Poetry LectureSharon Linne,Ashford University

What is Poetry?

Note this definition from Terry Eagleton (2007), a respected British scholar:

A poem is a fictional, verbally inventive moral statement in which it is the author, rather than the printer or word processor, who decides where the lines should end. (p. 25)

What is Poetry?

You may think there are a few things missing from this definition….

What about rhyme, meter, stanza, imagery, symbolism, etc.?

Not all poems use these elements, so they cannot be included in a definition of poetry.

What Makes a Poem a Poem?

Eagleton also asserts that poetry is related to morality.

In this context, morality is related to values (both good and bad) that influence us.

As Eagleton (2007) explains, “[p]oems are moral statements, [...] not because they launch stringent judgements according to some code, but because they deal in human values, meanings and purposes” (p. 29).

Poetry vs. Prose

With this definition, then, we can consider a poem to be written moral statement with purposeful line breaks determined by the writer.

Poems can be completely fictional, or they can be based on fact. However, the fact must be interpreted in a moral sense.

Poetry vs. Prose

Here is some information (written in prose) about the October 2, 1937, murder of Haitians under Rafael Trujillo’s rule.

Dominican Republic strongman Rafael Trujillo orders the execution of the Haitian population living within the borderlands; approximately 20,000 are killed over the next five days. (Day in history, para. 7)

Poetry vs. ProseNow let’s look at part of a poem that describes the event:

El General has found his word: perejil.

Who says it, lives. He laughs, teeth shining

out of the swamp. (Dove, 1983/2013, p. 2768)

You can see the way that Dove has interpreted the event using morality.

Dove, R. (2013). Parsley. In N. Baym, W. Franklin, P.F. Gura, J. Klinkowitz, A. Krupat, R.S. Levine ... P.B. Wallace (Eds.), The Norton anthology of American literature (Shorter 8th ed.) (pp. 2767-2769). New York, NY: Norton. (Original work published 1983).

Form vs. ContentContent is the subject of a poem, while form is the way in which the content is presented.

In poetry, these two concepts are entwined.

Form can affect mood and tone. For example, couplets can have the effect of speeding up a poem, making them effective for genres of satire and comedy.

Form vs. Content

Here’s another example of how form can shape interpretation. In Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” the rhyme scheme slows down the action, giving the reader the experience of taking two steps forward and one step back:

Form vs. ContentWhose woods these are I think I know.His house is in the village though;He will not see me stopping hereTo watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queerTo stop without a farmhouse nearBetween the woods and frozen lakeThe darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bell a shakeTo ask if there is some mistake.The only other sound’s the sweepOf easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep.

Analyzing Poetry

Remember that poetry is visual and auditory.

When you can, read it aloud or listen to the poem read aloud by someone else.

Learn and apply the terms we’re studying this week to help you.

ReferencesDove, R. (2013). Parsley. In N. Baym, W. Franklin, P.F. Gura, J.

Klinkowitz, A. Krupat, R.S. Levine ... P.B. Wallace (Eds.), The Norton anthology of American literature (Shorter 8th ed.) (pp. 2767-2769). New York, NY: Norton. (Original work published 1983).

Eagleton, T. (2007). How to read a poem. Malden, MA: Blackwell publishing.

Frost, R. (2013). Stopping by woods on a snowy evening. In N. Baym, W. Franklin, P.F. Gura, J. Klinkowitz, A. Krupat, R.S. Levine ... P.B. Wallace (Eds.), The Norton anthology of American literature (Shorter 8th ed.) (p. 1936). New York, NY: Norton. (Original work published 1923).

October 2, 1937: Facts & myths about this day. Retrieved from: http://www.dayinhistory.net/