Today you will receive your portfolios back. Many of you stated reasons why you hated/disliked certain assignments, etc. I am okay with that, but today you are responsible for finding the opposite of what you hate.
Here is what I would like you to do:
1. Choose one thing you hated about anything last marking period. For example, if you hated a poem or a poet for a certain reason, state what that reason is.
2. Then find a contemporary poet who does the exact OPPOSITE of what it is you hate. Challenge yourself to find a new poet.
3. Respond to this post with a link to a poem by the new poet that demonstrates the OPPOSITE of what you hate.
4. Make sure to tell us exactly what you hated last marking period and how your new poet does it better.
5. ASK QUESTIONS if you are unclear on anything.
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ReplyDeletehi
DeleteUsing the amazing powers of the google search I have found Tina Chang and Thomas Sayers Ellis, both of whom are very nice alternatives to Billy Collins. Collins has a habit of writing about things that supposedly 'everyone' can relate to, except unless you're a middle aged white man living a comfortable life as a two time poet laureate life is never quite as idyllic as Collins's poetry makes it out to be. I think that what I really found lacking in his poetry was the way he glossed over any real conflict and made it seem pretty and poetic with a few nice metaphors. The thing about poetry is that sometimes it needs to use it's beauty to mean something and I found that Billy Collin's work didnt really do that for me.
ReplyDeleteBoth Chang and Ellis write about very real conflicts in the world today, from refugees to racism and those make for interesting poetry. Controversial poetry, although more risky that the Billy Collins variety, if much more thought provoking when done well. In Chang's poem "Dream, Refugee" (Third poem on this page: http://www.guernicamag.com/poetry/three_poems_3/) she uses a lot of onomatopoeia (which you don't see a lot of in what we've read so far this year) and addresses a very relevant issue to the world today. In his poem "All Their Stanza's Look Alike" (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/238666) takes a very strong stand on racism and the lack of diversity in poetry and the world at large. Both of these poets have some interesting work out there that you should check out.
1) This isn't really an issue with one poet (though Billy Collins is on the list,) but I've always felt like a lot of poetry overdoes the imagery, at least for me. I like it more when an author doesn't spend too much time on images, especially since it lets you give them your own personal touch in your head.
ReplyDelete2) I can never find anyone I like much who's just a poet and not a musician. I usually find that I enjoy the writing in music more than in regular poetry. There's a band I found recently called Local Natives. Every member of the band contributes to songwriting, so there's not just one author.
3) http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858807708/
This is a song called Who Knows Who Cares. I really like it, and I think it's a good example of more subtle imagery. Imagery does not make the bulk of the lyrics, and the imagery that is there isn't so in-your-face. For example, there's a line where the singer says "Jump into the river," and it always reminds me of this river I used to go to with a friend of mine. It was a fast-moving river, so it wasn't all muddy. It was nice and clear, which was so much nicer than some of the muddy rivers around here. A couple lines down when he says "The current has us now, it's okay," it reminds me of the occasional times when I'd lose my balance and that river would knock me off my feet. I never got hurt or washed away very far at all, but it reminds me of that feeling. I like that line a lot, because it's all about relinquishing control and letting yourself be taken somewhere, and though that might sound bad, it will be fine.
4) I (as you know) am sick of Billy Collins. But he's not the only poet that overdoes imagery at times. I think a lot of poets do that, because over-elaborating your images is easier than introducing new ideas or digging deeper into what you've already introduced.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/180210
ReplyDeleteLast marking period we didn't read much poetry about observations of nature. Nature was sometimes part of the subject of Billy Collins' poems, but it wasn't a major aspect of his work. I like the work of Robert Hass because it is very descriptive of nature and sometimes connects natural images to human images. For example, in the poem "Iowa City: Early April," he connects the songs of cardinals to medieval poetry, refers to chickadees as "little captains," and points out that the oranges of the fur of a cat and the greens of spring foliage would not be put together for any purpose by humans. When he doesn't connect nature to humans, he often connects images of parts of nature to images of other parts of nature. For example, in the third stanza he describes both a woodchuck and the forest. He describes the woodchuck as being "burnished" and "somewhat dazed" with a "coat gleaming of spring." The woodchuck goes to "his burrow in the roots of a tree among the drying winter's litter of old leaves on the floor of the woods." Through these lines, Hass describes the forest in the context of the woodchuck.
One thing that really stood out to me about Collins writing that I disliked was the fact that his writing didn’t really have a specific meaning(s). The writing is very jumpy and many of the poems seem to be the same pertaining to its theme. I think Collins could have taken a few risks to better many, not all, of his poems that had that structure he could build upon. One poem/poet that I came across really does a 360 when compared to most of Collins writing. The poem "We Grow Accustomed to the Dark," by Emily Dickinson, explains clearly the struggles along with countless trials and tribulations that we as human beings face all throughout our life. It expresses ways to cope with life itself and how to expect the unexpected. You can also really relate to the poem as in Collins writing many are not relatable at all. The meaning of Dickinson’s poem isn’t hard to find but it’s not easy either. In order to figure what she really means you have read and reread as you break down each and every line and stanza of the poem. With Collins he’s blunt and straight to the point. There’s really much thought needed when reading and analyzing his poems. With that being said, Collins is far from a terrible writer, in fact he’s actually pretty good and is work is quite unique. I just only wish there was a stronger meaning behind what he tries to portray in his writing as a whole.
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/246776
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/246952
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that I didn't like about Billy Collins' poetry was that he was always talking about not needing to travel or go on adventures or go anywhere that he might learn something. He seemed to have xenophobia (fear of what's perceived as foreign or strange) and while his themes of contentment and routine are inviting and easy to read, it makes new experiences seem like something toxic whereas I think new experiences and feelings of fear and excitement are things that can be learned from, not something to hide from in your favorite pair of bedroom slippers, coffee shop, or old typewriter. I found a poem that does this. It revels in change and the confusion of not knowing what to do. It's called "Auroras" by Joanna Klink. I also just really like the imagery in the poem because it is more edgy and creative than most of what I found in Collins' work.
I think we already saw the inverse of Billy Collins in slam poetry. Nothing about slam poems reads of the quiet comfort of the simple things in life. Slam discusses real life issues like sexism and racism in a bold, in your face way that Collins could never tackle. What we haven't seen yet in this class is a hybrid of the two. A poet who could take the artistic flare of Collins and the passion of slam and mash it up into a brand new, versatile style. An example of this style is the newly insanely popular musician, Lorde. Lorde denounces materialism and conformity all while creating images of the everyday teen aesthetic that is desirable in spite of, or maybe because of, it's painful normalcy. I also thought of poet Rachel McKibbens whose slam roots color her print work with the kind of passion and awareness that were so obviously absent from Collins' writing.
ReplyDeleteOne of my major problems with classic poetry is how its read. I understand that often times the lack of tone or fluctuations in your voice is meant to give all of the attention to the writing however it can make the reading downright boring. Halfway through most of the readings I often find myself struggling to keep my attention focused because there isn't anything grasping. With both slam poetry and rap I find that the author has a much stronger voice, and that its not only the piece that's being performed that deserves your attention, but the person behind it too. One strong example of this is rapper Kendrick Lamar, who's meaning could be heard regardless of the words coming out of his mouth due to the tone behind them. Every song he puts out you can feel the energy and vibe radiating from his words, whether it be happy, sad, angry etc.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep0hay4Qw54
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