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The Death of Poetry
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The Death of Poetry |
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Saxoness
since 1999-07-18
Posts 1102Texas 
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Hello all, haven't been here in months and months, I have been really busy with school. I wrote this for a class and since it was so well recieved, I thought I would post it! I did however chang ethe names to protect the innocent. hee hee hee The Death of Poetry Poetry is dead. At least that is the headline I came across a few days ago while browsing the Internet for something to do. Being a poet, I was at once shocked and dismayed to learn that someone had the audacity to make that bold statement, and was even more surprised to find it on a popular web site for poets, posted by the site owner. Of course, I had to read further. I was very relived to find out that the statement in fact wasn't his personal opinion, but just a ploy to get readers to see an L.A Weekly article that seemed to have the opinion that poetry was six feet under. (The ploy worked, of course.) After reading the article, I began to hear more and more people voice the opinion that poetry was indeed fading away into the past. It is indisputable that in medieval times, poetry was not only used for aesthetic enjoyment, but also as a means to record history and important events. In modern times, poetry is no longer needed for record keeping. Many people are becoming less and less interested in it. Brenda Bernhard, a writer for the L.A Weekly states "poets [today] can be divided into two categories: those who fall about laughing when the subject of book sales is broached; and those who, brows furrowed, earnestly assure you that more and more people are becoming interested in poetry." (Bernhard, 1) We are being drawn away from literary education appreciation and more into the world of technology. However, poetry has not become a dead art, but instead, has adapted to the modern times we live in. What is considered poetry in modern terms? "There are many definitions…from the national mainstream to the avant garde, street poetry, performance, regional, ethnic…" (Somoza, 1) Because of the wide spread variances of poetry, it's very difficult to put one solid definition on what poetry can be defined as. If we look at the actual form of poetry, of course we can put a label on it, whether it be free style, structured verse, rhyme, and we can go even further and use categories such as the sonnet, or the haiku, or tanka, quatrain, cinquain, limerick, and so on. "Poetry is the soul of a culture, man," (Bernhard, 2) states one L.A poet. Of course we know that many people only see poetry as it was, full of Shakespearean flippery and outdated language. However, poetry has developed into a separate entity, a new art form that prospers on it's own. When comparing medieval poetry to some of today's poetry, we see exactly how different and unique the two types are from each other. For instance, if we look at modern L.A poet Eric Priestly's Nobody Dies": "Wake up brother & tell us when you died did your synapses fail to pass acetylcholine to the next nerve juncture on that day hangman's knot crimped your sphincter & turned your bowels to water in the bigots' clay? did they whip your head till it flayed in the maw? was it the wrong place wrong time? did they smoke your hood? were they yoking you to the bone raw? did you take your sappin' good? wake up brother! tell us how you died!" (Bernhard, 2) (L.A Weekly, 5) and "And Thou Art Dead, As Young And Fair" from George Gordon, Lord Byron: "And thou art dead, as young and fair As aught of mortal birth; And form so soft, and charms so rare, Too soon return'd to Earth! Though Earth receiv'd them in her bed, And o'er the spot the crowd may tread In carelessness or mirth, There is an eye which could not brook A moment on that grave to look. I will not ask where thou liest low, Nor gaze upon the spot; There flowers or weeds at will may grow, So I behold them not: It is enough for me to prove That what I lov'd, and long must love, Like common earth can rot; To me there needs no stone to tell, 'T is Nothing that I lov'd so well. Yet did I love thee to the last As fervently as thou, Who didst not change through all the past, And canst not alter now. The love where Death has set his seal, Nor age can chill, nor rival steal, Nor falsehood disavow: And, what were worse, thou canst not see Or wrong, or change, or fault in me… (Bernhard, 4) We see many differences between the two. For instance, the language used in Priestly's poem is more modern, with words and phrases like "sappin' " and "did they smoke your hood" are terms that we, as a modern society can better relate to and understand. Byron uses phrases such as " and thou art dead" which are lovely and sophisticated, but are hard to identify with. Like any other art, poetry changes to adapt to the times. Its definition is moldable, changeable, and flexible. It is, essentially, defined by the very people who write it, who read it, who remember it. It is very possible that poetry has become a regional interest. Who reads it, who doesn't? " In big cities, like New York, Baltimore, Chicago, Portland, and San