Blogger #16 - Sofia Mykytenko - Period 1 - 3/11/2021 - Day A

 Aim: How can we define the literary value of poetry?

Do Now: WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION

Consider your prior experiences you’ve had when reading poetry (good and bad).

• What are some of the challenges you and/or others can experience while reading poetry?

• Consider the following question: 

• What does poetry mean to you? 

Our class had a wonderful discussion about their opinions on poetry. Many different topics came up such as whether you enjoy reading poetry, understanding it, or writing it. Most of our class said they had trouble understanding the true meaning behind poetry or the language, as poetic language can be very descriptive, yet minimalistic. Jonathan said he liked to read poetry because of the way it flows but had trouble understanding it and a couple students agreed with him. Others said they loved writing poetry but hated reading it. In addition, Joel said that he found free verse poetry difficult to understand and “uncomfortable”, and several other students agreed. Amongst the conversation, some favorite poets were named such as Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost.

My response:

I believe poetry is one of the best ways to express one’s feelings as the use of rhyme, rhythm and line structure helps project the poets feelings in a way other writing doesn’t. To me poetry is made of powerful words and raw emotions. Because of the language used in poetry and the constant hidden meanings and feelings in it, it could be difficult to interpret sometimes. Some of the poems I’ve read have been very easy to understand, but others I’ve had to read multiple times to only somewhat understand them. I think poetry is certainly an interesting, but difficult topic.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwhouCNq-Fc

From this video we learned about the characteristics of poems and unique types. Many poems use rhyme rhythm and meter to achieve musical qualities. Nearly all poems use condensed, powerful language, show intense emotions, and have line breaks. However, poems do not follow a specific rubric or pattern. Some aren’t lyrical at all and have no rhyme or rhythm. Others can be inordinately short, like Muhammed Ali’s poem, “Me, we”; only two words. Yet even more poems can have no line breaks,  or unique ones, like poems written by E.E. Cummings who wanted to portray feelings through distance between words.

People often falsely believe that poems HAVE to rhyme. This is not the case! The poems we are working with today are considered to be free verse. The term “free verse” describes poetry without a fixed pattern of meter and rhyme. 

Free Verse- poetry without a fixed pattern of meter and rhyme.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnlwOn94uJs

This video was about free verse poetry. Free verse poetry has no rules about rhyming, syllable count, or lines and spacing. Free verse allows an author to shape their poem and ideas in any way they like which allows for a free flow of ideas. The poet could choose to use any amount of figurative language, rhyme, rhythm, and meter they like.

Next, we read and annotated these two poems and answered questions about them.

Stop this day and night with me, and you

shall possess the origin of all poems; 

You shall possess the good of the earth and

sun... (there are millions of sun left,)

You shall no longer take things at second or

third hand, nor look through the eyes of the dead, 

nor feed on the spectres in books;

You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me,

You shall listen to all sides, and filter them from yourself. 

- Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself, ” (Section 2) Leaves of Grass

And it was at that age … poetry arrived

in search of me. I don’t know, I don’t know where

it came from, from winter or a river.

I don’t know how or when,

5 no they were not voices, they were not

words, nor silence,

but from a street I was summoned,

from the branches of night,

abruptly from the others,

10 among violent fires

or returning alone,

there I was without a face

and it touched me.

I did not know what to say, my mouth

15 had no way

with names,

my eyes were blind,

and something started in my soul,

fever or forgotten wings,

20 and I made my own way,

deciphering

that fire,

and I wrote the first faint line,

faint, without substance, pure

As we read the following poem by Pablo Neruda, annotate and be sure to look for diction, imagery, figurative language, and any other additional literary elements that stand out to you!

We were assigned to answer this question with our groups:

With your Teams, create a final definition of poetry. Using the table below, summarize how Whitman and Neruda define poetry along with how our class defines “poetry” according to today’s “Do Now.” Be sure to use textual examples in your summary!

Class Discussion

Eleanor answered the first question: According to today’s do now, our class believes poetry is a complex, effective way to express our feelings, ideas, and emotions. The majority of our class doesn’t mind reading poetry, but finds it difficult interpreting the true meaning. However, a few classmates love writing their own.

Katherine answered the second part of the chart and said that Whitman talks about how much he admires poetry’s language and ability for everybody to create their own opinions and observations through poetry.

Samiha gave us her insight about Neruda’s poem and said that he uses his poem to show how poetry allows readers to describe their own feelings and create a deeper meaning. He hints that poetry is suddenly truly beautiful once you understand the true meaning of it.

Emily adds that Neruda believes you can't control if you're good at poetry, as it comes at its own time. She says this because Neruds writes that he “was summoned”.

My own chart

Reflection: 

Before this lesson, I would groan if I saw a poem on a test. However, this lesson has taught me that with time and devotion, everyone can perfect their method of learning how to decode a poem. Ms. Peterson has taught me that uncovering the true meaning behind a poem can be interesting and rewarding. I find it quite satisfying to figure out the true meaning and looking at the poem from a different perspective once you’re done. I’ve learned that annotating a poem and setting aside notes for yourself, whether they’re definitions, figurative language, or observations is a really helpful strategy for getting a deeper insight of poetry. Perhaps when I come across poetry once more, I won’t panic but instead be glad it's a familiar area of writing for me.