Welcome back to campus and the blustery spring of New England. Last week was warm and invigorating; folks were out and about tidying up lawns, readying planting beds, soaking up the early sun of the season. Yesterday turned cold, wet, and fierce. Spring in New England is a known unknown, and by that I mean that we are aware that each day may bring something completely unexpected (joyously wonderful or simply to be endured). This is much like poetry for many.
Please share your thoughts and experience with poetry thus far in your life. Does it make you raise your face to its sunny warmth or make you want to hunker down to Hemingway's mantra, il faut d'abord durer"? Perhaps somewhere in between?
Which poets do you know and appreciate? Who are the favorite poets of your parents, grandparents? What are you thinking as we enter into a time together with British Romantic and Victorian Era poets?
Please share your thoughts and experience with poetry thus far in your life. Does it make you raise your face to its sunny warmth or make you want to hunker down to Hemingway's mantra, il faut d'abord durer"? Perhaps somewhere in between?
Which poets do you know and appreciate? Who are the favorite poets of your parents, grandparents? What are you thinking as we enter into a time together with British Romantic and Victorian Era poets?
I have a pretty basic history with poetry. Early in my life, I really had little exposure to it, except for one course in 7th grade. It always just seemed like another thing that we had to study, another pain in my school life. lately, however, Poetry has become a part of my life, mainly in the beat generation, but I'm hopeful about expanding my poetic culture.
ReplyDeleteBe patient and open with the Romantics, please. They may appear too sing-songy for you, but the depth and connection to nature and the search for meaning in this life will speak to you. List, list, oh list!
DeleteI haven't done a lot with poetry in the past. Ive done the basics that you do in school, bu ti have never really took the interest in it. Poetry was always something that i just wanted to get through. But now i look at it in a different way. I look at poetry as i way i can go out of my comfort zone and do something new. I look forward to working with poetry this term and will try anf go outside my comfort zone. I dont really know any poets. There are a lot of poems around my house, which i will pay attention and read them and maybe understand why they are up.
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy to hear that you are willing to come out of your comfort zone and tackle poetry with the goal of expanding yourself. The Romantics are fairly accessible, and by that I mean that you will find them fairly easy reads. The simplicity of language sometimes masks the depth of the poet's theme. Look closely, read each over a few times to appreciate the universal truth of nature, connection to others and the world and the angst inherent in being alive.
DeleteBesides the Shell Silverstein poetry, which I had much exposure to as a child, poetry hasn't been a large part of my life. My sister writes poetry in her free time, and if I'm lucky she lets me read it. My favorite poet is Maya Angelou, I love her confidence and she is an extremely talented poet, I know my father likes Robert Frost but we have never really discussed poetry. I don't have much knowledge with the British Romantic and Victorian Era poets but I am excited to learn about them.
ReplyDeleteVery cool that your sister writes poetry. Mine does, too, always has. She'd always share her work with me growing up (she's five years older than I), and sometimes we'd write together, but mostly goofy songs. My dad is hugely into Robert Frost - nature, stoicism, the darkness within. I know you'll find something that touches you in the Romantics, the first group we'll look at this spring. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this poems and poets!
DeleteI never had much exposure to poetry when I was growing up, although grandma loved to read Shel Silverstein books when I visited. I'm really not familiar with any sort of serious or classical poetry. I'm not sure if poetry itself is more of a way of identifying literature that doesn't fit traditional forms with the intent of conveying more meaning than regular words, or more of a serious technique that is taught.
ReplyDeleteIt is both. The Romantics were reacting to the times and changes that filled their world-the French Revolution, dissatisfaction with the strictness and rigidity of culture, religious practices, and popular thought of the day. While they strove to loosen the form and structure of poetry, you'll likely find their work following fairly conventional forms and techniques. The Victorians really loosen things up, though, and as you know, much "modern" poetry is less concerned with following strict guidelines. I'm sure you'll approach this study with your usual intellectual curiosity and energy.