Francisco you can pick up free, monthly poetry calendars at most book stores that will list day by day performances and readings in that city as well as related activities such as poetry workshops--some led by a celebrity post; others, peer-group". (Somoza, 2) In the publsihed book "The Poets Market" we see that hundreds of big city publishers are looking for poetry. Small cities however, seem to be in a poetic black hole. The opinion of many seems to be that poetry is a waste of time, something that is reserved for beatniks, or the sinfully rich that have nothing better to do. Nate Peterson, a student at Missouri's Truman University states " Poetry doesn't seem like an art. It's a waste of words. Why don't you just say what you mean and get on with something more important." Why is there such a big difference between the two areas? Perhaps there are more opportunities for exposure to poetry in the big cities. Jessica Andrews, a 7th grade English teacher says "Bigger school districts tend to have more art classes like English, Theatre, art, where children can be exposed to poetry at a very young age. In small school districts, less instructors can be found to teach, so more emphasis is put on the core subjects, and, although it is unfortunate, the arts seem to be considered expendable in the curriculum." The age of technology has certainly brought about many changes to our poetic world. "Poetry matters remarkably little to us, either on a daily level or on a symbolic, even sentimental, level. No one talks about it, and no one quotes it. No one even seems to feel nostalgic about it. However, poetry still seems to be hanging on determinedly. William Carlos Williams, poet, writes: My heart rouses thinking to bring you news of something that concerns you and concerns many men. Look at what passes for the new. You will not find it there but in despised poems. It is difficult to get the news from poems yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there. And so, some 40 years after those lines were written, here we are, dying miserably in affluent traffic jams with cell phones glued to our ears. If poetry felt pretty small-time in Williams' day, it feels positively microscopic now." (L.A Weekly, 7) Perhaps one of the main reasons poetry's worth is being questioned, is the lack of literary education in schools. Joseph McCarthy, a freshman at Florida State University was asked his opinion on poetry education being required in grade school. "It didn't help me any but if it is taught right it could really open peoples minds" Rebecca Grant of Illinois says " I don't think poetry should be required in school, because not all kids get into it. I think that should be an option, I think they could be introduced to it, but I don't think it's a vital part of learning." Sara Dillon from Connecticut states "I think it's a good idea to teach kids to appreciate poetry. Shorter attention spans mean that poetry is ideal for kids. There's a school for homeless kids in Phoenix, the kids are allowed to take books home if they like them. The school can't keep poetry books on the shelf! Kids love them." Many say that we should just let poetry proceed to its death as quickly as possible. Mike Richards of Texas Christian University was quoted as saying " It's really not necessary. If you waste your time making kids learn about iambic pentameter, and not about say, how to use a computer, they might have a better appreciation for the arts, but will be lost in the real world where technology has become so important." Will technology, in the long run, eradicate poetry? What if there is a way to boost poetry interest? Is it possible to combine technology and poetry, use one for the other? "In April (poetry month), a group called poets anonymous launched a billboard campaign throughout the city. The idea seemed to be that, instead of staring at the latest ads, weary drivers would enjoy contemplating a few lines of poetry in extremely large, commuter-friendly type…one poem-fragment (by Nikki Giovanni) came close to articulating why an anonymous group of poets might feel desperate enough to put poems on billboards in the first place: Perhaps these are not poetic times at all Perhaps not. The two things that seem to excite Americans right now are toilet humor and technology." (L.A Weekly, 2) With the Internet becoming more and more intertwined in our everyday lives, it seems an obvious step to make poetry an active part. After some Internet research, I discovered that in fact, poetry is enjoying a rebirth on the superhighway. Poetry is the most sought after word on the Internet. Thousand of web sites pop up everyday for those who enjoy reading and writing it. Some of the most popular sites are Netpoets, The Open Scroll, or Artistic Expressions. Netpoets, which boasts over 2,000 active members and over 2 million visitors, had a mission statement on the opening page that states its purpose. "Poems have magic, especially when they come from the heart. They can touch us, move us, delight us, enlighten us, make us laugh, make us cry, and both soften and enrich our deepest memories. Poems are the ties that bind one stranger to another, often in friendship, sometimes in love, always in understanding. This web site is about love and passion, about poetry, and about poems that communicate deep and profound feelings of the heart and soul. It's about people. People like you and me. People who have experienced life and love, the good and the bad, and wish to share those feelings with friends."