I find poetry to be a unique form of art that allows people to express their own personal thoughts or feelings in a way they only know how. Words. The intricate design and layout of each individual word being carefully placed has a beautifully deep meaning to it.
For my most recent project, I conducted a thorough analysis of Matthew Arnold’s poem “Dover Beach” and how Arnold utilized the act of realism and symbolism to form a personal connection with his readers. I found this to be extremely interesting and useful for my own writing. Identifying and applying these techniques throughout my works has aided in the progression of my poems, as now I like to really take my time to piece together my artwork.
However, as enticing and invigorating as it was meticulously researching the ins and outs of poem structure, background, and authenticity, I believe I enjoy writing creatively on my own time the most. Taking the time out of my day to sit down and really allow myself to freely open myself up through pen and paper. This “process” helps unleash my most genuine and cherished memories, ideas or feelings for anyone to see. Or just for myself, that’s okay too.
As a teacher, I would love to incorporate this process into my own class schedule. Providing a time and safe space for my students to voluntarily write about anything they wish. Short stories, diary entries, book reports, etc. whatever my kids feel comfortable enough to compose.
For my most recent project, I conducted a thorough analysis of Matthew Arnold’s poem “Dover Beach” and how Arnold utilized the act of realism and symbolism to form a personal connection with his readers. I found this to be extremely interesting and useful for my own writing. Identifying and applying these techniques throughout my works has aided in the progression of my poems, as now I like to really take my time to piece together my artwork.
However, as enticing and invigorating as it was meticulously researching the ins and outs of poem structure, background, and authenticity, I believe I enjoy writing creatively on my own time the most. Taking the time out of my day to sit down and really allow myself to freely open myself up through pen and paper. This “process” helps unleash my most genuine and cherished memories, ideas or feelings for anyone to see. Or just for myself, that’s okay too.
As a teacher, I would love to incorporate this process into my own class schedule. Providing a time and safe space for my students to voluntarily write about anything they wish. Short stories, diary entries, book reports, etc. whatever my kids feel comfortable enough to compose.
Hello Bryana, people definitely do need a moment during a curriculum to explore concepts creatively. At its core, this process just gets someone writing for an extended period of time—making them more familiar with their own strengths and weaknesses. And I know that for educators there is a large focus on technical aspects, but a variety of pedagogies that permit greater exploration can be just as beneficial. I think one that fits the most with your description would be expressive pedagogy, which involves a high quantity of writing with an emphasis on the student's voice. It is a little less focused on analysis and rhetoric when compared to other pedagogies, but I am sure that if it is paired with some exposure to high quality works there will be decent results. After all, the biggest hurdle to writing can just be the problem of getting started, especially if they are unaccustomed to the act of writing in the first place.
ReplyDeleteHey Bryana,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in regards to the differences between writing about poetry and creating it yourself. The two require different skill sets, like you pointed out: analysis and expression. While I do think the two are pretty far apart in regards to skill sets, I think they share some important commonalities. I would say the biggest one is an efficient transferring of ideas. For example, a poem usually expresses an experience, a feeling, or a story, and how it’s written is entirely up to the author. If it’s a simple feeling, the poem can be expressed with simple language and structure, but more complex and erratic experiences can be portrayed through wild structures and forms. In essay writing, I think this skill of getting your ideas across to a reader is a similarly large factor, as the points you make are only as effective as how they’re presented and organized.
The activities we did in class are great for getting students into a creative working process, as they are allowed to express themselves in ways they see fit, referencing other styles of poems (the freewrite we did) or piecing together different perspectives (wrecking the first person). I also heavily agree with the slam poetry activity bringing the class closer together. I think this is a severely overlooked aspect of most class activities, and this one will help students relate to one another.