Poetry, much like its literary counterpart prose, is a section of literature that is wide-reaching, encompassing a cornucopia of different subcategories and subgenres which can be generally classified under an umbrella term, “poetry”. But one of the most confusing and debated categories of poetry is war poetry. Ranging from the obvious to the near-incomprehensible, war poems can relate to virtually anything about war: being in war, on the front lines, in combat, being active in support of or opposition to war, the aftermath of war, the death correlated to war, the effects on the home front, etc. Essentially anything conflict-related can be and often is classified under the war genre of poetry. Nearly anything could be a war poem, as generally as it seems to be categorized. This has made many readers of war poetry either confused or skeptical, or as was with my case, both. Why, many ask, why is war poetry such a large and looming category, why does it have so many qualities that allow poems of ranging diversities fall under its title? I was one of those very skeptics who questioned this definition and sub-categorization, and after contemplation and dialogue, this is my conclusion to the enigma of war poetry.
Obviously enough, “war poetry” suggests that the poems classified as such are about war. The problem then lies in what war involves, for war poetry is a vast concept and one would expect some correlation, perhaps. Indeed, this is the case with war and its subgenre of poetry. War incorporates many things, ranging from abstract and intangible ideas such as victory or defeat and freedom or oppression to very tangible, and often sensory concepts such as pain, fatigue, and death. So it then becomes reasonable to assume that poems encompassing such concepts could arguably be categorized as poems of war.
Furthermore, if one considers the term “war” by itself, and if one detaches from the term any connotations to the word and then breaks it down to its most integral and basic core, it becomes evident that “war” could be about pretty much any conflict in existence, tangible or intangible, exterior or interior. The “wars” on terror, racism, sexism, poverty, and domestic abuse are all examples of this view on what war really is. It is fairly unreasonable to consider having armed soldiers attempting to fight intangible ideas, and while it is more possible it is also more ridiculous to consider having such soldiers battle the physical advocates of those concepts such as terrorists, members of the KKK, bigots, rich people, and abusers in a “conventional war”. So one of two things have happened: either the term “war” is essentially misused nine times out of ten when it is used at all, or the term “war” no longer only means prolonged physical detrimental conflict.
Going off of this more modernized and broader definition of “war”, it hence becomes more reasonable to categorize poems dealing with such concepts as terror, racism, etc., as “war poetry”. Using the definition of “war” that I have given, the war on terror is just as much a war as the Iraq War or the Persian Gulf War, and the “war on poverty” throughout the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s was no less a war than the Korean and Vietnamese wars. Even in a sense, possibly a facetious one but one nonetheless, there is a “war” of language, denotation, and connotation, and I’ve presented that idea in this blog post. In conclusion to all of this, I would say that “war”, in correlation to “war poetry”, is a vast and vague term and it is suitable for its subgenre of poetry to follow along the same path. As they say, all is fair in love and war, so why not?
Monday, November 15, 2010
War Poetry - Chelsea
Though poetry can be perceived as a form of art that brings beauty and happiness to our world, James Logenbach has said about war poetry that “no poem stands apart in happy oblivion.” War poetry is an interesting category of poetry that is defined as poetry that deals specifically with war. However, a common question that might arise in response to this definition is how do we define war? Though one could argue that war can be defined by the numerous conflicts observed from day to day, such as the warring emotions that can exist in an individual, or the warring ideas of separate institutions, the war that war poetry deals with is most typically the violent conflict of combat between two opposing sides.
However, war poetry itself does not have to dwell on the specificities of this definition and only comment on battle at the front lines or a specific war. War poetry deals with war in a more complex way than simply observing what can be seen (that is typically what we have the History Channel for). War poetry commonly deals with the emotion that is aroused as a response to the war itself. Whether it speaks directly about a specific war or battle, about the action of the war, or the aftermath of the war, or the impact of the war, war poetry does exactly what it sounds like it does-- speaks about warfare.
In class, we were exposed to various examples of war poetry that all had distinct characteristics responsible for qualifying them as “war poems.” Turner’s “Here, Bullet,” is a personal response to the act of getting shot in combat. The speakers speaks directly to the bullet as it careens through his body and takes his life. The poem can be interpreted as a zoomed-in view of war as a physical conflict that occurs within the human body between the bullet, and the flesh and bones of the human.
“Sunday Morning,” by Steven Wallace is also a war poem, but in a much more indirect manner. At first, it may not be obvious that the poem is talking about war, but through some allusions and metaphors that are more complex and obscure than the content of “Here, Bullet,” we could see that in fact, Wallace’s poem was a war poem because it was reacting to World War I. Wallace’s approach to the war he dealt with was to comment on the nature of life and death and the afterlife as an emotional response to the impact of the war. He questions what comes after death, and says that death and life are a part of the circle of life, and there is beauty in death.
