Poetry in the Classroom
Writing poetry and writing about poetry have very different contrasting principles in terms of their purpose and execution. I found writing poetry to be creative, and the more "loose" I was in terms of style and form, the more imaginative my words seemed to flow out of me, almost like it was writing itself without any need for conscious level thinking. I found writing about poetry to be more informative, almost like any other academic assignment. It has its purpose in terms of learning how to analyze and think critically about what is being discussed, and is open to opinion on all fronts. Learning the style, rhythm, meter, rhyme scheme, and all the other poetic devices can often times be a mess to sort through however. I found that trying to put poetic devices in the forefront of my mind was actually detrimental to my creative process. This might be because of lack of practice writing poetry or maybe just the cognitive difference between trying to analyze and trying to express.
Writing about poetry helped to re-establish some of the forms of poetry as I was flipping through the book. I realized that poetic devices are often celebrated, but not to the extent of message and theme which I found to be more important. Even in works of English prose concerning novels and short fiction, the message and theme play a major role in the character development along with the imagery. The prose itself is often just in the background of my head when I read unless if it sticks out like a sore thumb for better (Huckleberry Finn) or worse (Twilight).
What I learned from this experience is that students in a classroom can really express themselves through poetry, particularly free verse. From the video we saw in class about poetry slams, it seems to really strike a cord with students to talk about real world issues that concern them in a safe and fun way that doesn't tolerate ridicule or grading. I feel that vocal empowerment is especially important when it comes to reading poetry, along with finding voice through the creative process of putting a poem together on a personal level, piece by piece.
