"And yet they, who have passed away long ago, still exist in us, as predisposition, as burden upon our fate, as murmuring blood, and as gesture that rises up from the depths of time" (Rilke, Letter 6). In some way, I think this passage creates a bridge from the passage we read in class about the experience necessary to create "maybe ten good lines" and John's strong belief in the poetry of naiveté. While I was traveling this J term, I had the opportunity to see many disadvantaged children. One stands out in my mind: a little black girl from the south side of Chicago, we can call her Vanessa. She grew up in Cabrini green, a notorious housing project, but a situation that was better than she presently was in (just got off the streets). Within her eyes, where you might expect to find the glitter of a mischievous imp, or maybe the sadness and hardship she has gone through, instead was a stoic hardiness that spoke of ancient strength. This little girl was filled with a history that pumped through her blood, even if she has never heard a word of it, she knew it in her muscles. You can be as naive as a child and as experienced as the aged, crushed down by the weight of God.

In fact, Rilke seems to celebrate the child's worldview as the poet's view, as the mystic's. "To walk inside yourself and meet no one for hours -- that is what you must be able to obtain. To be solitary as you were when you were a child, when grownups walked around involved with matters that seemed large and important . . . And when you realize that their activities are shabby, that their vocations are petrified and no longer connected with life, why not then continue to look upon it all as a child would . . .?"  (Letter 6).

Why should we be like children? Because children, if in touch with themselves, if immersed in their solitude, can reach a level of connection with that which is before us and after us we as adult-actors can never come close to. Children, like animals, are aware of the ghosts and hobgoblins we have too long ignored. "The fact that people have in this sense been cowardly has done infinite harm to life; the experiences that are called "apparitions", the whole so-called "spirit world," death, all these Things that are so closely related to us, have through our daily defensiveness been so entirely pushed out of life that the senses with which we might have been able to grasp them have atrophied. To say nothing of God" (Letter 8). This reminds me of a story I read before sleeping last night. A village has been without rain for a terribly long time. They call in the rainmaker, who sets up a little hut just outside the village and lives alone and silently for a month. Soon enough, the rains come.

The villagers run outside in the torrent to thank the rainmaker. He replies to all of their thanks with the repeated statement, "But I did not make it rain". Finally, someone asked him what he means.

Sersch   
Monday, January 31, 2000 10:00 PM 

Where does one look to find the hidden art of the world? Surely only those who have lived fascinating lives can tell a great story, compose a beautiful song, or paint a glorious picture, right? Wrong. According to Rilke, "If your everyday life appears to be unworthy subject matter, do not complain to life. Complain to yourself. Lament that you are not poet enough to call up its wealth. For the creative artist there is no poverty - nothing is insignificant or unimportant" (Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, p. 10.). The "sunken sensations of a distant past" will suffice for inspiration, but only if an aspiring artist MUST share his or her art with the world (Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, p. 10). Any layman can attempt to become a writer, a composer, or a painter, yet only the greatest of these MUST partake in such activities. If the true source of creation is found at the deepest level of our being, then we, both students and teachers of poetry, must look inward to find our inspiration. If true art is found, we must be willing to "bear its burden" and share it with others, no matter what the cost (Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, p.11). Rilke wants Mr. Kappus to recognize that a subject for a poem can be found anywhere; the deepest desire and need for poetry, however, is not so easily discovered. Mr. Kappus must find out whether he needs to write. The fact he wants to write is simply not enough.

Rilke seems to enjoy inner conflict. He writes, "People have, with the help of so many conventions, resolved everything the easy way, on the easiest side of easy. But it is clear that we must embrace struggle. Every living thing conforms to it" (Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, p.64.). Rilke recognizes that suffering and alienation cause us to reflect on life and examine the role we play in society. How do we relate to others? How does art relate to the world? Often, the answers to these questions can be found at the same time: when one is feeling lonely and struggling to cope with life. I frequently use art (music, books, movies, etc.) to connect -- both physically and emotionally -- with friends and family. Yet I also use similar diversions for comfort when I feel sad and depressed. This is what makes art important: It is there for us in good times and bad, like a family member or a pet. Rilke appears to be explaining that if we reject the easy (and shallow) path in life, we will be rewarded in the end. No great thing, whether it is a work of art or a newborn child, can come into existence without a struggle.

