There are many differences between actually writing poetry and analyzing poetry. Before I would say that I prefer to analyze a piece of poetry rather than write poetry. After doing a few of the exercises I realized that I actually enjoy writing poetry. It's a way for me to get in touch with my creative side. I love to be creative but it's the trouble in finding the ways in which to be creative. Analyzing poetry takes some work but it's sometimes easier to think of different meanings rather than trying to place the meanings in your self.
The found poem was one of my favorites. I picked a topic that hit home to me. This made this activity interesting and worth while to me. I like that we were able to pick what we wanted to write about. In my past experiences, writing poetry was always dictated. The teacher always told me to write specifically on a topic and sometimes that topic just didn’t intrigue me. Here I chose something important and representative to my life. I also enjoyed the Found Poem because I enjoyed reading and hearing what others had to say. I learned more about different topics and I also learned more about people. Even if people aren’t writing about something personal to them, it’s nice to see everyone’s creative mind churning.
I found that the Wrecking the First Person Poem was more fun than I originally thought. I liked how I could take three different things, people, or events and make them become one. Or sound like one ;)
Overall, my initial fears or anxieties were put to shame once I found a way to actually write a poem. Now I think I’d rather write a poem than analyze a poem!
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Hi Cyndi,
ReplyDeleteI began with the same sentiment that I would rather write about poetry than write poetry. This exercise did change my view as well. I think after years of formal academic writing, we grow distanced from our creative side. However, when we are able to explore that type of writing, it enhances out ability to appreciate other poetry. The Found poem was also one of my favorite activities. Though my topic seemed everyday (nail-biting), for some reason, it became very personal and from the heart when I started to rewrite and edit it. It became about more than just a little problem I have, and it started to be more about an activity that is a product of my insecurities. I think this is what changed a lot of people’s minds about writing poetry. It seems like a daunting task to create a piece of writing that is art, but with the constraints of the assignments, I think I was able to produce something that was emotionally true, while still playing with formal elements like diction and form.
Denica
Hey Cyndi,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the found poem. That was one type of poem that I never even heard of before this class. I loved the fact that we didn't even have to write anything. Just copy and paste the things that we felt were important and essential to our poem. I also like the fact that our hardest part was the structure of the poem (where we would put a space or where we would indent). It was different; it was fun!
I am right with you in your prefrence of writing poetry over writing about poetry. I never enjoyed writing about poetry. So I wasn't surprised that I wasn't very enthusiastic when I found out that we would have to analyse a poem. I think that I love the freedom about writing poetry the most. The fact that I am the creator, and no matter what anyone says, I'm right.