My Thoughts on Poetry

One of my great grandmothers was a published poet. She was also one of my greatest role models. I wanted to do everything like her, so in elementary school, I wrote many poems. I love words and language, and I love rhyme and rhythm. I am one of the strange few who actually enjoys reading the dictionary. Maybe I should not have admitted that, but I really do love learning new words, playing with words, learning word origins, and so on and so forth. Thus, poetry kind of excites me, but only if it rhymes. I really have a hard time getting into poems that do not rhyme, and I know I will have to get over that for this class.

I spent some time studying poetry for my ninth grade English class and my tenth grade Language and Composition course. The poems we studied were very diverse, but some used very formal, antiquated diction that was incredibly hard to read and even harder to interpret. Symbolism in poetry intimidates me. I have a terrible time searching for "deeper meaning," as I often miss it altogether. I also have a hard time recognizing irony and satire when I am reading. When I do recognize the symbolism or satire in poems, however, it makes me feel like I've just discovered buried treasure. It can add so much more meaning to the poems. I hope that discussing the poems we read will help me to interpret them accurately.

Before I started reading the poems for this unit, I was nervous that they would be too "deep" for me to understand or too wordy to hold my attention. As I read them, however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were fairly simplistic in diction, although I was incredibly disappointed that none of them rhymed. Nonetheless, I did enjoy all of the unit eight poems (except "Moving Camp Too Far," which I could not find anywhere). I love that poems can shed new light on topics that have been over-discussed (in my opinion) in other genres of literature. "Jump Cabling" did just that. It provided a new, and somewhat humorous way, of looking at romantic attraction.

I am a little nervous about our poetry unit, as I am not sure if I will be able to comprehend the meanings of the poems. However, I am looking forward to reading some new material, and I am really hoping that some of the poems rhyme!

Past Experiences with Poetry - By Leah S

In the past I have never liked the thought of "poetry". It makes you think too much, there are too many interpretations, I don't understand it. It is all about rhymes and words that I don't understand. These are all things I have thought in the past when having to start studying poetry. After reading the five poems tonight I have a bit of a different outlook. Though I did not like all of them, I was able to understand them and also enjoyed a couple of them.

In high school I remember trying to memorize poetry by making it into a song. Sort of like the youtube video that was posted...though I was never that cool.

I think due to what I have learned in this class already, including classes from the past, I am much more open at this time to studying more poetry. I am not going to say I will like it but I will do my best to understand and comprehend it. Besides, the goal of the class is to learn is it not?