Is poetry really that boring?
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How many of you have friends who are interested in poetry? Five? Two? Most likely none. Most of my friends find poetry boring. Although a handful of them do read poems occasionally but as far as I know none of them write poems.
Where are all the Literature students? What killed their interests in Shakespeare, John Keats, William Blakes, John Donne, etc? Was it because of their Literature teachers? Was it because they find poetry difficult to understand? Was it because they were belittled by “real” poets and thus felt discouraged?
What happened? LetÂ’s share some of our experiences. Tell us why you like or dislike poetry. Tell us what are the difficulties you are facing now regarding poetry writing. Share your learning process and interesting stories (if any).
Let's help each other since there are so few of us.
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The teacher. The teacher killed the poem!
Just kidding, but seriously i think the teacher do play some part in the process.
i was fortunate to have a Lit. teacher who taught out of the box. When she starts a lesson, she would not dive straight into the textbooks. Once , she played a Beatles' song, "Eleanor Rigby", and then we discussed the lyrics of the song, about a lonely old lady. Then we would look at the text books and find any poems about old age or loneliness.
The teacher can only help so much.
The people i know (before i discovered DPS) do not read poetry, let alone write.
DP >>Most of my friends find poetry boring. Although a handful of them do read poems occasionally but as far as I know none of them write poems.
hey DP, i not your friend ah? -
i not even sure what peoms. is it just a long winded way to express oneself??
then must waste brain cells to understand what the peom means, so troublesome.... -
I wonder how poets compose with such extensive use of metaphors, alliteration etc etc and hide meanings behind those words.
I like analyzing poems. It's like opening a present - beneath that layer of pretty paper there's something hidden in a box! -
never mind, hisoka! It's good that you care to comment here!Originally posted by hisoka:i not even sure what peoms. is it just a long winded way to express oneself??
then must waste brain cells to understand what the peom means, so troublesome....
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i read abit here and there only.
noone i know even is 0.00001% interested. -
>>It's like opening a present - beneath that layer of pretty paper there's something hidden in a box!Originally posted by MooKu:I wonder how poets compose with such extensive use of metaphors, alliteration etc etc and hide meanings behind those words.
I like analyzing poems. It's like opening a present - beneath that layer of pretty paper there's something hidden in a box!
MooKu, what a good analogy. -
Many were killed by orthodox teachers in school who shot down their sense of lyricism.Originally posted by DeadPoet:How many of you have friends who are interested in poetry? Five? Two? Most likely none. Most of my friends find poetry boring. Although a handful of them do read poems occasionally but as far as I know none of them write poems.
Where are all the Literature students? What killed their interests in Shakespeare, John Keats, William Blakes, John Donne, etc? Was it because of their Literature teachers? Was it because they find poetry difficult to understand? Was it because they were belittled by “real” poets and thus felt discouraged?
What happened? LetÂ’s share some of our experiences. Tell us why you like or dislike poetry. Tell us what are the difficulties you are facing now regarding poetry writing. Share your learning process and interesting stories (if any).
Let's help each other since there are so few of us.
I'm quite radical in the sense that I believe that each person has his/her sense of lyricism and therefore, the poem reflects an accurate thought or sense of their own self, and should not be forced to cramp that into a pre-set poetic framework. Even the war stories told by my grandfather had a lyrical sense to it, because he was telling it from his memory, and it's like a river of thoughts, mixed with comments from the present. -
x2. Of course you are my friend and so are the rest of the members here.Originally posted by dsnake1:The teacher can only help so much.
The people i know (before i discovered DPS) do not read poetry, let alone write.
DP >>Most of my friends find poetry boring. Although a handful of them do read poems occasionally but as far as I know none of them write poems.
hey DP, i not your friend ah? -
Originally posted by dsnake1:never mind, hisoka! It's good that you care to comment here!
i shall endeavour to learn!! i heard it helps to hook girls right??
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Eating is troublesome too, so why bothers?Originally posted by hisoka:i not even sure what peoms. is it just a long winded way to express oneself??
then must waste brain cells to understand what the peom means, so troublesome.... -
cos i wanna stay aliveOriginally posted by DeadPoet:Eating is troublesome too, so why bothers? -
Same here. None of my friends (excluding those from sgforums) are interested in poetry.Originally posted by Ito_^:i read abit here and there only.
noone i know even is 0.00001% interested.
