Friday, October 10, 2008

Poetry

What has your experience been with poetry during the course of your life?  When you read a poem, what determines -- for you -- whether it is artful (or literary) or not?  Do you prefer poems that rhyme, that tell a story, that don't rhyme, that are "epic," that are written in stanzas?  Have you written poetry in your life and read your work aloud?  Answer any question, or a few, in your post.  I look forward to reading your replies!


14 comments:

sdenaple said...

In general, I haven't found many poets that I enjoy reading, but the ones I have found I really love because their poem either conveys a message that I can easily discern or a poem with such beautiful language that one cannot help but be in awe of it. I prefer free verse poems because I feel that the author often loses something or limits his language in his efforts to make the poem rhyme. This often seems to become especially problematic when a decent prose writer tries his or hand at poetry.

Anonymous said...

I don't particularly like any poets. There are a few individual poems I like, though. Most of which are by famous poets like Edgar Allen Poe. I've read a lot of poetry by people that aren't famous, and they usually suck. I like poems to either tell a story well or mean more than just what the words used to make it mean. Whether it rhymes or how it's written is unimportant. I just want to have to think back on it to figure out what it means. Hopefully, there would be many different ways to interpret them.

I rarely write poetry. The only poem that I'm actually proud of writing is "Apathy." It rhymed and kept a syllable pattern. "Apathy" is about one wishing he didn't give a crap about the people he cares about because they hurt themselves way too often. In only ten lines, the realization that you can't stop caring even if ya tried becomes implied. I didn't use a fancy choice of words because it's something everyone should be able to relate to. One can picture the narrator reciting the poem to someone they care about.

I can get it real fast from one of my art sites or my PC but I don't really want to post it on this blog.

Kristen said...

It kind of depends on what mood I'm in, I guess. For the most part I like a poem that I can find meanind in and can see a specific idea(s) presented, and it doesn't matter what format it's written. Other times I really look for rythm and rhyme and am not overly picky about plot or subtext. Oh, how I love subtext though... not always intended, but always found. Intresting thing, that.

Anonymous said...

In high school I was forced to both write and read aloud poetry ranging from topics on Vietnam to "Where I'm from." Poetry has the ability to be incredibly vague, which in some ways make it all the more interesting and capable of being analyzed more thoughtfully. This has one draw back though and that is that a poet can be too vague and easily lose the relevance and/ or point of the story. Poetry, in order to be coherent, should be somewhat lengthy and with that, depending on length, have stanzas for easy reading.

Anonymous said...

After reading several different types of poetry (from the Odyssey and Shakespeare to Dr. Seuss) I really have to say that I tend toward the short story wrapped up in a rhyming cover. My favorite author, however, does not normally follow this trend (Rudyard Kipling) and instead goes for imagery and short non-rhyming lines.

I have indeed written poetry and read it aloud... a long time ago. It was nothing special, but interesting to see how something inside of you as the author is vulnerable to whatever audience listens.
--Heather

james said...

Overall, some poems are appealing to me and some aren't; I guess that goes for about anybody. I don't have one particular poet in mind that I would consider my favorite, but as a collective I would say that singers and song writers are usually my favorite poets. Some songs have very unique rhythmic styles that the lyrics compliment perfectly. A good poet/song writer can bring both, there lyrics, and music together to convey one major message across to their reader or listener. Also I would like to say that most of my favorite poems tell a story which is probably why I like song writers the most; songs are often rhythmic stories.

Unknown said...

Poetry has never really interested me as a past time or a study. It's hard enough for me to pick up a novel to read. It's not that i don't find them interesting, i do, it's just that i was never really exposed to it enough to develop an appreciation for it. I've come to view poetry as short to medium sized prose that may or may not rhyme, and may or may not tell a story.

Unknown said...

I haven't read much poetry since high school, but I can appreciate most poems. If it rhymes and flows well then I enjoy hearing it out loud, almost like music. If it has something more to say then I don't mind if it doesn't rhyme. However, if a poem can both flow/rhyme well and contain some deep message I appreciate it a lot. I suppose that is why I like most music, it is like poetry that flows well.

Unknown said...

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Anonymous said...

The poetry that I think is artful doesn't have to rhyme. I like poems that tell a story and don't require to much decoding to understand their meaning. I have written poetry in my life but i have never read it aloud.

-Edward Acree

Anonymous said...

I think that (certain types of) poetry has the ability to accomplish what prose sets out to do in that it can tell even a long story (an epic), give a snapshot (a haiku), etc, but can hold one's interest better than prose can. The meter, even if not extremely noticeable, leads the reader along at a rate that they perhaps might not "travel" at when reading a novel. Rhyming can help or hurt, depending on what the author is trying to accomplish. For me personally, there are poems that I like, some that I dislike, and some that I love (you guys get to hear one of those ones tomorrow! Woot!). Throughout my high school career, my English classes were assigned poetry writings several times. I think that this forcing the student to become a poet has the potential to make a really bad poem, especially if the student isn't trying hard. For someone with a gift for writing that sort of thing, poetry can be one of the most inspiring and thought-provoking types of literature out there.

Aaron Bentley

aoliphant said...

personally i like when the poems have a simple rhyme scheme. or a clever twist like Shakespeare's sonnet 130. i also like when i can identify with the poem. or when they have a good point.

Unknown said...

I personally have not had very much experience reading poetry. There were a few instances in middle school where we read some peoms, but there is nothing significant that stands out in my mind. In poetry, like in music, I like words that rhyme and have meaning. Rhyming words while expressing a fealing or a message is one of my favorite forms of art.

sunshine said...

Personally i prefer poetry that rhymes and tells a story at the same time. Two of my favorite poets are Dr. Seuss and Edgar Allen Poe. When I was younger my parents read Dr. Seuss books every night before bedtime. I was introduced to Poe in high school and instantly fell in love with his work. I have never written poetry and don't plan on it any time soon.