The oldest written manuscripts we have are poems, mostly epic poems telling the stories of ancient mythology. Poetry is a very image-based form of writing, so practicing poetry will improve your imagery in other forms as well. My feet are far too short And long. – Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha, Volume 1, pp. Mayhew’s reactions gave me some thoughts of my own regarding the purpose of poetry. In reading the post I was mildly irritated by Mayhew’s use of “NC” as a generic replacement for “North Carolina.” The abbreviation is fine in some contexts but I founn it a bit jarring to read, “The literary community of NC . Poetry has the ability to surprise the reader with an "Ah-ha!" Any time you tell a story to a friend or family member about an event or incident in your day, you engage in a form of narration. Or at least prose poetry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prose_poetry). I’ve responded on my own blog. For me, a good poem or a wonderful poem–or whatever you want to call it–should be quotable. The poem's meaning, on the other hand, is its message to an individual or collective readership. a tour, bend shrubs–got poison ivy to prove it for new vista volunteers Narration means the art of storytelling, and the purpose of narrative writing is to tell stories. i member that particlar day That’s why most of us don’t enjoy or pay attention to their work. Actress, writer, and workshop leader Jaine Toth currently resides in Eloy, AZ near the Desert Rose Baha'i Institute. Ouch. Sentimentality is a way of protecting ourselves from precision in feeling, from intensity.). I have no problem giving Mayhew the benefit of the doubt, I’ll assume he read a bit by each of them and with these excerpts is giving something of a true sense of these poems’ style and content. In all types of writing, though, imagery generally serves the same purpose: It makes words come alive. For example: since I read James Reeves’ poem about the snail as a “toppling caravan” I’ve never been able to look at snails the same way… The poet’s job, you see, is not to give us straight, encyclopedic fact but to tell us something new or to tell something old in a new way—to give us fresh images. I don’t hold with the attitude that a poem is more about being wonderful than is a novel, for example. Poetry can teach writing and grammar conventions by showing what happens when poets strip them away or pervert them for effect. Dickinson often … at North Carolina’s Central Prison…”. Or what is the purpose of a song? It’s easy enough to look at the current literary landscape and say there’s no point to practicing these old forms. I also think that’s why many people turn to song lyrics for their poetry fix. It’s a case study in the practical reasons why I always think these things are a bad idea. Therefore, thy wine is the pure wine, thy heart the recess of light and thy brow radiant with love. Richard Cory put a bullet through his head “I’m grateful for my car, he says, I mean, sure, “voice raspy with hard living” sounds cliched, but who among us does not grab a cliche from time to time. Martin, "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science, He just ordered a translation from Diederik Stapel, http://prosedoctor.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-purpose-of-poem-is-to-be-wonderful.html, http://www.loweringthebar.net/official-state-crap/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prose_poetry. It’s not exactly good, but it’s salvageable, with some concreteness there at least.”. .” On the other hand, it’s just a goddam blog so I don’t know what I’m supposed to be expecting. Whether one is highly or minimally educated, literate or illiterate, poetry can affect them: Even beginning readers can know if a poem appeals to them…because it enables them to see things in ways they’ve never seen before. I don’ t mean poems should make us happier, but that they should make us better able to feel emotions, which can be difficult. What is the purpose of the author in writing the poetry? Why we try to communicate employing verses if we can directly express our ideas with the use of direct language? Art heals. Since ancient times poets have been known more for their ideas than for the words they used to convey them. If some song lyrics qualify as poetry, then maybe, as this article argues, “Americans Have Never Loved Poetry More”: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/29/americans-have-never-loved-poetry-more-but-they-call-it-rap.html. “I had no idea that an individual state would have a poet laureate but it seems like a good idea, a quite reasonable nearly cost-free thing to do, indeed it would be cool to have all sorts of official state art.”, Only tangential to the point of this post, I know, but all I could think when reading this was: Andrew Gelman, meet Kevin Underhill. The purpose of poetry is to allow one to read it to avoid real work, and, at the same time, believe oneself virtuous, in a way one would not if one were downing a six-pack and watching the NFL. So when he runs into a bad poem it irks him as much as when you run into, say, a bad graph. I would suggest that the subject of the poem should also be its aim. The official website of the Baha'i Faith is: Sign up for our newsletter and get all our latest content, © 2021 BahaiTeachings.org All Rights Reserved. Poetry and Power (February 