This week was another poem-heavy one. We looked at Elegy in X Parts and how poetic elements such as imagery shape and create meaning, emotion, and most importantly- for me, at least- setting. A big focus this week was on how certain words create setting. This website talks a bit about how/what setting can be in poems. We discussed the setting of our poem of the week, how concrete it really is, and what it says about the poem and even the author. In my opinion, this specific poem had no real setting, as it took place in the mind of the speaker. I guess that that could be considered the "real setting", but I doubt the author wanted readers to literally imagine his work taking place inside of someone else's brain. Instead, I believe the author was trying to create a more personal work, allowing readers to fill in the blanks with settings and characters and situations that suit their fancy. This was, though the art of phrasing, each reader feels instantly more connected to the text. Stories are quite boring without language that creates imagery. I'm not trying to imply that it was boring, while this poem did in fact not have a set scene it had enough gentle guidelines to make it personable and quite fun. I am always a fan of writing that allows the readers to have some say in what they are reading, so this poem was right up my alley. However well this was done, though, I still began to think. Is it a big gamble for authors and poets to leave the concrete setting and interpretation of their work up to the readers? I imagine it is not as big a deal for poets as conventional authors, as poetry is meant to be subjective anyways. Whenever I write, I always feel pressured to insert a specific scene in glaring detail almost immediately. It's something that frustrates me, but I am trying my best to overcome my shortcomings. All in all, Elegy in X Parts just got me thinking about setting, individuality, and the risks that can come with those things. I quite liked this poem, and am hopeful that the next poem of the week will be of equal pleasure for me. I don't mind analyzing poems so much if I enjoy reading them. Here's to hoping!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorThis is an AP Lit and Comp blog by MPHS senior Peri Sanderson Archives
November 2017
Categories |