Delete“You must first walk around a little before you can understand the distance from the valley to the mountain.” - Bhutanese proverb
ReplyDeleteMy previous experiences with poetry have been broad, but thorough. I grew up reading Jack Prelutsky, Shel Silverstein and other kids' poetry books. As I matured, my love and enjoyment of reading poetry grew and segued into other poets such as Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Edgar Allan Poe, Sylvia Plath, Walt Whitman, and other various authors. These poets, along with my own personal life experiences have inspired me time and again to write a poem or two. When it comes to Victorian poets, Emerson, Oscar Wilde, and the Bronte sisters come to mind. As for British Romantic Poetry Chaucer, Shakespeare, Blake, and Tennyson are the poets I'm familiar with. My parents are very creative which is probably why they enjoy reading and writing poetry. My dad loves Edgar Allan Poe and Robert Frost and my my mom has a soft spot for William Butler Yeats and Maya Angelou. My grandfather likes Edgar Allan Poe and my grandmother likes Emily Dickinson. I love poetry and I can't wait until I am back so that I will be able to join in on the conversation and analysis of the various Victorian and British poets we'll be studying. It is the subjective interpretations of fellow students that allow for engaging, insightful and opinionated class discussions – led by our poetic sage, Ms. Boyle.
Shaylah! Great to hear from you! I am so excited to explore the Romantics with you and the class. Your depth, gentle understanding, and sincere respect for all things will add immeasurably, no doubt! My grandmother loved Emily Dickinson, too. My mom loves Maya A, and I think my dad channeled Robt Frost from time to time. I can't wait to see you again and hear all the amazing stories from Bhutan. I've been following the blog postings.
DeleteI wasn't exposed to much poetry as a child, besides the occasional Dr.Seuss book. My parents and grandparents are into poetry in a sense, but only if it bares some special significance to their own personal beliefs or perspectives on life. You can find a poem in basically every bathroom in my house. That being said, my parents never invested the time to make it a crucial part of my existence. I have dabbled with poetry in my life, though. Mainly in 7th and 8th grade, where I had to put fourth projects. I really did enjoy writing them, but once the projects were over I never picked it back up. Poetry was a way for me to relieve stress and also express any overwhelming joy I had been consumed with. I'm excited to learn more about British Romantic and Victorian Era poets.
ReplyDeleteHow many bathrooms are there in your house? :)
DeleteYou know, your experience with poetry is not at all unusual. Sometimes we need to have more life experience to appreciate the subtler side of poetry and its connection to our humanity. I want to hear more about your thoughts on lyrics stress relief through poetry. Very cool.
Like many of us, I have not been exposed to much poetry throughout my life, mostly because my parents never really got into it. The only person I know that enjoyed poetry was my grandmother, and I am not even sure which poet she liked, or even which poems. I remember one day in fifth grade she came over and as we thought about what to do, she decided she wanted to write poetry. I grabbed a small notebook and a pencil for both of us to use. We gave each other topics at random and came up with little rhyming poems on the spot. When we were done, we looked over all of the poems and picked a winner. Because my exposure to poetry has been limited outside of school, this is the only thing that I remember. Since then, I have not hated poetry, but I have not found any particular poet or poem that I enjoyed or connected to. I plan on entering the world of poetry with an open mind so that I have the opportunity to enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteSteph, that is a great memory; do you remember the winning poem? Does it exist somewhere? My gram used to keep all our writing and drawings in a scrapbook, and my mom still has that huge book with all the bits of poems, notes, newspaper clippings, and so on sticking out all over. I hope you find a poet that speaks to you, and as we move into the research project on one poet, pick wisely. Spend your month with someone's work you enjoy and finding meaningful. It'll stay with you long after this class is over!
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ReplyDeleteI haven’t really had much experience with poetry in my life other than in school when we learned about poets and poetry in elementary and middle school. I don’t like to write poetry because I feel like you have to be naturally poetic and it should just come easily (which is not the case) but I really like reading it because you can put yourself right into the poets mind and the imagery is really fun to read. I’m excited to learn more about poetry this term because I think it’s one of the most difficult types of writing and you have to be really talented to be good at it.