DJ Renegade responds directly to Steven Wallace’s statement of “death [being] the mother of beauty” in his poem “Monday Morning.” DJ Renegade’s poem speaks about violence and death, and responds to Wallace’s war poem, but “Monday Morning” is a war poem because it comments on differing attitudes towards the idea of unnatural death, which is a consequence of war. The speaker in “Monday Morning” questions Wallace’s belief that there can be beauty in death because he (the speaker of “Monday Morning”) has seen the death of a loved one firsthand. Though the death he has experienced was not necessarily death due to war (although it very well could have been a product of a gang war), it was a death not caused by natural causes, life taken away from an individual by another individual, and in “Monday Morning,” the speaker claims it is the attitude that there can be beauty extracted from the act of murder that brought about the atomic warfare of Vietnam.
Classifying a genre of poetry as “war poetry” may seem like a very specific corner of poetry, however, as demonstrated by the poems we read in class, there are still many different ways in which a poem can be considered a war poem because there are many different ways individuals choose to deal with war. Because war can be such a complex notion to understand, war poetry lends itself to the emotional responses of individuals who are coping with the impact of war, whether the poems aim to resolve a conflict, or just express and release an emotion.
However, war poetry itself does not have to dwell on the specificities of this definition and only comment on battle at the front lines or a specific war. War poetry deals with war in a more complex way than simply observing what can be seen (that is typically what we have the History Channel for). War poetry commonly deals with the emotion that is aroused as a response to the war itself. Whether it speaks directly about a specific war or battle, about the action of the war, or the aftermath of the war, or the impact of the war, war poetry does exactly what it sounds like it does-- speaks about warfare.
In class, we were exposed to various examples of war poetry that all had distinct characteristics responsible for qualifying them as “war poems.” Turner’s “Here, Bullet,” is a personal response to the act of getting shot in combat. The speakers speaks directly to the bullet as it careens through his body and takes his life. The poem can be interpreted as a zoomed-in view of war as a physical conflict that occurs within the human body between the bullet, and the flesh and bones of the human.
“Sunday Morning,” by Steven Wallace is also a war poem, but in a much more indirect manner. At first, it may not be obvious that the poem is talking about war, but through some allusions and metaphors that are more complex and obscure than the content of “Here, Bullet,” we could see that in fact, Wallace’s poem was a war poem because it was reacting to World War I. Wallace’s approach to the war he dealt with was to comment on the nature of life and death and the afterlife as an emotional response to the impact of the war. He questions what comes after death, and says that death and life are a part of the circle of life, and there is beauty in death.
DJ Renegade responds directly to Steven Wallace’s statement of “death [being] the mother of beauty” in his poem “Monday Morning.” DJ Renegade’s poem speaks about violence and death, and responds to Wallace’s war poem, but “Monday Morning” is a war poem because it comments on differing attitudes towards the idea of unnatural death, which is a consequence of war. The speaker in “Monday Morning” questions Wallace’s belief that there can be beauty in death because he (the speaker of “Monday Morning”) has seen the death of a loved one firsthand. Though the death he has experienced was not necessarily death due to war (although it very well could have been a product of a gang war), it was a death not caused by natural causes, life taken away from an individual by another individual, and in “Monday Morning,” the speaker claims it is the attitude that there can be beauty extracted from the act of murder that brought about the atomic warfare of Vietnam.
Classifying a genre of poetry as “war poetry” may seem like a very specific corner of poetry, however, as demonstrated by the poems we read in class, there are still many different ways in which a poem can be considered a war poem because there are many different ways individuals choose to deal with war. Because war can be such a complex notion to understand, war poetry lends itself to the emotional responses of individuals who are coping with the impact of war, whether the poems aim to resolve a conflict, or just express and release an emotion.
War Poetry - Morgan
One of the things that is harder to figure out than I thought it would be is to figure out what is a war poem and what is not. War poems are not as straight forward about soldiers on the front lines of battle as I imagined they would be. But after reading more war poetry I have started to understand true war poetry. It is not always about a straightforward description of a battle or even a reflection of a battle by a soldier but it can be about anything that was written in a time of war even if the war is not mentioned.
The poem 2000 lbs. is definitely a war poem. It is a war poem because of the emotion and the descriptions of the people in the poem during the “event” described in this poem. The beginning of the poem is all about the emotions and feelings that different people from different situations are feeling during a rough time in their lives. One person is remembering “summer 1974,” he is remembering the girl he loves and regretting how fast time goes past and previous decisions he has made. The next couple of people in this poem start to describe an explosion as the even that has taken place.