(http://www.netpoets.com) It is amazing how much interest people actually have in poetry. Once they have a convenient means to pursue their interest, there is no end to the creativity many thought too dormant to revive. The poetry sites are set up with forums that allow poets to display their own work, while reading and commenting on others. In the guidelines section at Artistic Expressions you can learn how to easily use the forums "WELCOME! Feel free to post your Poems/Short Stories in whatever style you like at the Writing Forum, or just stop by to read or comment on others work...all are welcome and appreciated! NEVER be hesitant about placing your work here...never say "It's just not good enough".... you may be pleasantly surprised! We at this Forum feel that ANY writing that comes from the heart is perfect! This Forum is open to any and all suggestions. Drop us an e-mail to the Addy at the top of the page there if you have any ideas or problems. If you have knowledge of HTML you can also add graphics to your works as long as the graphics don't overly slow down the forum." (artisticexpresions.com) Just when it seems to be hopeless for poetry to survive, a proverbial "path" seems to appear. So the final question seems to be, is poetry really dead? Poet Laureate Rita Dove doesn't think so. She says "I've felt this resurgence of interest in poetry for at least the last five years…The result of poetry is that it both speaks to your interior life and connects you with other interior lives." (Christian Science Monitor, 1) Bill Moyers was quoted in the Christian Science Monitor as saying "The heightened language that is poetry will always serve our heightened need to be human and talk about it." Another article in the Christian Science Monitor reads "Poetry, the alleged quietest of arts, has grown into a multicultural chorus in America over the last few years. Coming from everywhere, poets are now sprinkling poems on the populace in the byways of daily life; on buses in Chicago, in New York subways, in hotel rooms, hospital rooms, on CDs, cassettes, radio, and soon to be scattered throughout thousands of phonebooks on Long Island, N.Y., by the American Poetry and Literary Project. Add an Avalanche of poetry readings and slam contests, in hundreds of bookstores and cafes from coast to coast; mix in funky poets on MTV, ebullient poets featured now on Language of Life" a PBS series hosted by Bill Moyers, and the upcoming TV series The United States of Poetry. How long before the big hitters in poetry smile from glossy trading cards?" (Christian Science Monitor, 1) Poetry is one of the oldest forms of communication to a race that is inherently creative, who's needs for beauty rivals the need for breath. As long as there are tears, as long as there is joy, as long as emotion in any form exists, poetry will eternally co-exist with it. True, it will change and adapt to the times, as it already has in so many ways, but it will never, ever, die. "Glory remains unaware of my neglected dwelling where alone I sing my tearful song which has charms only for me." -Charles Brugnot |
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Dusk Treader
Moderator
Senior Member
since 1999-06-18
Posts 1187St. Paul, MN |
Wooo.. the good ol' school essay format with in text citations? woohoo! LOL "Poetry doesn't seem like an art. It's a waste of words. Why don't you just say what you mean and get on with something more important." I think someone should find our good boy Nate a muzzle  Good essay you have here, and I absolutely loved the last paragraph, wonderful conclusion. "Poetry is one of the oldest forms of communication to a race that is inherently creative, who's needs for beauty rivals the need for breath." Loved that line Abrahm Simons "You... You are so special You have the talent To make me feel like Dirt" - Alice in Chains, "Dirt" |
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netswan Senior Member
since 2000-03-28
Posts 1369Washington |
Sax, I hope you got a great grade on this paper of yours -- You followed through with your research well -- and concluded it brilliantly. Thanks for sharing -- PS I saw that Poetry is Dead site, too. LOL Well Done netswan |
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jbouder Member Elite
since 1999-09-18
Posts 2534Whole Sort Of Genl Mish Mash |
Saxoness: Very interesting stuff, well researched and well written. I trust you will get a good grade on this. I read an article recently that described a series of debates that took place in 18th century England in the form of poetry in print. They were best sellers in their day. If you are interested, I'll point you in the direction of a copy. Jim |
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Saxoness
since 1999-07-18
Posts 1102Texas |
Thank you all so much! I love poetry (duh) so I figured writing a paper on it was the best choice "Glory remains unaware of my neglected dwelling where alone I sing my tearful song which has charms only for me." -Charles Brugnot |
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