ReplyDeleteI know many, many people- teens and adults who feel the same way. The interesting thing is that most little kids don't feel that way; if you give them a chance to write poetry, they have lots of fun with it-being creative, silly, serious-whatever reflects their personalities. I think sometimes as we grow up and become aware of ourselves and others, we lose that inner delight in things that involve the potential for others to judge us. Worse, we judge ourselves instead of enjoying the act of creation. No one's judging here! :)
DeleteSo far in my life, i cant say that i have had a significant amount of experience with poetry. However, i do remember when i was little and my mom used to do my hair. I was really tenderheaded and to make me feel better, we would make up poems about my hair together. We still have it somewhere in my house, but since then, poetry has always given me a warm feeling inside. I like poetry because i feel it can have so much deep meaning, whether your a famous poet or not. Its definetly a type of writing that comes from the heart. One poet that has been important to me since i was little was Dr. Seuss. From the time i was born my mom used to read Green Eggs and Ham to me before i went to sleep and ever since it has been one of my favorite books by Dr. Seuss. But the other reason why i love his writing is because it is very meaningful and relatable. My favorite saying by him is something that i have kept with me for years. "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind dont matter and those who matter dont mind." One poet that my mother really likes is Paul Lawrence Dunbar. She enjoys the fact that he is an african-american poet and was one of the 1st black poets to gain national recognition. I am excited to begin reading British Romantic and Victorian Era poems personally because it sounds like it wouldnt be boring at all
ReplyDeleteWell, it sounds like you have more experience than your opening statements alludes to, and as you mention, poetry ranges from Seuss to Dunbar and beyond. I hope you enjoy the Romantics this week and next. Perhaps one of them will be the one you'll look into for your research, or maybe you'll choose Dunbar or another...I'm interested to see which poet you choose to look deeply into for the final month of this term.
DeleteIn my life, I haven't been surrounded by poetry that much. As I mentioned in class, my first real experience with it was in 6th grade at my old school. We had the PoeTea, which is when we would have little cookies and tea and desserts and each kid would have to go up and recite a poem that they had to memorize. It was really fun, and I thought it was a great way to expose young kids to the art of poetry. I really like Robert Frost because I have read a lot of his poems. Other than that, I don't really know many poets. As far as poems go, I really like to read about springtime, and the light and fluffy stuff. My parents don't really read poetry, but I do like Irish Limericks and the rhyming catchy part of it. I am really looking forward to this term because I've always found poetry fairly interesting and I want to look into it more in-depth.
ReplyDelete-Mallory
I think I know what you mean by "the light and fluffy stuff," but I wonder if you are referring to the content or rhyme scheme. The Romantics moved away from the constraints of formulaic language and structure, so you will see some simplicity and "naturalness" in the language used. I hope you'll enjoy, and give serious attention and thought into the more complex sonnets, especially.
DeleteI never really had any experience with poetry other than in class. The poems that I read were only the ones that were on my korean textbook. My parents especially my mom would read me a lot of books when I was little but I don't remember reading any poems with my parents. I wasn't interested in any poems because the poems that I had experience with, I had to memorize and study about what style of poem it was. I never got to understand the true meaning and why the person would write this kind of poem. But since we are going to actually get to know the poet and focus on one specific poetry that we are interested, I am excited to read British Romantic and Victorian Era poems even though I don't really know what they are and had no experience with these pieces. However, I look forward to studying about something new.
ReplyDeleteI love your willingness to give this a try with an open mind and interest in expanding yourself! You will no doubt find a poem that is really interesting and touches you personally,then you can explore the poet who write it deeply in your research work during the last month of the term. Enjoy!
DeleteSo far in my life, I have been exposed to different poetry over my years in school. My mom used to sit down with Jennie and I and we would read poems. Even some simple poetry books I basically have memorized. When I got into seventh grade, poetry is all we did our whole year in English class. We would read poems and look into their meanings, and then for our final assessment we were required to put together a portfolio of 12 poems that we wrote. Truthfully, I love reading poetry, but I really do not like writing it. For some reason, I just cannot easily write a thoughtful poem in a brief period of time. I am interested though in what we are going to look at in class. I sometimes use poetry to brighten my mood and I'll just sit down and open a book of poems and read. I am always going to keep an open mind when it comes to poetry, because I have noticed as I get older I will take away different aspects of the poems I read. -Laura
ReplyDeleteIt is so true that as you get older you see different meanings in poems, as you have more experiences that add to your understanding of the poet's intent. I agree with you that reading poetry is often more pleasurable that writing it, but I think Wordsworth got it right when he noted that you need a time of passionate reaction and then solitude to reflect and write. Sometimes we sit to write without the first condition.