Of course, one cannot overcome obstacles without patience. Rilke writes, "To be an artist means not to compute or count; it means to ripen as the tree, which does not force its sap, but stands unshaken in the storms of spring with no fear that summer might not follow. It will come regardless. But it comes only to those who live as though eternity stretches before them, carefree, silent, and endless" (Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, p. 26). If we allow ourselves to be immersed in the quick pace of the modern world, leaving little time for inward contemplation, art will suffer. We must allow our minds to have energy, space, and freedom. Clocks and the deadlines that accompany them have no place in the process of creation. Rilke knows we must always take time to live, breathe, and feel the art that exists in the world. People grow naturally and individually over the course of time. This does not mean we must reject the world around us, but we must always recognize that life is more than what appears before our eyes.

In order to live a complete and contemplative life, Rilke wants us to come to terms with the world as it is: "We must accept our existence to the greatest extent possible; everything, the unprecedented also, needs to be accepted. That is basically the only case of courage required of us: to be courageous in the face of the strangest, the most whimsical and unexplainable thing that we could encounter" (Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, p. 82). If we accept the world, we are able to truly feel that of which it is composed: the many different things that motivate and alienate humankind. To reject the pain of life is to reject a portion of our being. In my opinion, Rilke, though he may receive tremendous satisfaction from his poetry, really enjoys the process more than the reward. For him, the process of creation is the means by which to accept the world to the greatest extent possible, for it is on the written page where he makes sense of the tragedies and triumphs of human life.

Our society is forever touting theories of romantic love, in which two individuals suddenly realize their intense love for each other, within a suitable three day period of acquaintance and then ride off into the sunset of romance where the relationship is destined to last forever without quarrel or hardship. These theories run rampant in today’s popular culture, running amuck through the heads and hearts of dreamy eyed girls and boys. In Letters to a Young Poet, Rilke carefully points out to Mr. Kappus that this impression of love is untrue to the term love and barely touches the possibilities contained in the idea of pure love.

In this text, Rilke’s comments on the illusion of romantic love contain intense harassment of immature thought on the issue of love. He writes:

Love does not at first have anything to do with arousal, surrender and uniting with another being-- for what union can be built upon uncertainty, immaturity, and lack of coherence? Love is a high inducement for individuals to ripen, to strive to mature in the inner self, to manifest maturity in the outer world, to become that manifestation for the sake of another.   (Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, p. 65-6.)

Rilke’s impression of love is one that benefits both individuals completely within the union of love. He sees a form of love that denies the needs of a self through the realization of those needs in the form of the individuals efforts for her or his partner in love. He also images love as an opportunity for the growth of both individuals within the bond of love. Love becomes an opportunity for change, rather than for the stagnation of individual thought.

Rilke harshly chastises young individuals who use love as a surface retreat from daily life. "[Young people] exchange the softly advancing and retreating of gentle premonitions of the spirit for an unfruitful restlessness" (Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, p. 67.). To me, Rilke seems to be describing the restlessness that has driven our nation to a fifty percent divorce rate and to a pessimistic outlook on relationships.

Too often in my life I feel like I’m living my life for someone else. I go to school to accept the assignments that my teacher gives me. I go to my job to fulfill my supervisor’s expectations. I go home to share my experiences with my parents hoping that they will be proud of me. Why do I do this? Why can’t I live my life for just me? I think I am constantly trying to search for meaning in my life through others. I bathe in the rewards of the compliments that I receive from my teachers, my supervisor, my family and friends. I take the criticisms that they give me seriously. At the beginning of Letters to a Young Poet, we understand why Kappus is writing to Rilke: Kappus wants to receive compliments and criticisms from an outsider. However, Rilke won’t criticize Kappus’s work. Rilke tells Kappus that only he himself can critique his work. He must write poetry for himself, not for others. Only then will he understand the true value of writing poetry.

This is the power that I want to talk about: the power from within. I see this as a theme throughout Rilke’s letters. Instead of looking for answers outside, we must look for answers inside, right under our nose! It’s like when one is madly searching for his or her glasses only to later realize that the glasses were resting on the top of his or her head. I find that this theme is useful when trying to find oneself. No one from the outside can truly tell us who each one of us is. It’s something we have to figure out for ourselves. College teaches us just this. It teaches us to be independent. We begin to form our own views and our own take on the world. We must hold strong to our convictions and have the courage to follow through with them.

