Blog Post #2
When writing poetry, one feels a sense of freedom as one engrosses oneself in the ideas one brings to life—drawing from lived experiences or taking inspiration from fictional elements. However, when it comes to analyzing someone else's poetry, it becomes quite a daunting task to try and decipher what is in the poet's mind. Why did they use that specific tone, meter, diction, etc? Having to come up with reasons for why and what aspects of their life could have drawn inspiration from. Despite this, writing about poetry can help one better understand and write their own. It informs you with the necessary tools and devices to easily flow the words onto the paper. Becoming almost second nature because of the awareness of the components that make up a poem. Vice versa, when you write poetry, you are more likely to understand why certain choices were made and how successful the poet was at conveying their message. I think creating a poetry writing activity where they can write whichever style of poem they would like and draw from their imagination allows students to explore creativity and enhance their ability to decipher poetic devices. That could help them when it comes to analyzing later or classic poets. Students also often feel daunting for many students who may not be well-versed in poetry and struggle to understand a poem's overall message. Having an activity that allows them to expand their knowledge can be a fun and engaging way to get students interested.
I really agree with your point about the freedom that comes with writing poetry and how challenging it can be to analyze someone else’s work. It’s true that understanding a poet’s choices—like tone, diction, and meter—can feel daunting, but I like how you highlighted that analyzing poetry can actually improve one’s writing. By recognizing how poets use certain devices to convey meaning, we can apply those same techniques in our own work. I also think your idea of having students write poems in any style they like is a great way to build both creativity and analytical skills. When students experience the process of making deliberate choices in their poetry, they can better appreciate the decisions poets make in published works. Plus, making the activity fun and open-ended encourages students who might otherwise feel intimidated by poetry to engage with it more deeply. Overall, your ideas promote a balanced approach to poetry.
ReplyDeleteHey America!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your take on how writing poetry can greatly help when analyzing poetry. I agree with you that when you write your own poetry, you become aware of the components that make up a poem and the choices used for conveying a certain message or messages. As you mention, allowing students to explore their own creativity through poetry can help them understand poetry in a way that is more engaging for the classroom. I also feel that once students begin writing their own poetry, they will find the experience less intimidating, and they will have more confidence when analyzing other poets and the literary devices they decide to use. With that said, it will also help them explore and expand literary devices when writing, which will make it easier for them to spot when they are analyzing poetry. It becomes a creative win-win situation that benefits students in the long run.
Hey America,
ReplyDeleteYour take really piqued my interest, as deciphering the poet’s mind and why they did certain things and added or didn’t add stuff is what can make or break a poem and its thematic elements. It’s also true that writing about poetry can make poets who aspire to get into the field hone their craft, as understanding techniques, patterns, and common or uncommon writing techniques is vital information that can be used. It can go both ways for sure, and while the two crafts are wildly different, they have a lot of common middle grounds that can be used to explore the creation process and the deciphering one. I really like your idea that you mentioned around the end, which is your students exploring their creativity, as it seems engaging for something most students don't do enough of doing, which is dissecting poems and other pieces of media or literature. It’s all about making them enjoy the task, while making sure that they learn critical thinking skills.