English 20-2
WHAT IS A POEM?
Adapted from How to Read a Poem by Terry Eagleton
A poem is a fictional1, verbally inventive2 moral statement3 in which it is the author, rather than the printer or word processor, who decides where the lines should end.
1 “Fictional” means that even if the poem refers to real people and events, what we really care about isn’t its factual truth. Instead, we care about its moral truth. In other words we care whether or not the poem is true about life in general.
2 Poetry uses language in original or surprising ways; but not all the time—sometimes it can be very plain. But even when the language is plain, it draws attention to itself. Breaking a text into lines is a cue to pay attention to the language itself, to experience the words as material events, in vibrations (sound) and ink (shape), rather than to read right through them to the meaning. Readers of poetry pay attention to the bond between the physical word and it's meaning.
3 The word “moral” here, isn’t really about right and wrong. Instead, it is being used in an earlier sense. Before religions took over the word morality, it meant the study of how to live most fully and enjoyably. Poems are moral statements because they deal in human values, meanings and purposes. Like all art, poetry is about living well.
Your homework: Find something other than a poem that you feel could be read as a poem according to Eagleton’s definition. It could be a shopping list, a receipt, an excerpt from a newspaper article, a list of titles, instructions, a sign, a piece of graffiti, etc. Copy it out on the class blog. Edit it as you see fit, inserting line breaks for example. Include a brief note explaining how it is “verbally inventive” and a “moral statement” according to the explanations above.
You must post your work to this blog by midnight for credit. After that posts will not be accepted.
You may use your “Get out of assignment free” tickets if you would like as this is NOT a product assignment!
WHAT IS A POEM?
Adapted from How to Read a Poem by Terry Eagleton
A poem is a fictional1, verbally inventive2 moral statement3 in which it is the author, rather than the printer or word processor, who decides where the lines should end.
1 “Fictional” means that even if the poem refers to real people and events, what we really care about isn’t its factual truth. Instead, we care about its moral truth. In other words we care whether or not the poem is true about life in general.
2 Poetry uses language in original or surprising ways; but not all the time—sometimes it can be very plain. But even when the language is plain, it draws attention to itself. Breaking a text into lines is a cue to pay attention to the language itself, to experience the words as material events, in vibrations (sound) and ink (shape), rather than to read right through them to the meaning. Readers of poetry pay attention to the bond between the physical word and it's meaning.
3 The word “moral” here, isn’t really about right and wrong. Instead, it is being used in an earlier sense. Before religions took over the word morality, it meant the study of how to live most fully and enjoyably. Poems are moral statements because they deal in human values, meanings and purposes. Like all art, poetry is about living well.
Your homework: Find something other than a poem that you feel could be read as a poem according to Eagleton’s definition. It could be a shopping list, a receipt, an excerpt from a newspaper article, a list of titles, instructions, a sign, a piece of graffiti, etc. Copy it out on the class blog. Edit it as you see fit, inserting line breaks for example. Include a brief note explaining how it is “verbally inventive” and a “moral statement” according to the explanations above.
You must post your work to this blog by midnight for credit. After that posts will not be accepted.
You may use your “Get out of assignment free” tickets if you would like as this is NOT a product assignment!