I see this same theme continued in Kappus’s struggle of making some big decisions. Kappus is asking Rilke for advice about whether or not he should continue his writing career. Rilke again tells Kappus to look within himself for the answer: "When considering analysis, discussion, or presentation, listen to your inner self and to your feelings every time" (Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, p. 25-6). This is one area that I will pat myself on the back, if I may. I always listen to my inner voice and to my gut feeling inside of me. Last summer I had the opportunity to give admission tours to prospective students at CSB/SJU. We all know how big that college decision can sometimes be. My best piece of advice for them was for them to listen to their gut feeling. If the campuses did not feel like home to them, then they should be going here. I told them that the college they should choose is the one that feels like home. No one can tell you where you should go: not me, not your parents, and not the admission counselor. Only YOU can make that decision.

Rilke keeps mentioning the power of aloneness. Aloneness is an area of this theme (the power within) that I cannot comprehend too greatly. I’m hoping maybe we can clarify this point more in class. I guess I personally don’t value an extended period of time of aloneness. Sure, I do feel that occasionally I need to be alone, but for the most part I believe that we are social beings and we NEED people. I can’t imagine the enormous amount of time Kappus was spending alone. I would go nuts. I would have to disagree with Rilke’s encouragement to Kappus of being alone. Maybe my view would change if I understood more deeply the value of aloneness. The early part of my childhood and in grade school would have to be the part of my life where I was most alone. And from that experience, I really wouldn’t recommend it to others.

Finally, I was greatly touched by Rilke’s interpretation that we can look for God within ourselves! Wow! This brings this theme to a climax. To think that God is within ourselves is just amazing. I have always tried to see God in OTHERS, but never really in MYSELF. Instead of searching for God outside, in the past, or in the future, Rilke believes we should find God right here and now in ourselves. The most interesting point of all this is that Rilke believes that we have to build God for ourselves. Maybe this is why I don’t always see God or feel his presence in his life, because I haven’t built him yet from the inside out. Rilke explains, "By extracting the most possible sweetness out of everything, just as the bees gather honey, we thus build Him" (Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, p. 59). We have been forced to listen to others our whole life: our parents, teachers, supervisors, etc. I believe that I have built myself up from the outside, now I feel that I have some major construction work that needs to take place from the inside out. Where do I begin?

Markwardt, Jeff
February 01, 2000 7:26 PM

Rilke is telling his pen pal of the importance of quiet and peace, no phone calls, no e-mails, etc. For me, my life is very busy, and I allow many people, phone calls, meetings and details into my everyday life. I love these things, but I also need solitude. At times, I feel my inner peace dissipating. For J-term break I had the opportunity to fly to Florida to visit my god-parents. My 4 day vacation was just what the doctored ordered. I spent a lot of quiet time thinking, and I even started writing in a journal, something I haven't done for awhile. On the plane ride home I looked at my new art books, stared out the window, and kept writing in my journal. In those brief days I recaptured some of my inner peace, and it was through inner solitude, reflection, and staring at the ocean, that it happened. I hope I can continue to make that a priority in my life. I think Rilke is saying that we need to alone with ourselves, to know who we are, and to listen and recognize our inner voice. It is interesting how he stressed the importance of loneliness where in today's society, we are encouraged to be social beings. We can learn a lot from loneliness.

Another passage that was particularly beautiful to me is where Rilke is writing Mr. Kappus a Christmas letter. Mr. Kappus does not believe in God, and Rilke challenges him and offers comforting words. "Perhaps these very days of your transition are the times that He is touched by everything within you. Perhaps you are influencing him, just as you a child with breathless effort left your mark on him" (Rilke, Letter 6, page 59). Many times, I think we always hear about how God affects our lives, how God changes us, etc. Sometimes it can seem like a one-sided relationship. How do we affect God? I love this passage because it is saying that God is personally affected by everything we do, He/She not only watches over all of us, but God is changed personally by our actions. We leave our mark on God. What a beautiful concept.