DeleteEver since I have been young, my mother exposed me to many different types of poetry. Every night before we would go to bed, she would pick out a different book of poems and read to us until we fell asleep. Once I arrived in seventh and eighth grade, my English teacher focused a lot on poetry. She taught us about stanzas, rhyme schemes, pentameters, and the famous poets throughout history. At the end of each quarter, she would have us hand in a poem portfolio that would demonstrate our 'poetic skills'. One poet that I have always been a fan of and has influenced my life is Robert Frost. There hasn't been one time in my life where I could not find some form of inspiration in his writing. I actually became a fan of his work because my mother used to read me his poems when I was little. As we enter this term learning about British Romantic and Victorian Era poets, I am excited to see their style of writing and delve into their underlying messages. Though I have had no previous experience with poems of these eras, I definitely look forward to reading and evaluating them this term! :) -Jennie
ReplyDeleteFrost is a favorite among so many Americans, as his writing and themes are familiar to us all, especially in New England. His dark side appeals to many, as well, as it speaks to the duality of nature and existence we all feel. I think you'll fins the Romantics equally moving and thoughtful in their approach to finding meaning in love, loss, nature, and the human condition.
ReplyDeleteI have not been exposed to much poetry in my house. I cannot tell you my mothers favorite poet, and I'm quite sure my father hasn't read poetry since elementary school. My grandparents, although, have talked about many french poets before, for they are both from france. We did read Dr. Suess as a child, and I have all the Shel Silverstien books, Although my mom is an english major, she makes very few references. I really enjoy poetry, and think it is an excellent way to potray emotions. Although telling stories through poetry is fun as well, I really enjoy dissecting poems with big words and deeper meanings. I especially love poems about love. Thus I am very excited for the romantic and victorian eras. I am very excited and feel I will excel at poetry this spring term.
ReplyDeletethe last comment was keeley
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ReplyDeleteThough outside of school, poetry is scarcely brought up, Poetry has always been a favorite subject of mine. I love how complex and elegant poetry is. In seventh grade, my English class had a huge poetry project, where there had to be a certain number of poems, within different genres of poetry, and a display to go along with it. That project was easily one of my favorite school projects that i have ever completed. I am more of a fan of writing poetry rather than reading it, but i appreciate it because these poets work just as long as novelists to produce the perfect piece of writing.I like to write poetry because it forces a more creative type of writing, which is out of my comfort zone, so poetry is a challenge that i love to complete.
ReplyDeletePlease share your thoughts and experience with poetry thus far in your life. Does it make you raise your face to its sunny warmth or make you want to hunker down to Hemingway's mantra, il faut d'abord durer"? Perhaps somewhere in between?
ReplyDeleteWhich poets do you know and appreciate? Who are the favorite poets of your parents, grandparents? What are you thinking as we enter into a time together with British Romantic and Victorian Era poets?
Poetry has always been apart of my life. Ever since I was little I knew about and respected the art of poetry because of my mother's history with literature. As I grew older and began to understand deeper meaning, in any type of situation, my brother shared what he knew of the art with me. At first he was kind enough to share most of his own work, and then he felt more passionate about reading some of his favorite writers' pieces aloud to me. Both my mother and brother share a love for the art of poetry and I appreciate their work as well as E.E. Cummings, Lorca, Poe and Kerouac. I was first introduced to poetry written by Shakespeare because of my mother's taste, and I tend to like the more realistic writing style. I enjoy poems that tend to follow a type of story and I find beauty and light in even the most darkest works. Sometimes my brother and I will read poems as if they are a type of mystery genre, and we read and try to discover the true meaning behind the writers intent. I was very excited to hear that we are going to start reading poetry for this term. I am thinking that I will expand my knowledge of the subject even more and I can't wait to learn more about the more earlier poets of the world.