It is a lonely passion.
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That's also true.Originally posted by hisoka:cos i wanna stay alive
Personally to a certain extent I need poetry to "stay alive" too. It is very difficult to explain this feeling, either you feel it or you don't. -
A bit lah. But my wife is not interested in poetry.Originally posted by hisoka:
i shall endeavour to learn!! i heard it helps to hook girls right?? -
was just joking no offence but really feel peotry is too troublesome. i would prefer jsut staaight out say the feeling or whatever.Originally posted by DeadPoet:That's also true.
But to me to a certain extent I need poetry to "stay alive" too. It is very difficult to explain this feeling, either you feel it or you don't.
i guess its the same as other pple with other passions. its something that only those with similar feelings can apporach -
i read poems.
but i only like very few that i read.
english teachers here killed my passion for it.
but i just do not read shakespear stuff.
dont like that dude... -
I can tell that from your poems and to a certain degree I do agree with you.Originally posted by LazerLordz:I'm quite radical in the sense that I believe that each person has his/her sense of lyricism and therefore, the poem reflects an accurate thought or sense of their own self, and should not be forced to cramp that into a pre-set poetic framework. -
At first a bit lah. But I am okay now.Originally posted by hisoka:was just joking no offence but really feel peotry is too troublesome. i would prefer jsut staaight out say the feeling or whatever.
i guess its the same as other pple with other passions. its something that only those with similar feelings can apporach
For me it is not at all troublesome. I am not sure if other poets will agree with me as different people write for different reasons but to me I am more concerned with the process rather than the final product.
I simply love the process, every second of it. Well to each his own my friend.
Just curious so what is your passion? -
no passion so far sad to say.Originally posted by DeadPoet:At first a bit lah. But I am okay now.
For me it is not at all troublesome. I am not sure if other poets will agree with me as different people write for different reasons but to me I am more concerned with the process rather than the final product.
I simply love the process, every second of it. Well to each his own my friend.
Just curious so what is your passion?
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Those teachers need to be taught a lesson! No wonder there are so few of us!Originally posted by udontknowme:i read poems.
but i only like very few that i read.
english teachers here killed my passion for it.
but i just do not read shakespear stuff.
dont like that dude...
So which are your favourite poems?
(I think there are fewer people who like Shakespeare, but if you must read just one of his plays, I strongly recommend King Lear) -
Surfing the Internet?Originally posted by hisoka:no passion so far sad to say. 
Well, it is about time to look for one. -
Hmm...King Lear is one of my favourite too. Altho i must say i hate Cordelia for being too weakOriginally posted by DeadPoet:Those teachers need to be taught a lesson! No wonder there are so few of us!
So which are your favourite poems?
(I think there are fewer people who like Shakespeare, but if you must read just one of his plays, I strongly recommend King Lear)
Ok, for me, the interest is always there for poetry, but studying literature in NUS kinda killed it for me. I hated, repeat, HATED cramming and speeding thru a hundred readings just to pass exams. It was pretty traumatic lah. Plus it didnt help that poetry is more academic, something you just get thru on your own, whether you understand it or not. Readings, readings , readings...guess you get the picture. I think my friends did a better job than lecturers in making poetry fun. There is one particular friend who writes beautiful poetry that can make you gasp and cry, full of sharp stark imagery. However, she was a bit suicidal..i guess it goes with the territory.
My earliest favourite poetry was when i was 13 and we had to read Chinua Achebe. You know the poem that starts with:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer
Things fall apart
The centre cannot hold
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world
or something like that lah. well, this is i guess the first moment i fell in love with poetry -
i don't like Shakespeare, i got tripped up by Julius Caesar.Originally posted by DeadPoet:Those teachers need to be taught a lesson! No wonder there are so few of us!
So which are your favourite poems?
(I think there are fewer people who like Shakespeare, but if you must read just one of his plays, I strongly recommend King Lear) -
I tried presenting Shakespeare in a different manner here in DPS (S) but it didnÂ’t work out. Maybe it is time to try again.Originally posted by dsnake1:i don't like Shakespeare, i got tripped up by Julius Caesar.