Ms. J. Peterson's Blog: Blogger #17, Andrew Neria, Period 1 , 3/11/21, Day A

Aim: How can we define the literary value of poetry?

Do Now: WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION

Be prepared to call on each other!!!

Consider your prior experiences you’ve had when reading poetry (good and bad).

What are some of the challenges you and/or others can experience while reading poetry?

Consider the following question:

What does poetry mean to you?

The class brainstormed a multitude of challenges. The general consensus consisted of difficulty understanding the language used in poetry. Many, like Niko, found it too cryptic and interpretive, getting lost when navigating through figurative language and reading between the lines. It was generally disliked when assigned as class work. However, many also enjoyed reading poetry recreationally. Sofia enjoyed the sound of poetry, admiring the flowing nature or the clever uses of language. Meanwhile, others like Samuel confronted the challenge with excitement, finding joy in peeling back the layers and discovering hidden meanings. Interestingly, John described it as a coin flip, a hit or miss. This encompasses what I perceived as the entire class’s disposition on poetry as a whole; sometimes it can be too vague and other times it is the right amount of mysterious and enjoyable.

*This displays the clever use of language typically displayed in poetry, but also the underlying meaning of those words

What is Poetry?

After brainstorming during the Do Now, we watched a video on what constitutes a poem. Written by Muhammed Ali, what is considered to be the shortest poem to exist reads: “Me / We, or Me / Weee!?” This brings up an interesting and long debated question: What is a poem? We learned that poems are usually characterized by musicality, condensed language, and intense emotion. However, not all pieces of poetry line up perfectly with these expectations. Some are deeply rooted in visual appeal, while others are distinguished in their use of flow and song. It is unclear whether something can be classified as poetry. For example, some songs, visual art (involving words, of course), and speeches begin to encroach on what we consider poetry, and vice versa. The video reinforces the idea that poetry is a form of art, and cannot be confined within our boundaries. If you look beyond the form of a poem and internalize the concept of poetry, you can begin to see the poetic nature in everything around us.

ted-ed-logo – Copy / Paste

*What makes a poem … a poem? - Melissa Kovacs [5:19]

After we learned a little bit about the art of poetry, we dove into a subdivision called free verse poetry. This type of poetry has no rules, allowing the poet to fully express themselves without restriction. Of course, there are many different techniques that may be employed when writing free verse poetry. These include, but are not limited to rhyme, alliteration, personification, and rhythm.

*Free Verse Poetry - The Quiet Creative [1:38 *The pleasure of poetic pattern - David Silverstein [4:46]

GROUP DISCUSSION

How can we define poetry?

Following our talk about free verse poetry, we moved into breakout rooms. We were given two poems to analyze: “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman and “Poetry” by Pablo Neruda. Our objective was to come up with a final definition of poetry and summarize Whitman and Neruda’s definition of poetry. Joel was the first to jump in and say that poetry is self-expression using interpretive writing. We also included that poetry usually has an intended audience. Additionally, it doesn't always have to rhyme and must be unraveled to find the meaning and emotion from the writer.

*Walt Whitman’s “Song to Myself”

John said it was rather laidback and less cryptic. This poem also had a unique sentence structure, but unfortunately, we were unable to discover why. The group’s interpretation of Whitman’s views on poetry was that poetry is a feeling, or an idea. It should be written using your own personal experiences and has to be seeked out.

*Paul Neruda’s “Poetry”

Neruda claims that poetry had found him in a hectic and dramatic environment. Anton was the first to point out that on line 28-31, there is mention of the heavens seeming bestowing Neruda with knowledge of poetry, giving him a sense of identity.

*My table of information based on our group discussion

REFLECTION

I learned about the versatility and power of poetry. I had previously disliked poetry because of its obscure nature, but over the course of this lesson, I realized that it’s rather interesting and fulfilling when you peel back the layers and discover the hidden meaning. Poetry is very insightful in the way we can feel the emotion of the writer at the time, and can be an effective tool when self-reflecting or an interesting pastime. On a side note, when we were pulled back in after our group discussion, Ms. Peterson mentioned that devoting yourself to something is the way to consistently procure a well-written poem. We learned all of these things about poetry because of our upcoming project, but more importantly, to erase our negative preconceptions on poetry. In previous experiences, poems have been a grueling and annoyingly complex obstacle to overcome during a stressful test, but it has become increasingly obvious after today’s lesson that poems can be incredibly satisfying and absorbing. I will continue to see poetry in this new lens and perhaps learn to appreciate it. Whether it be a recreational activity or an opportunity to express yourself, poetry can be a fascinating way to explore literacy. I will also keep in mind Ms. Peterson’s words on applying yourself and enjoying your work to make it less taxing.

Miscellaneous Videos About Poetry