Lastly, I want to mention the passage where Rilke discusses how we should not live in fear. We mustn't blame society for we have created this fear. "We have no reason to mistrust our world, for it is not against us. If it has terrors, they are our own terrors. If dangers are present, we must try to love them ..... embrace that which is difficult" (Rilke, Letter 8, page 85). This quote seems relevant to today's society because I think we are taught by the media, parents, etc. etc. to at times live in fear. In reality we are the ones causing fear today. Countries are perpetuating fear and mistrust of each other through wars, trade embargoes, news stories, missile reserves, etc. We have in our mind stereotypes of different types of people, African-Americans, homosexuals, people from the South, International students, and all of these things create barriers and fear between people. Rilke is telling us to face our fears whether it's on a national scale or if it involves talking to someone new on the bus.

Anne Walters
February 01, 2000 4:15 PM
"Seek not so much to be understood as to understand..." Francis of Assisi

"All these things mean nothing, are nothing, and have no worth, no heart." (Rilke, Letter 5, page 46) I never dreamed any poet's description of Rome would be quite like this. This quote is an example of one of the many times Rilke surprised me with a unique perspective. His insights frequently reminded me of being younger when I learned new information about something I thought I knew well.

One of Rilke's insights is inspirational to me: "For what I could say to you about your inclination to doubt or about your inability to bring your inner and outer life into harmony, or about everyting else that causes you concern -- It is always that which I have already said: It is always my wish that you might find enough patience within yourself to endure, and enough innocence to have faith." (Rilke, Letter 9, page 92) I think this idea of innocence is beautiful. I have until now thought of innocence as a terrific characteristic that is given at birth, but diminishes with age, not age but knowledge and experience. The concept that innocence should be sought after and maintained is wonderful.

Once in a while I get the feeling that there is nothing left to discover, but living innocently as a child makes everything a discovery since it allows you to keep your unique perspective.

Oakland, Timothy J
February 02, 2000 1:09 AM

Schmitz, Julie M
February 02, 2000 1:18 AM

I was particularly struck by the first letter Rilke wrote and how he developed a sense of what poetry is and how to go about writing it. As he says, "Most happenings are beyond expression; they exist where a word has never intruded" (Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, p. 7). Wow! For a poet to exist in this world where words cannot capture expression leaves me both confused and marveled. In my experience, the poet sets out to grasp the unexplainable in minute, intricate details that leave the imagination to stretch into different forms much like play-doh. Rilke continues in the same letter to speak about the importance of knowing you love writing and cannot live without it: "Above all, in the most silent hour of the night, ask yourself this: Must I write?" (Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, p. 9). Rilke catches the spirit of the obsession writing must be-fervent and passionate like a secret lover the writer must flee to at all expense in the depths of the night. I enjoyed the appeal of this image Rilke is concocting of how the poet is trapped in a place where words usually cannot or are not used properly to convey experience at the same time that the poet is desperately scrambling to capture those experiences with his/her own words.

Another aspect of Rilke that intrigued me was his sincere outlook on aloneness. He seems very sure that this is the only way one is able to write and that poets should devote their lives to themselves. At the end of his fourth letter, Rilke comments to Kappus, "It is good that you are settling into a career that will make you independent, and that you will be relying completely on yourself in every sense" (Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, p. 42). In some ways, I disagree with Rilke here because I believe the writer is at the mercy of everyone else, relying on the world around him/her to provide the material for writing. However, it eventually boils down to the poet, who must look inward to develop his/her poetry and to experience life for his/her own self, which I think Rilke is getting at.

Here are additional phrases of Rilke included in Letters to a Young Poet that I found rather beautifully perplexing:

"Destiny itself is like a wonderful wide tapestry in which every thread is guided by an unspeakably tender hand, placed beside another thread, and held and carried by a hundred others" (24).  "To be an artist means not to compute or count; it means to ripen as the tree, which does not force its sap, but stands unshaken in the storms of spring with no fear that summer might not follow" (26).  "Why don’t you think of [God] as the coming one, who has been at hand since eternity, the future one, the final fruit of a tree, with us as its leaves?" (58). "Since [society] is inclined to perceive love life as entertainment, it needs to display it as easily available, inexpensive, safe, and reliable, just like common public entertainment" (67).

