Connecting Poetry to Current Events (Last Journal)

Since I never really hear anything about poets or poetry in current times, I though I'd write a reflection journal pertaining to this article:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/4863351/Internet-is-causing-poetry-boom.html

As a future computer science major, this article stood out to me. It seems to convey the idea that poetry, one of the oldest forms of expression, is able to be reborn through new agents of socialization like the internet. It seems to epitomize the times we live in, where everything, even art, can be 'digi-tized' and spread to any and everybody.

The idea that poetry is becoming 'obsolete' is also an interesting issue which this article seemed to address. "rather than making poetry pamphlets "obsolete", Mr Price said the internet had provided 'a limitless shop window for a new generation of small presses and micro-publishers'". I sort of chuckled to myself while reading this, because that's exactly what my blog is all about... A small source of creativity that can be propagated to millions of users with ease. Pushing aside weak arguments made in the article like "You would expect live music to disappear but it hasn't, the opposite has happened...", I still enjoyed the article because it touched on a very thought provoking issue.

Thanks for reading my last poetry response journal thing... BOOYASHAKA!!!

Example of Slam Poetry

Here's a prime example of a slam poetry reading.

Reflection - Kubla Khan

1) Why is Kubla Khan a romantic poem?

I believe that Kubla Khan is a romantic poem primarily because it is inspired by a dream which Samuel Coleridge had. Since romantic poems focus more on the supernatural (in contast with the enlightenment era of poetry), the dream aspect is a crucial determining factor for themes throughout the poem... even if it may have just been the opium talking...

2) Where do you see evidence of various influences?

The line that states "and drunk the milk of paradise" seems to be a reference to the fact that

Coleridge was in paradise when doing his opium (a.k.a. experiencing his dream), and is now experiencing withdrawal and coming down from his high.

-"In a vision once I saw:

It was an Abyssinian maid, "

3)Where do you see evidence of common elements of romanticism?

Beauty of Unspoiled Nature:

"Where Alph, the sacred river, ran /Through caverns measureless to man/

Down to a sunless sea. "

Beauty in Exotic locales and Supernatural elements:

"A savage place! as holy and enchanted/As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted"

4)Xanadu?

My Imagination: I pictured Xanadu as this half-sphere structure on top of a mountain of trees, where a waterfall is pouring into a large cave surrounding it. Sort of like a monastery on this giant, standalone stone pillar, in the middle of a cave/crater.

Actual: It looks like a monastery/sacred building comparable to the Taj-Mahal in architecture. For the most part, the waterfall, stone/mountains, and trees were how Coleridge described them.

5) Language Tropes?

Lots of metaphors and description for natural elements:

"And drunk the milk of paradise"

"sunless sea"

Rhyme Scheme: He seems to either pair, or stagger by one line, words that rhyme.

"A damsel with a dulcimer

In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid,
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora.
Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,

To such a deep delight 'twould win me, "

Reflection Journal #5 - (5/10 to 5/14)

Dr. Seuss has long been associated with children's books and his original, unique way of rhythmic writing and rhyme. Like any other writer or author, Dr. Seuss employs certain stylistic writing tropes, diction, and syntax in order to captivate his reader.

A most notable feature of a Seuss writing would be its rhyming scheme. In the following excerpt from "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" you can see that the rhyming scheme follows a pattern of: a-b-b-c-d-d-e-g-g (and so on). While using simple and fun vocabulary, Dr. Seuss applies his rhyming scheme and thus causes a wonderfully fun read.

Who am I?

My name is Ned.

I do not like my little bed.
This is no good.
This is not right.
My feet stick out of bed all night.
And when I pull them in,
Oh, dear!
My head sticks out of bed up here!

###Notice the use of white space throughout the excerpt

In addition, Dr. Seuss uses colorful, often made-up, adjectives or nouns to create unique descriptions and keep the rhyme scheme's flow. For example:

"Then he hides what you paid him
away in his Snuvv,
his secret strange hole
in his gruvvulous glove."

Although it may seem childish, it's essentially writing genius. He uses childish and imaginative words to capture an idea vividly, while fitting it perfectly into his rhyme scheme (two birds with one stone). His creative and gentle genius in writing has influenced many generations. He will remain a timeless and original writer.

Reflection - (5/3 to 5/7)

I have decided to study a famous poet named Dylan Thomas. Dylan Thomas was a Welsh poet who grew up in Swansea, in the south of Wales. Born in October of 1927, he enjoyed a prosperous career as a poet after dropping out of school and pursuing writing until he died in November of 1953. He is remembered for such famous poems as: “Do not go gentle into that good night,” “In Country Sleep,” and “And Death Shall Have No Dominion”. With recurring themes of mortality in his works, he made name for himself as a successful modernist poet within the Romanticism Movement of poetry. He is also characterized to have a notable speaking voice, and intense drinking habits.

More on Dylan Thomas: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/150

Lie Still, Sleep Becalmed by Dylan Thomas

Lie still, sleep becalmed, sufferer with the wound
In the throat, burning and turning. All night afloat
On the silent sea we have heard the sound
That came from the wound wrapped in the salt sheet.

Under the mile off moon we trembled listening
To the sea sound flowing like blood from the loud wound
And when the salt sheet broke in a storm of singing
The voices of all the drowned swam on the wind.

Open a pathway through the slow sad sail,
Throw wide to the wind the gates of the wandering boat
For my voyage to begin to the end of my wound,
We heard the sea sound sing, we saw the salt sheet tell.
Lie still, sleep becalmed, hide the mouth in the throat,
Or we shall obey, and ride with you through the drowned.

This poem is essentially a dark perception of the unpredictability of the sea. Using sinister, hell-like descriptions Thomas was able to capture the fear associated with the power of the ocean. Serving as a plea to the sea, the line “Or we shall obey, and ride with you through the drowned,” captures the message of the poem. The hope that the sea will “lie still” and “sleep becalmed” personifies the ocean, and gives the reader the impression that the ocean is unpredictable. This is interesting because that is also what the narrator wants for the wounded sailor.

The events of this poem seem to center around a couple of sailors afloat after experience some sort of wreck (since they talk about a “sufferer with the wound”). Trying to listen for signs of hostile ships and watching the ocean closely for troubling waves or storms are very important actions to note throughout this poem.

I enjoyed this poem, even though it was somewhat dark, because it painted a vivid picture of

(what I believe to be) two sailors adrift at sea. With one of them wounded, all they can do is wait.

They are at the mercy of the sea.

Here is my first, and almost certain failure of a terza rima poem:

(3-2-1 Poem for 4/28)

-------------------------------------------

Insomnia

like a silent gnome, sleep creeps night

a careful cat creeps on the window sill

eyes open, I stare. But why?

a hot balloon, my mind does fill

teeter into dreamland slipping

nightmare figures provoke a shrill

--------------------------------------------

For those of you that don't know what insomnia is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomnia

This past week (4/19 to 4/23) has been all about the mechanics. Since I'm mostly interested in math and science related subjects this unit stood out to me. Normally when I think of poetry, I think of frilly speech and hidden meanings, but this week we talked about how there's a strategy of rhythm. Comparable to many songs, poems too have rhythm and measures. Famous poets like Shakespeare and Robert Frost can be compared to famous musicians like Bach and Beethoven in the sense that they all had their own tastes, unique styles, and signatures works. For me, this was the value added.

In addition to set rhythms, there are also units of measure. Measuring poetry, called meter, is divided into units called feet (foot in singular). By utilizing different lengths, and repetitions of feet, poets create strategic works of art that speak to their particular style or meaning. With this newfound knowledge I think it'll be easier to create higher quality poems with less effort.