1964) Read the complete speech by John F. Kennedy, from which this excerpt was drawn. Many of us are asking questions of what really is the purpose of writing poetry. I like to say that poetry is the art of writing emotions down, with the aim of making us “feel better”. To either persuade, inform or entertain an audience. For art establishes the basic human truth which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment… I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist. Whether one is highly or minimally educated, literate or illiterate, poetry can affect them: Even beginning readers can know if a poem appeals to them…because it enables them … Naturally, the irk is relative to the context. The 1980 Math Olympiad Program: Where are they now? An author's purpose may be to amuse the reader, to persuade the reader, to inform the reader, or to satirize a condition. Reading poetry and or writing poetry can drastically improve your life, because it has improved mine. And the answer to the “who’s right” question – whether given by those who prefer Berryman or those who prefer McKuen – is usually is an elaborate form of “me and people like me.”. ya gotta sign, if you want free dispatch from the field (an email collage poem): difficult situation here … convicted war criminals … to be executed but the judges halted… houses of the ruling party members were burnt…managing field problems….discussions with the local leaders… safer ways to move… did not need to stop data collection…other field sites…halted…situation is tense…. Art heals. They shape how we perceive the world and excite us with images of beauty of moments of truth. It says: your reality is spiritual. – from a talk by Roger White, Bring Chocolate, in The Language of There. Love lights a fla, Strive ye with all your hearts, raise up your voic, How can faith-based individuals and organizations, My hope for you is that you will ever avoid tyrann, As we suffer these misfortunes we must remember th, Finding Beacons of Hope in Monuments and Public Art. Suppose someone complained that you assume that “the purpose of a graph is to be wonderful”. They make me think and smile at the same time. The greatest reason to write poetry is because it will make all of your writing better. . When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. Poetry – The Purpose of Writing Poetry. Simply put, the poem's purpose is the reason why the author picked up the quill, pencil or pen or sat down at the keyboard in the first place. Like the one I saw years ago in Cambridge, England. I’m very, very lovely. Quatrains are a popular form of verse in poetry because of the following characteristics: Length. For example, did she want to inspire, entertain or teach? OK, procrastination successful. Great post. Its almost like you are saying that we are put on this earth to work. While any narrative essay you write for this class will be nonfiction (i.e. at Yale: lectures to seminars. The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith. 2) Share the impression of what has been read with people who are far away. I’m getting tired of reading comments on economics and empiricism and so I scooted over to Basbøll’s blog and kicked off a brief comment thread about the academic entertainer Slavoj Zizek. Insides 7. Poetry is written for the enjoyment, self-growth and fulfillment of the poet. Poetry is in fact, evocative. Likewise, the purpose of a poem is to present emotion. they took what I wrote The man who never reads lives only one." poetry. I’ve lived in North Carolina all my life, and if I had ever heard that there was a poet laureate, I’d forgotten it (which isn’t too surprising, I guess). – John Keats, Letter to J. H. Reynolds, February 3, 1818, The poet speaks to all men of that other life of theirs that they have smothered and forgotten. I promise you. I look just like a lima bean. And saying that one poem or poet is much better that another is like saying that one joke or comedian is better than another. than the 4th ed., revised? The Purpose of the Poetry Review. In poetry, one of the best ways to practice technique is to write in traditional forms. August 19, 2014 blog9174 Leave a comment. By Colin West The author’s purpose is to write a humorous poem about the purpose of skin. Writing poetry that rhymes is much more difficult, too. Anyhow, Mayakovsky wrote: “Poetry is just like mining radium. Check your email for the latest from BahaiTeachings.org, It is as unseeing to ask what is the use of poetry as it would be to ask what is the use of religion. I don’ t mean poems should make us happier, but that they should make us better able to feel emotions, which can be difficult. A poet laureate’s bad poetry is worth taking seriously somewhere on that scale. In kitchen cups concupiscent curds I like to say that poetry is the art of writing emotions down, with the aim of making us “feel better”. Same question for Eliot, Dylan, W.C. Williams, Rod McKuen, the new PL of NC, et al. Too bad this causes Mr. Mayhew physical pain. It invites us to laugh, reflect, cry, strive, persevere. Eliot wrote beats Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” or Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” Both songs have phenomenal lyrics that stay in my head whether I want them to or not. Seriously somewhere on that scale, Dylan, W.C. 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