Our class discussion yesterday consisted of many paradoxes: solitude vs. companionship, innocence vs. the wisdom of old age, and Freud’s view of the id as the dark side vs. Yung’s view of the id as the light side, etc. Even though these paradoxes are conflicting and they tend to stir some heated arguments, Fr. Mark addressed that these paradoxes are OK. Sersch--I’m sure you were happy because here is a new way to look at settling these conflicts and making peace with these topics. Instead of trying to resolve the conflicts with one correct answer, we should be able to accept the paradox and find a balance between both of the sides. Where am I going with this you might ask. When I think about poetry, I tend to think of a person reading in solitude in a quiet and dark room. But then I also think about Poetry Slams where poets competitively read their poems in front of an audience. Poetry is the perfect medium that bridges the wide gap between the paradox of solitude and companionship in our world today!

I came to this realization after reading the first two chapters of Molly Peacock’s How to Read a Poem…and Start a Poetry Circle. First, Molly addresses the power of solitude in poetry: "…reading poetry gives you a kind of internal message. Your organs readjust, they re-relate to one another, as you become aware of a new thought or a new feeling or more likely, of something you, too, have thought and felt all along" (Peacock, How to Read a Poem…and Start a Poetry Circle, p. 14). Second, Molly addresses the power of companionship in poetry through poetry circles. I smiled when I imagined this image of Molly and her friend Georgianna Orsini "climb[ing] into [their] jammies by SIX P.M. to read poems out loud while cooking dinner" (Peacock, How to Read a Poem…and Start a Poetry Circle, p. 16). Poetry has many things to teach me. It not only will connect me to a new form of solitude, but also deeper feelings of companionship with those around me.

"I labor by singing light / Not for ambition or bread … But for the common wages / Of their secret heart … But for the lovers, their arms / Round the griefs of ages,…" (Thomas, "In My Craft or Sullen Art," in Rag and Bone, p. 167). I might be misinterpreting "In My Craft or Sullen Art," but I’m picturing Dylan Thomas writing to soothe the lovers’ hearts in order to heal the lovers’ outside griefs. I think this concept is neat: healing the inside in order to heal the outside. One must first heal the inside heart and body before one begins to heal the outside griefs of this troubled world we live in. A poet, who most likely has a special connection with solitude and the inner realm of the soul, must then have the key to solving the world’s griefs. The poet’s words alone will touch our hearts and heal us in ways that food or water cannot. Is it possible then to solve world hunger through poetry?

Williams, Scott G
Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2000 6:23 PM
Subject: Peacock, Thomas, Eskimo // Unknown Human Emotion

I enjoy the way Peacock explains the foundation of a poem: "Poetry is really the fusion of three arts: music, storytelling, and painting. The line displays the poem's music, the sentence displays its thoughts, and the image displays the vision of the poet" (Peacock, How to Read a Poem, p. 19). After reading this, I looked at one of Peacock's talismans, "Let Evening Come," by Jane Kenyon (on page 25). I really felt I could grasp the content better. It paints a beautiful picture with words, but it also contains thoughts (a message) and music as well. I do not know whether Peacock's foundation will work for all poems, but it really does seem like something worth remembering. Poetry is difficult to explain to someone else, but I think every poem has a unique sound, story, and visual. Not only that, each reader can enjoy his or her own interpretation. That said, I can see why Peacock enjoys returning to her favorite poems again and again. A fresh reading has a new sound and a new visual. Meanwhile, the story is given a new explanation.

The poem by Dylan Thomas is fascinating.

And the lovers lie abed
With all their griefs in their arms,
I labor by singing light
Not for ambition or bread
Or the strut and trade of charms
On the ivory stages
But for the common wages
Of their most secret heart.    (Thomas, "In My Craft or Sullen Art," in Rag and Bone, p. 167)

For one thing, it has great music. Thomas seems to say that his labor can connect with a heart better than a physical presence can. The "lovers lie abed / With all their griefs in their arms" -- notice that lovers (most likely embracing) hold "grief" in their arms; but Thomas wants no money or fame, merely the "secret heart" of his audience (Thomas, "In My Craft or Sullen Art"). I also find it interesting that Thomas works while lovers lie. Poetry has left him alone at night, but he absolutely must share his art with others -- that is how he can connect with lovers best. Hopefully this poem will come up in class tomorrow, as I'm interested to see what everyone else took from Thomas' work.

