“To let the form of a poem succumb to its matter is and always will be the destruction of poetry” Yvor Winters is a modern poet, but he is very much a traditionalist. Poetry is a beautiful art that when properly mastered can exhume beautiful emotions from its readers. Proper forms, structure, grammar, rhyme scheme, all are elements of traditional poetry, and all, in my opinion, are elements of lovely poetry. I will argue that Yvor Winters poetic theory, The Fallacy of Expressive Form, written in 1939, arguing that poetry must be traditionally written can be tested using a Non Traditional song, Seven Nation Army by The White Stripe, and a Traditional poem, Incident by Countee Cullen; I will then explicate each poem to further explain my opinions on his theory.
Seven Nation Army is an intriguing piece of work by The White Stripes in 2003. Songs are often full of poetic elements, imagery, and further meaning than what appears in front of you. Songs may have the qualities of a poem but they are not poetry. This song, Seven Nation Army, is no exception. Symbolism is one poetic element that is very important in this song. One example is “I’m bleeding… right before the Lord”, obviously The White Stripes are not literally bleeding before their Lord. In fact I think this whole song is symbolism. I personally want it to symbolize the author’s frustration with fame. I believe “Bleeding before the Lord” could be representative of feeling judged. Besides the symbolism, I see that in this song there is another poetic element; personification of his bones, blood, and eyes also appears. When I listen to this song, I find it visual, though I do not get a clear picture; I get more of a flash of pictures. Imagery is also apparent in this song. I ...
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...e poet but he was also able to get his point across. He breached topic that were edgy and new but he did so in a manner that deemed him intelligent and a worthwhile read. Had it been written differently the poem would not hold the same meaning.
In conclusion, I have found that Yvor Winters, The Fallacy of Expressive Form, holds true to poetry. Traditional form and style can always be used, even for new, edgy topics. I have learned that I find the traditional style of poetry, although more challenging, much more pleasurable to read. I think it shows true intellect. I think that what I find truly remarkable is the ability of a traditional poet to take such rough subject and mannerist it in a way that is just stunning. Anyone can string together words and call it a poem, but a true poet can string together those same words in such a form that they can astound you.
During the late romantic period, two of history’s most profound poets, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, emerged providing a foundation for, and a transition into Modern poetry. In its original form, their poems lacked the characteristics commonly attributed to most romantic poets of the mid to late nineteenth century who tended to utilize “highly stylized verses, having formal structures, figurative language and adorned with symbols” (worksheet). Unique and “eccentric use of punctuation” as well as “irregular use of meter and rhyme” were the steppingstones for this new and innovative style of writing (worksheet). Even though these two writers rejected the traditional approach, both remained firmly dedicated to their romantic idealism of the glass of water being “half full” opposed to “half empty.” Noted for his frequent practice of catalogs and parallelism, Whitman stirred up much controversy with his first edition of “leaves of Grass” in 1855. Many critics responded negatively to the ...
Everett, Nicholas From The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-century Poetry in English. Ed. Ian Hamiltong. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994. Copyright 1994 by Oxford University Press.
Meinke, Peter. “Untitled” Poetry: An Introduction. Ed. Michael Meyer. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s 2010. 89. Print
Poetry may be the hardest form of literature to examine, at least for me. After reading some of our assigned poems this semester I was left completely confused, as to not only the authors purpose, but also the relevance and importance of the poem; None ...
Read the following poem by Edwin Muir from The Faber Book of Beasts (pp.119–20). Then write a short essay of no more than 600 words explaining what the poem is about and consider whether you think the poem is more traditional or dissenting.
A metrical composition; a composition in verse written in certain measures, whether in blank verse or in rhyme, and characterized by imagination and poetic diction; contradistinguished from prose; as, the poems of Homer or of Milton. This is but one of Webster 's definitions of a poem. Using this definition of “poem,” this paper will compare and contrast three different poems written by three different poets; William Shakespeare 's Sonnets 116, George Herbert’s Easter Wings and Sir Thomas Wyatt’s Whoso List to Hunt.
3. Ellmann, Richard. Modern Poems: A Norton Introduction. p. 797-803. W.W. Norton and Company, 1973.
Edgar Allan Poe and Ralph Waldo Emerson, the two giants of early American professional writing and poetry, while considered bitter rivals and often opposed in mindsets, still held some common beliefs about what poetry and creativity were. Despite Poe’s dark motifs and desire to unearth the deep and hidden emotions of man clashing with Emerson’s desire to speak for all and to make mankind see what it meant to be part of the Whole, the two men were still both poets, and this mix of difference yet similarity persists in their theories on writing and poetry. Their theories on poetry are both different and similar at once.
Both “The First Snowfall,” written by James Russell Lowell (a member of the Fireside Poets), and “The Snow-Storm,” written by Ralph Waldo Emerson display factors of Romanticism: the influence of nature concept through figurative language, the imagery concept through excessive details, and the infinite concept through mentioning of God and the Bible. These poems share similarities in how they achieve imagery, but, these poems differ in the types of figurative language used to obtain an influence of nature and with how they express the Infinite idea of Romanticism.
Strand, Mark and Evan Boland. The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms. New
“Poe’s Theory of Poetry.” The Big Read. Handout One. N.d.. 16. Web. 19 April 2014.
...ent and wit without losing his audience. He therefore combined the two to create elitist poems with some touches of the popular.
Turco, Lewis. The New Book of Forms: A Handbook of Poetics. Hanover: University Press of New England; 1986.
Preminger, Alex Brogan, T. V. Brogan & V. F. Terry (1993) The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. 3rd edition. London: Princeton University Press/Macmillan.
...ese structures in his poetry have put him in the top five British poets in history. Even though his life was cut short, the poem he did write has found their way into our literature books.