9/23 - What is poetry?

Today, we looked at the article, “Definition of poetry splits the literati” and responded to the quote, “I would say, if [poetry] doesn’t have rhyme or metre, then it is not poetry, it is just prose. You can have prose that is full of imagery, but it is still prose.” (Journal #1) Then, in groups, we defined poetry, definitions we will return to at the end of the quarter.

I shared a quote from Helen Vendler, noting that economy of language and precise word choice are often cited characteristics of poetry:

“A word in a poem is used because it ‘fits’ the overlapping schemes of the poem better than any other word. From one angle, it fits because it is a word the speaker of the poem might ‘really’ use…From another angle, it fits because it has the right number of syllables for that place in the line. From yet another, it fits because it begins with the same letter as a word closely allied to it nearby in the poem. From yet another, it fits because it disrupts the expected rhythm and therefore introduces force into the line. From yet another, it fits because it inserts semantic surprise, on the one hand, or semantic confirmation, on the other, into the semantic configuration of the poem or stanza. Substitute another word for this one and you have a loss of force, a loss of surprise, a too-short line, an inappropriate diction for the envisaged speaker, or an absence of a binding phonetic link between a given word and another 'belonging' to it (as, say, an adjective ‘belongs to’ its noun.) Neither orators nor letter writers take such care with every word as poets do (3)”.

Finally, we discussed the homework: Write one sentence about each of the following poems:
“To My Dear and Loving Husband”
“On My First Son”
“Nightmare Begins Responsibility”
These poems will be the focus of Wednesday's discussion.