The poem entitled "Magic Words" grabbed me immediately. It reminded me of Peacock's book, where she writes, "Each time any of us reads a favorite poem, it conjures a special sorcery of second sight, and third, and fourth, until understanding is so profound that we are returned to a state before we even had language - a prelinguistic place (Peacock, How to Read a Poem, p. 3). (Yes, that excerpt also appeared in the Great Poets course description.) The author, an Eskimo, seems to convey a similar message, this time about a group of magic words: "Sometimes they were people / and sometimes animals / and there was no difference. / All spoke the same language" (Eskimo, "Magic Words," (in Rag and Bone, p 160). Peacock must feel that this Eskimo is talking about poetry. Maybe he is. Maybe he is not. All I know is that this Eskimo writes well.

"Easy writing makes bad reading" - Ernest Hemingway

Take care all,
Scott Williams

Lindquist, Jennifer M
February 03, 2000 9:07 PM
Subject: Peacock, Eskimo, Stafford // Random Thoughts

"When we talk about the body of a poem- its anatomy-the line is like a skeletal system, the sentence is like a circulatory system, and the image is like a central nervous system. That’s all" (Peacock, How to Read a Poem, p. 19).  "That’s all."  What? A poem is more than that. It’s greater than the sum of the words included, its structure and the images it uses and creates. In fact, it is like stretching for a small piece of heaven, or some greater knowledge and then carefully manipulating it safely on to a waiting piece of paper. A poem is a piece of a soul, an individual spirit. I have always held off from writing poetry because I have never felt that I could do it justice. I will leave it to people greater than I to bring a piece of heaven to the world on paper. I, on the other hand, will focus on the relationships in my life… and enjoy the poetry that you create.

"Sometimes I think we are attracted to a poem because it makes us feel as if someone is listening to us. This may seem like a strange reversal, because we are supposed to be listening to it, but the voice of the poem allows us to hear ourselves" (Peacock, How to Read a Poem, p. 4).  I think the poems she describes are some of the most wonderful to read. These are poems that speak back to you as your reading them, seeming to help you to formulate your thoughts and emotions on the page as it slips through your mind. I’ve often paged through books of famous quotes and books of poetry collections, searching for one thought or idea that best describes my emotions at the time. (Of course, this is not a very efficient way of expressing oneself, but whatever works, right?) It has only worked a few times, but in those times I have been able to give a sigh of relief as I carefully copy the lines or line on to my own paper, which immediately transferred to my pocket for safe keeping.

"Sometimes they were people and sometimes animals and there was no difference. All spoke the same language" (Eskimo, Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, p. 160).   I love this line of this poem because the connection between humans and animals is so beautifully stated. The words seem somehow… peaceful and calming. In the world of this poem, everyone is understood, everyone is united. As a lover of nature, it amazes me that people still struggle to set humanity apart, when I can wander in the woods and find absolute peace or sit beside a lake and meditate to the sound of quietly sloshing waves. Besides, haven’t you ever closed your eyes and wished with all of your heart that you could become a bird? It must be a wonderful view.

"A writer is not so much someone who has something to say as he is someone who has found a process that will bring about new things he would not have thought of if he had started to say them" (Stafford, Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, p.181).   I am forever reaching the end of an important paper and coming to the realization that my exploration into the subject has just begun. This usually means that I scrap the entire thing and start fresh, with new knowledge and a new direction. This is a wonderful thing… except when one exists in a world of deadlines and time limits. I don’t think one every really understands an opinion or an expression until he or she puts it down on paper, rolling the idea over and over in his or her mind, until the thought becomes clear as crystal. I don’t think I have ever had a thought as clear as crystal, but I can only assume that, if my writing process were to continue indefinitely, I would come to the meaning of life. Yes, my tangents can be that broad. J I found a connection with Stafford, who seems to admire this process that I have always found a slight struggle. Especially when teachers ask for a thesis statement before the completion of a paper. How rude!

Briggle, Adam R
February 03, 2000 9:46 PM
Subject: Rag and Bone Shop// Stafford and Eskimo

The Eskimo poem on page 160 most closely approximates my own thoughts about poetry. I especially like these lines, " a person could become an animal if he wanted to and an animal could become a human being." Of course, we are animals, but I think the poet is referring to a connection with the WHAT that underlies our WHO. In other words, the biological self and its needs, the uncivilized self, the self who shares common ancestry with all life. The who is our identity in social life, our job, our hobbies, our friends. They are both connected, and I think the author is saying that poetry is a vehicle for bringing one to the other.

