, but I think it should be more along the lines of “Those who can’t write poetry, analyze.”
5 comments:
I absolutely agree- when a person thinks too much the result isn't always good poetry! I wrote about this idea on my post because in reading the prompt I was immediately remind of a question that one of the women in the class asked me when we presented our found poem- she asked "how did you decide to space your poem the way that you did?" or something to that affect and my very honest reply was that I didn't know, that it felt right. Now, I am in no way saying that I'm a good poet, or close to it, but I do know that I write what I feel, which is what I think that poetry is supposed to be about (otherwise why do it?). I too find that when I think too much I am at a loss for words and I stare blankly at my page, deleting, or backspacing as you put it, which is something I rarely do when I write. But I think that this is a very twisted prompt on the professor's part because even now, while writing this response, I am reminded of Wordsworth and Coleridge's "Preface to Lyrical Ballads" in which they wrote, "all poetry should be the spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions" but then immediately contradict themselves by writing, "Poems to which any value can be attached were never produced on any variety of subjects but by a man who, being possessed of more than usual organic sensibility, had also thought long and deeply." So even they have trouble pinning down exactly what poetry should be!
I know how you feel trying to make everything profound but it doesnt need to be. Thats pretentious. Here's what you can do when you are feeling like you need to be profound and hoity toity (yes, thats how you spell it). Go listen to any of the following records:
Johhny Cash's "Ring of Fire." "I fell in to a burning ring of fire, it went down, down, down, and the flames went higher."
Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." "blah blah blabla blah blah."
Blink 182's "Rock Show." "I fell in love with the girl at the rock show, she said what and i told her that i didn't know."
Now, think about how ridiculous all of these lyrics are. Then, think about the millions and millions of dollars they made from them. It should also be mentioned that not more than four chords were used in the creation of any of the above mentioned songs.
Hey Girl! I am interested to know how the “great” poets that we have read throughout our education felt about analyzing poetry. Did they learn from reading other’s poetry like I have? Or are they just natural poets? I think there are poets today and yesterday that fit into both categories.
It is important to realize that no poem starts out with quota of poetic devices that must be used. Instead, poetic devices are there to aid the poet in their goals for the poem. The use of alliteration should serve a clear function in the poem; it should not just be there so someone can point it out. If you think of the various poetic devices as simply “helpers,” that do not necessarily need to be there, it may be easier to get started.
In addition, you do not always need to have a subject in mind when you begin a poem, so it doesn’t need to be profound. Most profound things are clichéd by now anyway. I have had to write a bunch of poems for my creative writing classes. Often times, I will have absolutely no idea what I am writing about when I start a poem. I just string a few lines together and see where it takes me; I can usually create a theme somehow out of it.
But what do I know…
If I may pick on Nick for a tick:
First: In general lyrics aren't poetry. They have things in common, but lyrics are much more beholden to the meter than poetry. Even with that, I question the particular lyrics you chose to highlight.
"Ring of Fire" uses simple language and repetition to enforce the feeling of falling. Not a bad lyric.
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" never says "blah blah blahbla blah" - it just sounds that way 'cuz Kurt Cobain was going for that "I'm so hardcore, I don't need to enunciate" sound. Still, the lyrics can be understood if you listen carefully (or, God help you, you listen to the Paul Anka version). The chorus, "A mulatto/An albino/A mosquito/My libido," gives a sense of disconnect and self-disparagement. The worst lyrics in the song, taken out of context, are probably the sixteen repetitions of the word hello.
As for Blink 182 - they're a pop-punk band. What kind of brilliant lyrics do you expect?
Though I have to commend your clever rhyme scheme, I fear that you have missed the point in your insistence on nitpickery.
It doesn't matter what Cobain said, he made millions of dollars and nobody really knows what the hell was going on in the song, then he blew his head away with a 12 gauge shit gun.
I don't care about the clever falling feeling in Ring of Fire, it still has retarded lyrics, and it sold millions of copies.
As for pop-punk, there are many examples clever lyrics to put up against Blink's Rock show, which sold millions of copies.
Lyrics are poetry, they are poetry + really. They are like poetry, only better.
And finally, to make the point yet again, the words don't have to be genius, they just have to work.
Also, poop.
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