Acquainting Writing Poetry with Writing About Poetry
When writing poetry and writing about poetry, there are many similarities and differences that come to mind. On behalf of writing about poetry, I am often struck with confusion when considering what the author's intended meaning of their poem represents, prompting me to find an analysis of the poem to uncover its denotation. Additionally, interpretation is prevalent when writing about poetry, using personal reflection and historical or factual information regarding the author and their time to uncover a poem's meaning. Dissecting the form and conventions of a poem when writing about poetry is also easier, as it is less challenging to analyze a poem's form in relation to its intended message in juxtaposition to curating a form when writing a poem of personal regard. For instance, when I wrote my essay on John Milton's sonnet "On His Blindness," I easily realized Milton's 14-line sonnet was split by an eight-line octave and a six-line sestet, contrasted by the uncertainty of Milton's religious security in causation with his blindness, and his assured concluding sestet, marked by his religious confidence. When writing my own poem, I found it quite difficult to maintain poetic form and conventions while also providing a coherent message. I often found myself searching for words that rhymed so I could maintain the rhyme scheme, but also keep lines that were essential to the message of my poem. In terms of similarities, I was keen on creating a poem that could be interpreted in different ways, much like the conjured interpretations that arise when writing about poetry.
Writing about poetry informed my own poetry by helping me understand and uncover different poetic forms and conventions, thereby identifying useful techniques that could be used in my own poetry. I also found that writing about poetry deepened my understanding of poetry and how it is written, even enhancing my own creativity when drafting my poetic work.
Both writing poetry and writing about poetry enabled me to learn how to be creatively inclined while also using literary devices and themes to extrapolate understanding from poetic works. Poetry combines both creativity and critical thinking, making it a core concept for teaching, as it allows students to become informed on the conventions of poetry, use critical thinking to uncover meaning and identify themes, as well as provide an outlet for creativity to students.
Hey Rachel!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like we had similar experiences when it came to writing the poetry as opposed to writing the essay. I'm not sure if my own essay writing had contributed to my poetry writing process, but at the very least the essay assignment made me think deeper about what I wanted my poem to mean. I have always been very apprehensive about poetry; it's seemed like a skill that just does not come naturally to me. I'm sure I'm not alone in this feeling, based on everyone's blog responses.
I agree with you that poetry is a core teaching concept. Although many students will experience creative growing pains and will likely complain about needing to public speak, I think it's valuable to get used to these things. Even if a handful of students come out of hating poetry (I was one of them in high school), they might find other aspects of the performance enjoyable.
- Evan
Hi there Rachel,
ReplyDeleteYou first mention how writing about poetry can be confusing because of the “confusion when considering what the author’s intended meaning”. This is something that I completely agree with. Interpretation of a poem may seem differently to one another and something one due to their perspective of them. This may also be due to how people read between the lines or really dig deep into the poem(s). One may also understand the poem differently the way it is written by choice of words or the format of it.
On the other hand, writing poetry not only exposes one to “different poetic forms” but I believe it allows one to express themselves freely. One is allowed to express themselves in such a creative and fun way but gives the opportunity to have a better understanding of what poetry is. When I wrote my poems, I definitely had a great experience and had a better understanding on why people wrote so much of it.
Moreover, when you wrote about how you would apply it when teaching you mentioned, “critical thinking”. This was something that did not cross my mind. However, thinking about it now–this is a clear and obvious factor about writing poetry.
-Sincerely,
Diana G.