Hello Everyone!
In writing and writing about poetry, I found that they both require critical thinking. As you write, you are constructing a piece that engages the audience and invites them to participate in determining its interpretation. As you write about poetry, you use your critical thinking skills to piece together what the poem could mean, looking at things such as the writer, the political, economic, and social environments that may have influenced them, as well as their personal biographies. By exploring outside of the poem, you get an insight into what is going on inside it. While they are not entirely based on reality and use more figurative language, they often have an underlying meaning rooted in the writer's reality or the time in which they were written. Writing about poetry and even watching it spoken inspired me by giving me examples of what my work can be; it helped guide what form of poetry I wanted, what theme, what tones, and how I wanted the audience to interpret it. It shows that despite poetry constraints, there is still a lot of creative and structural freedom. Not only is it for the enjoyment of the audience, but it also allows for messages to be sent, sometimes political in a subtle way, that can spread and influence more than the intended audience, as many of us have read through our undergrad years. What I learned from this experience is how poetry can be used to express students' creative ideas and to release underlying topics they may want to share. It would allow students to think critically while being creative, which can be more engaging.
Hi Millie!
ReplyDeleteYes yes yes!! Critical thinking being your first sentence grabbed me quickly because it is so important in both of these practices. A writer does have to know how to bring the audience in with their writing. This requires some thought because not everyone is able to do so without specific techniques.
Also I 100% agree that it is important to see what might have influenced a poem by taking a look at the world around them. A lot of people write about what they know and what they know is what is happening at their time. The political, economic and social environments can have a huge say in what they write about. In order to get a better understanding of what a poem might be saying, they have to be familiar with the writer and their world. You can't just dive in blindly and hope to know everything when you aren't willing to back it up with evidence.
You mentioned that writing about poetry helped you because it inspired you and I couldn't agree more. Knowing what other writers do to make their pieces so powerful is a big thing because it allows us to think about what we can use. Not only is it helpful but it is so beautiful to watch someone talk about something they are so passionate about. I have always been the type to get goosebumps whenever I see someone's love in their writing.
I like that you mention how poetry can be used to express the creative ideas of students because it is such a great tool for this.
Sincerely,
Giselle Diaz
Hi Millie
ReplyDeleteI really like how you emphasized that both writing poetry and writing about poetry rely heavily on critical thinking. Your point about inviting the audience to participate in interpretation is especially strong because it highlights how poetry is never one-sided. I also agree with your idea that looking beyond the poem helps uncover deeper meaning. I thought it was insightful how you mentioned spoken poetry influencing your own work. Seeing and hearing different styles can definitely help with an authors decisions about tone, structure, and theme. We’re all different so it’s cool to see what works on who. Your reflection on poetry’s ability to communicate political or personal messages also stood out to me. It shows how poetry can be both creative and impactful. Overall, you make a strong case for poetry as a tool that encourages both expression and analysis.
-Heleyna Guardado