To be honest, I've been dreading this post almost all week. Discussing something that I'm not exactly a big fan of for approximately 500 words is quite the daunting challenge. I thought of posting my dramatic monologue on here, thinking it'll probably get me about 200-300 words, but then decided that its unworthy for the eyes of the general public and will likely tarnish my reputation as a student of AP Literature. Therefore, I suppose I'll just dive right into why I don't enjoy studying poetry. First of all, it's rarely straightfoward. I know that many people say that the good thing about poetry is that there are many different interpretations, but this usually backfires in my case. Upon reading the poem, I decide on the one interpretation that doesn't work, but don't realize this until halfway through my essay. At this point, it's too late and I have to conjure up some absurd meanings for various parts of the poem just to support my interpretation. However, I have been improving in recent years. Practice makes perfect? I'd rather not find out, but it seems as though I'm headed down that path with these poetry journals.
Part of my negative attitude towards poetry also comes from the way we analyze it in class. It always seems like (to me anyways) when we analyze a poem, we take one little line or phrase and inflate it to mean something of enormous significance. How do we know what the author meant to say? When e.e cummings writes his poems, does he laugh when thinking about how many people will get headaches trying to figure out what his poem means? Is there even a set meaning he puts in his poems or are they whatever the majority of people want them to be? Why can't I just slap down a couple cryptic words and call it a brilliant poem? Whoever comes up with the best interpretation for my poem, I'll say "yeah, sure, that's what it means." Perhaps I'm off the mark entirely-and maybe that's just the point I'm trying to make. If poetry was a little more straightfoward then there wouldn't be so much confusion over how to interpret it.
However, there is one form of poetry that I find not only bearable, but very enjoyable to listen to. That, would be rap. Can it be classified as poetry? I think that some of it can be-it depends on the artist. I"ll avoid saying names on this blog, but there are some rappers who focus their song lyrics around profanity. This, clearly, should not be considered poetry. Others, though, possess a clear beat and rhythm and their lyrics convey meanings about love, life, etc. Now, I'm not saying that we should start studying rap in class. All I'm trying to say is that I believe that rap is a form of poetry. But tell me what you think-is rap a form of poetry and why?
Ryan, I have to say, I laughed out loud at least three times while reading this. I couldn't agree more with what you said, especially the part, "Why can't I just slap down a couple cryptic words and call it a brilliant poem? Whoever comes up with the best interpretation for my poem, I'll say 'yeah, sure, that's what it means.'" Hilarious. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I agree with you that while some open interpretation is good, too much is just headache inducing. Now about rap. I don't hear a lot of rap that doesn't have cursing, but I guess some of what I do hear that doesn't have that could be considered poetry. I doubt however, that most "rap artists" write their songs in iambic pentameter.
ReplyDelete"How do we know what the author meant to say? When e.e cummings writes his poems, does he laugh when thinking about how many people will get headaches trying to figure out what his poem means? Is there even a set meaning he puts in his poems or are they whatever the majority of people want them to be?...Perhaps I'm off the mark entirely-and maybe that's just the point I'm trying to make."
ReplyDeleteRyan, you're actually not off the mark at all in posing these questions. We don't know what the author meant to say, and there is a large body of criticism that claims that this doesn't matter (check out this article: http://faculty.smu.edu/nschwart/seminar/Fallacy.htm) for a more in-depth view. I don't think that any poet puts a "set meaning" in his poems, and if he does I don't think that he should expect the audience to be restricted to that meaning. That leaves open the door for a wide interpretation of the poem, and, unlike Antibody, I don't think that any extent of "open interpretation" is "headache inducing." I would, however, caution you against reducing writing poetry to "slapping down a couple cryptic words." Choosing the right "cryptic words" and arranging them in the perfect way may prove more difficult than you imagine.
I do want to address your point about rap, though. First of all, if you're interested in exploring the idea of rap as poetry, I'd recommend reading Book of Rhymes by Adam Bradley. Second, what makes you think that there's no profanity in poetry? Check out Philip Larkin (for example, This Be the Verse) for an example of a poet who's not afraid to use the words he wants to use. As for my personal view, I think that rap certainly uses poetic techniques, and maybe even poetic diction, but the fact that it's recited to a beat (and sometimes music) makes it different from poetry. That said, I sometimes turn to rap to learn a few things about poetic technique (including chain rhyme, which I think is pretty interesting and, though common in rap, has fallen out of use in contemporary poetry).
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