Solomon, John P
February 04, 2000 12:20 AM
Meade, Thomas, Solomon // From the Warrior Poets to the Poets at War

One of the most over used and warn out clichés is that of the artist at war with himself. It is an image that a 20 year old man (some may say the very man that writes this to you) has a difficult time forgetting. Why is it that an artist must struggle with art. I of course must point out that a cliché would not be a cliché if it didn't hold truth. Some of the greatest moments in my life come when I shut out the world around me and I start to work on my music or my poetry. Sometimes I can feel it inside me and I know that I have to shut myself off to find it. Rilke may say that I have to seek solitude, while I on the other hand would not even feel the need to point it out. I can never be at one with my art unless I can truly roll up my sleeves and struggle with it. This requires me to seek out that battle between me and my art that I hold so dear. Herein lies my thought upon these poems.

When is the struggle a cliché and when is a struggle the truth? I have spent a lot of time the past few weeks dealing with the problem of when I should quite saying I am a student and start saying that I am a musician, a singer songwriter in fact. The words feel clumsy coming out of my mouth because it is only recently that I have decided to put everything aside and embrace my art. What that means for me of course is that I am now looking at college in a whole new way. No longer is it anything that holds me. It is merely the thing I am doing in my free time. I feel liberated now. Dylan Thomas, brother of mine, I hear your voice in my soul saying

"I labor by singing light
Not for ambition or bread
Or the strut and trade of charms
On the ivory stages
But for the common wages
Of their most secret heart."      (Thomas, "In My Craft or Sullen Art")

Flynn, Kevin C
Thursday, February 03, 2000 11:30 PM
Subject: Peacock, Stevens, Orpingalik //

The first chapter in Peacock's How to Read a Poem introduced a paradox (theres that word again) that i have often wrestled with over the course of my studies; whether it is best to take any selection or piece of art and analyze it till you find the hidden meanings and the structure and why it works, or just leave it be and apperciate it for what it is. She writes "Inadvertantly i had become the bully who tears the wings from butterflies. I would rather not understand than kill a poem, I resolved right then." (Peacock, How to Read a Poem, 6) By dissecting the poems she sought to emmulate, she had sucked all the emotions out of them. As i was reading on page three about talismans, i noticed right away Peacock was using personification to describe poems, and yet i was missing some of the meaning. Peacock too seems caught in the paradox, she wrote five pages later about how, "Communing with these poems..., each contiunuing to exhibit vitality as i look at its body-its nervous system, skeletal system, circulatory system." (Peacock, How to Read a Poem, 11) Furthermore, the whole second chapter deals with breaking down elements of poems. When looking at a piece of art we are faced with a choice; we can experience it and know it triggers somekind of emotion within us, or we can delve into what the artist did in hopes of setting off that emotion. We can look at a still life and see a cool bowl of fruit, and we can witness the use of shadown and light and the interplay between textures used to draw our focus.

What is the solution? I dont know. As with most things dealing with art and personal expression, it is subjective. The best solution seems to be to look for the middle ground. Everything in moderation. If we can read a poem and be deeply moved, while at the same time catch noticing the beautiful use of alliteration, we seem to get the full benefit. We might miss a few historical references along the way, or perhaps lose that initial weepy feeling we had, but we will get the best of both worlds.

"Poetry is the art of letting your primordial word resound through the common word." - Gerhart Hauptman. (found on page 182)

Who is better; Dr Spock or Homer Simpson? On the one hand, Spock is the epitome of a logical thinker, whereas Homer ia at the mercy of his many whims. Using what we discussed in class the other day, Freud believed that the rational thinker, the person that uses his or her super ego, is superior. meanwhile Jung stated that impulse actions were completely neccessary and good. In his poem, Poetry is a Destructive Force, Stevens attacks the idea that emotions are good. He compares emotions to savage beasts. "He tastes its blood, not spit" (Stevens, Poetry is a Destructive Force, 166) Blood, from the heart, the center of emotions. Spit, from the mouth, the tool of the mind. Stevens goes so far as to say that impulse and non-logical actions can kill.

Orpingalik, by contrast, believes that emotions are the inspiration for great thoughts, not their downfall. "Songs are thoughts, sung out with the breath when people are moved by great forces and ordinary speech no longer suffices." (Orpingalik, Songs are Thoughts) The song occurs when a person is awash with thoughts, and at the same time filled with great emotion. It is a very positive thing, perhaps the most postive of all.