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TojesDolan · 04-21-2007, 08:10 PM

HOW TO RESPOND TO POETRY, Courtesy of RunAmokRampant

How to Respond to Poetry

Hopefully this guide will help readers and writers alike, and as there is a guide for writing poetry, I thought, why not make a guide concerned with responding to poetry? Note carefully that I have used the word ‘respond’ rather than ‘critique’. When approaching poetry, it is quite different to some other medium such film or novel. A good poem entices your senses, feelings, emotions, creates intrigue and mystique, and while it is natural to read a poem and pick out things that feel odd or awkward, think how it does that rather than just telling the author its wrong or saying that it doesn’t ‘feel’ right. Poetry can be regarded like painting, its subjectivity can spread from either end of the spectrum; someone may view an artwork as messy, childish, awkward and incoherent, while another person may view the same piece as well strategically placed, witty, wild and unpredictable. But essentially, responding to poetry in a way in which you engage yourself with the poem is what good poets strive for, rather than trying to selfishly grasp poetic perfection. I think readers instinctively feel the pretentiousness seep from a poem if a poet is trying to achieve this. Anyway, this guide I hope will enlighten those who are stuck when trying to give feedback to authors when confronted by something that they can’t quite make out and don’t know really what to say.

Begin by reading the poem aloud, preferably more than twice at least. By reading the poem a loud, the words and phrases seem to sink in better with the mind especially if the poem has many enjambments and run-on lines. It also helps determine the flow and tone of the piece if read aloud, just like what one would do when rehearsing a script for a play.

Now that you’ve read the poem a couple of times, what initially sticks with you? What stands out in a way that attracts you or puzzles you, or even repel you? It is necessary to recognise these features as it will help gain entry to the poem on a deeper level and begin to engage with it. With this in mind, work out the general genre of the poem, whether it is a soliloquy, a lyric poem, or more of a narrative. Also work out what the poem is based on. Is it more involved in themes or based on the thoughts by the consciousness of ‘speaker’ of the poem? It is essential to be able to do this before giving any kind of feedback to the author.

Next is to focus your attention on the language and imagery that is being used. Firstly, decide on what images the poem present and how they evoke the piece as a whole. Are the images consistent or abrupt? How does this affect you? Imagery is an important factor in poetry, but it is not the sole purpose of a poem to present lovely worded phrases and wonderfully embellished lines. Feel out how the language interweaves with the imagery and how the rhythm is created by these two elements. What strategies does the author use? There are many types of poetic strategies that are used but the most common ones usually used are assonance and alliteration, where the author uses a repetition of similar vowel sounds or similar initial consonant sounds respectively, in relative succession. Other more common uses of language techniques are the figures of speech such as metaphors, similes and personification, which I’m not going to explain these terms because they are generally known as common knowledge.

Now that you’ve come to establish a kind of connection with the piece whether it be positive or negative, you should be well and truly beginning to pick apart the piece. A good way to do this is to identify the formal elements of the piece (or lack of). How is the piece structured? Is it in stanzas? If so, are they equally spaced out or vary from stanza to stanza? How does this change or emphasis the other elements of the poem? Structure is very commonly overlooked by readers, and many inventive poets will try new and innovative ways to suggest meaning through indirect and non-verbal ways. Is the poem in a regular or irregular metre? Is there some kind of pattern? Does the flow jam up in certain sections of the piece? Rather than just assuming that the poet has made some error, think how the stuttering flow alters the piece. Does it highlight certain aspects of the piece or detract?

After all these considerations and contemplation, you should have a good idea of how impact of the poem reflects or challenges you. One thing I’ve noticed over the years on this forum is people complaining or stating that they don’t know what the poem means or what the poet intended. It is never a good approach with the mentality that a particular piece of poetry has a single meaning that the author intended, and that all other interpretations are incorrect. There is no such thing as an incorrect interpretation in poetry and never doubt yourself in your own reading of the poem. It is your own interpretation and unique response to the poem. This is not a guide to critiquing poetry. It is a guide to responding to poetry and hopefully you’ll gain a little bit of insight into responding to poetry to enable further accuracy to your critique. In the end, art is art. Creativity is a beautiful aspect of human nature and we all should cherish in how we create and respond to it. After all, what is art without an emotional response? What is poetry when there are no readers?

Any comments, suggestions a or advice for improvement will be greatly appreciated and recognised as contributors to this small but hopefully helpful guide.

