A good writer is not always a good poet, but a good poet is always a great writer. Poetry is as much an approach to writing as it is an art--though anything done well enough is an art. Some of you may already be comfortable writing using poetic styles and forms, while some of you might find it too confusing to find any comfort zone. Most of us shy away from what we do not know; we are not inclined to expose our weaknesses in any kind of public forum, lest you be the fodder for the marauding hordes of nitpicking critics. But our class is not a public forum. It is a community of young teenagers trying to give voice to experiences and thoughts that are as valid and relevant to the world at large as any writer who as lived and breathed and wrote on this small spinning ball we call home.
Some of you have asked me why start the year writing poetry? Why don't I have you leap into the more practical world of punctuation, essays, and vocabulary? Why don’t I just have you start by reading some cool short story? I don't--and I won't--because I deeply believe that the writing of poetry is an opportunity that is too often neglected and as such, it is saved for a special "unit" during a quiet spell in the curriculum. In reality, poetry needs to be something we create and work towards all year long. An understanding and appreciation for poetry is the strongest foundation for future excellence as a writer in any genre. Poetry appeals to the discerning writer and to the discerning reader; moreover, poetry cultivates and instills a deep and enduring appreciation for the power of well-crafted words. When the going of life gets tough, it is poetry, whether through music or the printed word, which we turn to for edification, insight, and solace. It is worth the effort!
Contrary to what you might think, I am not trying to turn you into poets, though I am hoping to somehow give you a glimpse of your own potential as a person (and a poet) with something valid and important to say! I have culled as much from the garden of my students as I have from the tomes of Shakespeare. I am as enlightened by the words of my students as I am by any other author prominently displayed on my meticulous and overwrought bookshelves; I am not asking or expecting you to do anything less than I ask or expect of myself. I am simply asking you to try with your heart and soul and being to be a writer and thinker of words. Whether you become a poet or not is a product of your attitude, not your aptitude.
As we make our way through the year we will be studying and practicing different forms, styles, and structures of poetry. The first form is called anaphora which is the repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or lines. Numerous poets (Walt Whitman in particular) and almost all of the biblical prophets use anaphora to great effect in their poems and psalms. Anaphora poems are especially suited to oral poetry and lyrical music (poems which are sung!) This is called parallelism when used in prose or essay writing, such as in Martin Luther King’s speech “I Have a Dream,” or Jefferson's, “Declaration of Independence.”
The use of anaphora is just one trick in a writer’s bag of trade secrets. In that sense, a good poet is a good craftsman who uses the right tools and the right techniques to suit the project at hand. Anaphora poetry is ideally suited for making lists of thoughts and/or experiences, as in repeated phrases that begin with something along the lines of “I remember….” When you recall experiences, be sure to “flesh out” the experience by including specific images and actions. Don’t simply say, “I remember going to Boston.
There is no minimum or maximum length for your poem, though it should be noted that anaphora poems are seldom brief. This is because the power of this form of poetry resides in the building up of momentum and rhythm through the repetition of words and phrases.
Turn your poems into me on Monday morning. [ (Please don't attempt the last sentence literally:) ] Be sure to save a digital copy on your home computer as well. We are going to try and find time when we are up at Windsor Mountain to recite our poetry.
Use times new roman font, size twelve for text; size 16 for titles. Be sure to include your name, your section, the assignment name, and the date in the top left corner of your paper. The poem should also have a title ( a good title) that is above the poem.
If you have any problems, please e-mail me at jfitzsimmons@fenn.org, or call me at 978-793-1553
Good luck and have fun.
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