Classmate Response 5

How are your classmate’s linebreaks? Do they speed up or slow down the poem? Is it appropriate for the material? How can they rebreak the lines? Some people like longer lines and some shorter, but understanding the difference and playing with different breaks can be important too. Break the following in your own way. It’s a section from “Engagement” by Adam Sol.

The young man knows he's going to die today, but he's wrong.
The other young man figures the army is the best way to improve his life,
    but he's wrong.
They both think their weapons will protect them, but they're wrong.
They both believe their prayers will help.

Here are a few ways this poem can be enjambed:

The young man knows

he’s going to die today,

but he’s wrong.

OR

The young man knows he going to die today,

but he’s wrong.

OR

The young man

knows he’s going to die

today,

but he’s wrong.

Freewrite Week 5

To continue the sensationalization theme, give it a shot. Find a tragic event to write about or a huge star. To keep this light, much like the Barney poem, think about writing the Big Bird poem or the Jessica Rabbit poem. Will you stick to conventional perceptions of them? That’s not fun. Rewrite the characters.

Reading Response 5

It’s time for the sensational subject. In response to chapter 11 of Writing Poetry. What types of subject can you name that are too large to write about? How else could you rework them so they seem “mundane?” Why do they need to be? Is that not the role of art—to tackle huge events for the public? What is problematic about assigning this role (or not assigning it) to art? Do poets lose an opportunity to rework huge events? Are they restricted if they do?

Freewrite 4

For the freewrite this week, try something new inspired by the poem “Detachable” by Jenna Cardinale.

Detachable

The elk's antlers grow
until the animal is all
antler. Sexy requires
so much.

The angler in
the sticky
bar.

Feathers, too. Tar.

I have thought so much
about bravery.

Cardinale’s work is short and surprising. Try to compact your language like her. Write a poem that is made of a single sentence. Don't forget to play with language. But also remove any extra language.

Reading Response 4

In response to chapter 9 in Writing Poetry, detail the difference between too much clarity and not enough? What are the dangers of both? How do you remain original and fresh in your poetry, and yet make sense to readers? What are some techniques you could use? Also, which of the two are more important to you? Using leaps in language or being understood?

Classmate Response 4

Find a word in a classmate’s poem that is weak or expected. Make a list of at least three synonyms and three alternatives for that word. Share these lists with your classmate and challenge them to create lists of your own. Proper diction is one of the hardest parts of being a poet.

For instance, let’s play with a line from Ezra Pound’s “The Tree.”

I stood still and was a tree amid the wood,

Knowing the truth of things unseen before.

Sure, this was progressive for Romantics, but standing as still as a tree is a bit expected now. So, let’s try the exercise. It’s hard to find a synonym for a tree. We have “plant,” but we could also generate several types of trees. Elm, ash, fir, oak, etc. “I was an elm amid the wood / Knowing the truth of things unseen.” Then, we could find something entirely different. A list of three unexpected words: Queen, Militant, Trestle. “I stood still as a queen amid the wood / and knew the unseen truth.”

Reading Response 3

What do you think of Russell Edson’s work? Can a poet write about anything? Dogs walking up walls and a woman sleeping with an ape? At what poet does it stop being poetic? Or does it? What are the motivations for a poet to write such content? To shock the crowds? To play with language and subject material? Do you enjoy the grotesqueness? Is this something you would employ in your own work?