Writing v.s. Writing About Poetry
The more I think about poetry and essays about poetry, the more connections I am drawing between them. When I first set out to write this post, I believed these activities were near polar opposites. The list of differences I had in mind shrank as I bulleted them, because writing them out required giving them a moment more of thought, causing me to logic them out.
Poems and essays both, although in different ways, set out to prove something. Whether that something is an observation, theory, claim, or lived experience, the reader should come out on the other side with a new understanding or feeling.
I think the only true differences I can stand by are the writing processes and authorial mindset. My process for writing the essay was far more structured—I did my research, created an outline, sorted my evidence in order of relevance, and wrote my paragraphs in order. Not everyone writes this way, I realize. This is just what works for me and my academic writing. Poetry I am much less experienced with, so my process was incredibly messy. Everything was difficult, from deciding on a topic to organizing my thoughts. I had to think very hard over the weekend about what I wanted to say, which I don't typically have to do with essay assignments (I have a lot of very strong opinions when it comes to literature!)
Going forward as a prospective teacher, I think I understand better what it's like to be in the hot seat for creative assignments. Even if a professor tells you "This is for fun" or "This is low stakes," poetry has a weight and significance to it that just can't be ignored. I hope to learn how to navigate student comfort regarding this.
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Hi Evan! I, too, like to write my essays in an organized manner (most of the time), and was totally organizationally stumped at the idea of writing poetry. It definitely caused some panic. I think for me it was also hard to decide what to say because it felt so personal. When critiquing literature, like you, I already have some strong opinions ready to be used. However, when writing poetry, it was like it could have been about anything on Earth. I also really love the way you put into words the idea of low-stakes poetry actually being pretty weighted! I want to recognize that in my classroom rather than failing to recognize or support my students in such a vulnerable task.
ReplyDeleteFrom Lily Searcy : )
DeleteDear Evan,
ReplyDeleteYou make so many great points about the similarities between analyzing poetry and creating poetry, especially your point about how both are essentially trying to "prove something." That couldn't be a better way to describe both forms of writing. I think the major difference in approaches to these writings is what always stood out to me, leading me to see only their stark differences. For poetry, I wouldn't imagine any research, outlining, or so forth would be involved. My academic writing process is very similar to yours. It's honestly just a process or formula that I know like the back of my hand, and I'm sure all of us English majors can relate. Moving to your experience creating poetry, mine was so similar to yours. When we had to do the quickwrite and "wrecking the first person" assignments, it was difficult for me to collect my thoughts, too. The "wrecking the first person" format was even more challenging for me. I sat and stared at my laptop screen for an hour, unable to fill out the columns. You make a great point about how, as a teacher, you would want to successfully guide students in these different approaches to writing. I think it is important since poetry is often perceived as intimidating for whatever reason. Lastly, great photo, it's hilarious!
Sincerely,
Natalie Ramirez
Hello Evan,
ReplyDeletefor the essay portion, I do appreciate the level of dedication you take within organization, I too am also getting into the habit of structuring my work before actually writing it on pen to paper. Also, I loved the picture, it kind of reminded me of past habits I used to have, procrastination was a HUGE factor of my life, starting something and then not finishing it just because I got too bored or it started to show lack of interest, but poetry as an 'Open' frame of mind expands the mindset to overgrow and actually present your work as a complete status rather than an incomplete version of your past insights. Furthermore, within the quickwrite, I saw more of myself flourish rather than staying stuck in the same place, revealing that I too can create my a domain that doesnt stop or pause, but that can flow and procreate new visuals within text to speech.
Best,
Sebastian