Blogger #6 - Ava Espiritu - Period 2 - 11/8/2020 - Cycle A

Today’s Aim: How has poetic expression evolved in the 21st century?

Our Do Now was a team discussion about whether or not technology and the 21st century are ruining literature as we know it, why or why not? My team said that technology actually benefits literature with its ability to spread and communicate information around the world. People can discuss literature online and provide their perspectives and interpretations of a piece of literature.

In our class discussion, one student said that technology doesn’t ruin literature because it can give people access to literature, but another student contradicted that people could post misleading information. One student added that the content of literature doesn’t change, only the format. Another thought that technology “expands the branches of literature” since you can find literature everywhere. Modern technology provides people with more opportunities to create literature through social media and other online platforms.

The class watched a video about a woman named Rupi Kaur who wrote a book of a collection of her poetry. When she was young, Rupi moved from Punjab to the U.S. not knowing any English and not able to make friends, and books became her friends. After writing her book now at 22, she got rejected so many times by publishing companies that she finally self-published her poetry book, even as a college student with no money. She wrote poetry and drew pictures, immersing herself in art and literature. Then Rupi read her poem “Timeless” from her second book The Sun and Her Flowers, a poem about how people kept bothering her and trying to persuade her to write a second book otherwise she would be replaced by someone younger. Rupi builds herself up, saying that she will only grow and improve as she gets older, she will not be replaced.

See the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHkFFA5iGlc&feature=share&ab_channel=TheTonightShowStarringJimmyFallon 

Then the class watched a second video of Rupi Kaur reading a poem from her first book, Milk and Honey. In the poem, Rupi uses imagery and extended metaphors to compare herself to a small, cozy town rather than a big city. Rupi’s message is that she is not something you can just use and then forget like a hotel room, but permanent and familiar and warm like a home.

See the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y4sIbnRM58&feature=share&ab_channel=SimonSchusterUK  

We looked at examples of poetry in social media and song lyrics:

“One taught me love,

one taught me patience,

one taught me pain,

now I’m so amazing.”

-Ariana Grande 

Epic Poetry: A genre of classical poetry; a long narrative poem that is usually about heroic deeds and events that are significant to the culture of the poet.

Then the class read an article called “Can Instagram Make Poems Sell Again?” by John Maher. The article provided two points of view on Rupi Kaur and her poetry.

Team Work: The class answered questions citing evidence from the text (completed outside of class). The questions included:

1. According to the article, what is at least one criticism of Rupi Kaur’s contribution to the world of poetry?

2. Cite evidence in order to show how John Maher argues for the literary value of what he calls the “Rupi effect”.

3. Based on your own personal opinion and the contents of the article, explain the rise in popularity of poetry on social media platforms (Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram) these past few years.

Micropoetry: Micropoetry is a genre of poetic verse which is characterized by its extreme brevity. In other words, a micropoem is a short poem.

The class used their word pools for inspiration to create their own micropoems either in the format of Twitter, using only 280 characters (or 140 for an extra challenge), or Instagram, making it short but relatable (and aesthetically pleasing for a challenge).

Reflection: 

Today I learned how poetic expression has evolved in the 21st century. I learned that we can find poetry in social media and in song lyrics. I also learned about epic poetry and micropoetry. This lesson taught me that poetry can come in many forms, as long as it is self-expression, and the expression of emotions and feelings.

I learned about modern poetic expression to gain more knowledge of different types of poetry and how poems are not restricted to just one format. I learned this because it is important to see how poetry evolves through technology, and how people express themselves today. I learned about social media poets because they introduce younger generations to older works and classical poetry.

I will use this knowledge as inspiration, proving that poems come in all different sizes and formats. I will be able to create my own poetry and be able to recognize poetic expression in everyday life. I will use what I learned to be accepting of art and poetry and self-expression in general, in every form. I will use the knowledge to find literature recommendations on the Internet through research. This lesson will give me a better, deeper understanding of how poetry is defined in a modern age.