04-21-2007, 08:10 PM	#14
TojesDolan ‪ Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 26,725	*HOW TO RESPOND TO POETRY, Courtesy of RunAmokRampant* How to Respond to Poetry Hopefully this guide will help readers and writers alike, and as there is a guide for writing poetry, I thought, why not make a guide concerned with responding to poetry? Note carefully that I have used the word ‘respond’ rather than ‘critique’. When approaching poetry, it is quite different to some other medium such film or novel. A good poem entices your senses, feelings, emotions, creates intrigue and mystique, and while it is natural to read a poem and pick out things that feel odd or awkward, think how it does that rather than just telling the author its wrong or saying that it doesn’t ‘feel’ right. Poetry can be regarded like painting, its subjectivity can spread from either end of the spectrum; someone may view an artwork as messy, childish, awkward and incoherent, while another person may view the same piece as well strategically placed, witty, wild and unpredictable. But essentially, responding to poetry in a way in which you engage yourself with the poem is what good poets strive for, rather than trying to selfishly grasp poetic perfection. I think readers instinctively feel the pretentiousness seep from a poem if a poet is trying to achieve this. Anyway, this guide I hope will enlighten those who are stuck when trying to give feedback to authors when confronted by something that they can’t quite make out and don’t know really what to say. Begin by reading the poem aloud, preferably more than twice at least. By reading the poem a loud, the words and phrases seem to sink in better with the mind especially if the poem has many enjambments and run-on lines. It also helps determine the flow and tone of the piece if read aloud, just like what one would do when rehearsing a script for a play. Now that you’ve read the poem a couple of times, what initially sticks with you? What stands out in a way that attracts you or puzzles you, or even repel you? It is necessary to recognise these features as it will help gain entry to the poem on a deeper level and begin to engage with it. With this in mind, work out the general genre of the poem, whether it is a soliloquy, a lyric poem, or more of a narrative. Also work out what the poem is based on. Is it more involved in themes or based on the thoughts by the consciousness of ‘speaker’ of the poem? It is essential to be able to do this before giving any kind of feedback to the author. Next is to focus your attention on the language and imagery that is being used. Firstly, decide on what images the poem present and how they evoke the piece as a whole. Are the images consistent or abrupt? How does this affect you? Imagery is an important factor in poetry, but it is not the sole purpose of a poem to present lovely worded phrases and wonderfully embellished lines. Feel out how the language interweaves with the imagery and how the rhythm is created by these two elements. What strategies does the author use? There are many types of poetic strategies that are used but the most common ones usually used are assonance and alliteration, where the author uses a repetition of similar vowel sounds or similar initial consonant sounds respectively, in relative succession. Other more common uses of language techniques are the figures of speech such as metaphors, similes and personification, which I’m not going to explain these terms because they are generally known as common knowledge. Now that you’ve come to establish a kind of connection with the piece whether it be positive or negative, you should be well and truly beginning to pick apart the piece. A good way to do this is to identify the formal elements of the piece (or lack of). How is the piece structured? Is it in stanzas? If so, are they equally spaced out or vary from stanza to stanza? How does this change or emphasis the other elements of the poem? Structure is very commonly overlooked by readers, and many inventive poets will try new and innovative ways to suggest meaning through indirect and non-verbal ways. Is the poem in a regular or irregular metre? Is there some kind of pattern? Does the flow jam up in certain sections of the piece? Rather than just assuming that the poet has made some error, think how the stuttering flow alters the piece. Does it highlight certain aspects of the piece or detract? After all these considerations and contemplation, you should have a good idea of how impact of the poem reflects or challenges you. One thing I’ve noticed over the years on this forum is people complaining or stating that they don’t know what the poem means or what the poet intended. It is never a good approach with the mentality that a particular piece of poetry has a single meaning that the author intended, and that all other interpretations are incorrect. There is no such thing as an incorrect interpretation in poetry and never doubt yourself in your own reading of the poem. It is your own interpretation and unique response to the poem. This is not a guide to critiquing poetry. It is a guide to responding to poetry and hopefully you’ll gain a little bit of insight into responding to poetry to enable further accuracy to your critique. In the end, art is art. Creativity is a beautiful aspect of human nature and we all should cherish in how we create and respond to it. After all, what is art without an emotional response? What is poetry when there are no readers? Any comments, suggestions a or advice for improvement will be greatly appreciated and recognised as contributors to this small but hopefully helpful guide.