Poetry

Poetry

Most of the time poetry is up to the reader to interpret, some might agree that this is helpful at a certain point, others might find it useless and a waste time. When it comes to me, I think that the way you define poetry makes your take on this issue more clear. Poetry, to me, is delicate because of the relationship between the poet and his audience; powerful because of the influence it has in its readers lives; relatable in which the reader tries to connect and observe the poet’s point of view.

Firstly, according to Adrienne Rich, people don’t take poetry very seriously. For instance, in Rich’s poem “North American Time” she mentioned “Poetry never stood a chance”. When I heard the poem being read, I noticed that when Rich read that line, she read in a way as if she knew that for a fact. Also, when she read the line “…what is meant to break my heart and reduce me to silence” she read it slowly and in a low voice were it felt like she was talking out of pain and experience, as in she has been there before. Furthermore, the relationship between the poet and his audience is extremely critical. On one hand, the poet must serve what his audience needs and most importantly, the poet must have thick skin in which he can accept any type of criticism. On the other hand, the audience have to accept and reflect on the poet’s work by understanding and appreciating the thought that the poet has brought to discussion. What is interesting about this relationship is that the poet doesn’t know his audience and vice versa, yet, they keep a powerful relationship filled with respect and admiration.

Secondly, poetry has a great influence on readers in which it helps taking them to a different place of imagination. For example, when I came across these lines, “Listen! You hear the grating roar / of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling” and “the tide is full, the moon lies far”, in “Dover Beach” by Mathew Arnold I felt like I was being drawn in by the poet. I was in a different place, whereas I could hear the pebbles, see the moon, and feel the breeze. Additionally, the goal of poetry is to reach out to the reader and connect. Therefore, I find that a key feature in good poetry is whether it’s relatable or not. However, a poem can still be not relatable and be accepted by the audience, that is accomplished using imagery. As seen in “Dover Beach” the poet intended to take the reader into a journey in which the reader is drawn in. Moreover, the way you read poetry could potentially lead to you actually falling in love with it. The goal of poetry is to reach out to the reader and connect. Additionally, when a reader is trying to connect with what the poet is trying to say, this can be interpreted as a form of appreciation and understanding, which is what most of the poets look for.

Furthermore, poetry can address heavy human emotions. A longer poem doesn’t mean a greater poem, simplicity is key, and sometimes the shortest of poems has the greatest influence on the reader. For instance, when reading “This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams, I felt extremely excited at that moment because I was coming up with different ways to understand the poem. Additionally, the meaning of a poem is up to the reader unless stated otherwise by the author. I remember reading “Home Burial” by Robert Frost in a way that made me feel many different feelings at the same time. I was scared that the woman was looking at her grave, angry when the man didn’t recognize why she wasn’t feeling good, surprised when the woman decided to leave, and confused on why he let her leave, I felt connected with the characters. Poets want to make the reader feel a certain type of way, depending on the type of the poem, in order for the reader to connect with the text and understand the authors point of view. The moment the reader gets the author’s point of view, it’s completely up to the reader to interpret, keep in mind that the way you interpret a poem can say a lot about what type of person you are. The reader has the option of agreeing with the poet, disagreeing or even making another claim that could go along with what the author has to offer.

In conclusion, poetry is delicate because of the critical relationship that the poet and the reader share; powerful because of the effect it has on the readers lives, and relatable because its not just another book, in other words, straight to point. From Mathew Arnold, a 19th century British poet; to Robert Frost, an American poet; to William Carlos Williams, a minority American poet; to Adrienne Rich, a female poet, we see how poetry evolves and how the poet’s point of view reflect the way they think about poetry. We look closely at the relationship between the poet and the reader and see a respect based relationship, whereas the relationship is two-sided in which the reader and the poet help get the best out of each other, the poet by appreciating that the reader took the time to read his work, and the reader in which he respects what the poet offered. Moreover, as mentioned earlier, poetry has a great influence on the reader in which the poet tries to draw the reader in the poem’s topic. In addition, poetry brings up deep human emotions in many different ways. For instance, a reader can get emotionally attached to a character or even feel related to a certain character, keep in mind that poetry can sometimes simulate parts of the brain that are related to memory. Lastly, the more you read poetry, the more you will appreciate and understand a poet’s work but most importantly, you will get to know yourself the most by relaxing and figuring yourself out.

Thank You

#poetry #MarilynneRobinson #RobertFrost