Poetry, I don’t get it! I don’t get it and really, I don’t think I ever will. I came to this conclusion reading select poems from Margaret Avison’s collection of poems and I’m alright with this. I’m okay with not spending my time delving into the intricacies of one person’s take on a simple yellow hydrant like in her poem “Cement Worker on a Hot Day”. In actuality, that type of poetry goes against what I think language is about. I think that language is a tool, to get meaning across to other people, not an end-point in and of itself; to marvel and confuse other people. There is a place for it in the world, like all art, but just not in my world.
I think that’s what poetry really is, art. It is language that is taken beyond its utilitarian function as a tool and gone beyond that to become its own entity, to become the end instead of the means to an end. I think that to really understand a poem one has to know who is writing it and why they’re writing it; the context. Because we don’t usually have this information readily available this makes poetry a rather inefficient way of communicating.
As long as people keep this in mind, that poetry is a form of art, we can enjoy it for what it is. If one goes too far, however, and takes it too seriously then we have lost the purpose of the art.
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Wow i do not think i could possibly agree with you more. I simply do not understand poetry. Sometimes when is it simple I like reading it and of course it sounds pretty because of rhythm and rhyme. But when it comes down to analyzing it I get completely clueless. I was especially lost when it came to reading Margaret Avison's poetry. I got confused long before it came to interpreting the poetry. I did not even know what most of her poems were talking about right from the beginning. She described things to such details that I could not figure out what she was discribing in the first place. I am not trying to be close minded to poetry but it is so hard to actually enjoy and appreciate something that I can not understand.
i think that people should stop spending so much time trying to figure out what the poet was trying to say. to me, that isnt the point at all. yes, poetry is art... and some poetry, perhaps dubbed "confusing" or "impossible" by others, is abstract art: it means something different to each individual. thats what i LOVE about poetry rather than hate. the poem means what it means to you, and nobody can tell you that you are wrong, except maybe the poet him/herself. even then, they are mostly open to and interested in new and unique interpretations of their work.
stop trying so hard to figure the damn thing out, and ask yourself what it means to you.
yah you are right but it is hard to do that when the only time I read poetry is in an classroom that involves analyzing the poem. In this case the teacher usually says that I am right or wrong. Maybe if I read poetry outside of school it would be different. But I have yet to do that.
I agree with Claudia, if I was reading the poem for my own enjoyment then that would be different in a class-room setting with "Right" and "Wrong" answers. Though Seannigan has a point, it's all a matter of context; why one is reading the poem.
I'm going to agree with Seannigan, I think that one of the most important parts about poetry is its ability to say something different to each person, enlighten, stimulate, (or anger!) each reader in a unique way.
I also don't always understand completely what the author might be trying to say, but with that comes a "broadening of your horizons" and an opportunity to use your imagination in a way that a novel may restrict.
The art that is poetry doesn't need to be forced to have a function, a method of communication, for example. It can exist purely for artistic value, which I really like about it. However, this might not be your kind of art, and thats alright too!
I really enjoy poetry. Yes, it can be confusing at first, but that's part of the point. It is supposed to be something that you have to think about, and its meaning is not necessarily meant to be found at first glance. Part of the beauty of poetry is that things are not laid out perfectly for you. It's not television; you have to use your mind. I believe it can be open to interpretaion, to a certain extent, but I feel there is more to it than that. I don't think it means whatever you want it to mean; the poet is saying something and you must try to figure it out. Some people don't like the work involved in that, I suppose, but for me that is the enjoyment of it. Thinking about it, and re-reading it until you go, "Whoah, I totally get what this person is saying." In poetry you get the joy of discovering the poet's meaning for yourself.
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