The skeptical reader after the first couple of sections of the poem wonders how these descriptions, memories, and feelings have anything to do with a war and war poetry. These feelings and stories have nothing to do with a war that we know of. As the poem progresses the reader gains a better understanding of what is going on but still wonders how all these compounded stories have anything to do with one another, how do they tie together. It is not until they are all put together, rather than looked at separately, and the time that the poem was written is taken to account that the war starts to stick out.
2000 lbs. is written during the Iraq war and is a description of a suicide bombing told from the perspectives of Iraqis, American soldiers, and the bomber himself. This poem was written during a time of war and the war and the event in particular was the inspiration of this poem. Knowing this even the skeptical reader then realizes that when they read about an old woman cradling her grandson, whispering, rocking him on her knees it is not only a description of a moment shared by a woman and her grandson but it plays a part in the bigger picture. The reader realizes that the war that the poem is talking about is directly affecting these people who are involved in this event. All of the people are, from the ones remembering the good times to the bomber himself. A war poem is anything written during a time of war, this poem more than some mentions the war tat is occurring but there is also still room for a little skepticism. After re-reading this poem and the discussions in class I am no longer a skeptical reader and believe that this is a war poem
The poem 2000 lbs. is definitely a war poem. It is a war poem because of the emotion and the descriptions of the people in the poem during the “event” described in this poem. The beginning of the poem is all about the emotions and feelings that different people from different situations are feeling during a rough time in their lives. One person is remembering “summer 1974,” he is remembering the girl he loves and regretting how fast time goes past and previous decisions he has made. The next couple of people in this poem start to describe an explosion as the even that has taken place.
The skeptical reader after the first couple of sections of the poem wonders how these descriptions, memories, and feelings have anything to do with a war and war poetry. These feelings and stories have nothing to do with a war that we know of. As the poem progresses the reader gains a better understanding of what is going on but still wonders how all these compounded stories have anything to do with one another, how do they tie together. It is not until they are all put together, rather than looked at separately, and the time that the poem was written is taken to account that the war starts to stick out.
2000 lbs. is written during the Iraq war and is a description of a suicide bombing told from the perspectives of Iraqis, American soldiers, and the bomber himself. This poem was written during a time of war and the war and the event in particular was the inspiration of this poem. Knowing this even the skeptical reader then realizes that when they read about an old woman cradling her grandson, whispering, rocking him on her knees it is not only a description of a moment shared by a woman and her grandson but it plays a part in the bigger picture. The reader realizes that the war that the poem is talking about is directly affecting these people who are involved in this event. All of the people are, from the ones remembering the good times to the bomber himself. A war poem is anything written during a time of war, this poem more than some mentions the war tat is occurring but there is also still room for a little skepticism. After re-reading this poem and the discussions in class I am no longer a skeptical reader and believe that this is a war poem
War Poetry - Mollie
The scope of war poetry is wider then I originally perceived it to be. I had little knowledge of what this genre of poetry is and therefore would’ve previously considered my self a skeptical reader. War poetry is often a misunderstood genre of poetry; this often leads the audience to be more skeptical in classifying poetry as “war Poetry.” In order to understand the tendency for readers to be skeptical of war poetry we must first understand its wide scope and variety in subject matter. When you approach the following poems: “Monday Poem” by DJ Renegade and “Sunday Morning” by Wallace Stevens. The poems differ greatly in not only their approach but also subject matter and yet they are both considered to be apart of the war poetry genre. Through this differences the skeptical readers begin to raise their objections.
The poem “Sunday Morning” has been determined to be an allusion to World War I where “Monday Poem” is seen as a response or an almost counter Wallace Steven’s poem. The skeptical reader may view “Monday Poem” as a commentary on our society rather than a war, however the poem speaks directly to Steven’s and his poem, “wonder if Wallace Stevens ever held a gunshot friend and watched his eyes leak light”(Renegade). Skeptical readers could view this in various ways thus creating the confusion that is widespread throughout what defines war poetry. Often people do not understand what war poetry truly is, they view it as only poetry regarding battles or other significant wartime events this causes them to be skeptical to deem other works as war poetry.
What makes “Monday Poem” a war poem then? There are many different ways it can be classified as a war poem in whatever way a skeptical reader would approach it. The poem can be viewed as a commentary on inner community violence, and gang wars. A reference to community or gang violence is made within the line, “carnations taped to the stop sign/ or the empty wine bottles arranged around it”(Renegade). The skeptical reader may claim that gang violence or intercommunity violence is not defined as a war but when you understand all that war poetry can represent, for example conflict and all the emotions that are connected to it. These can be contextualized within poetry and thus defined as War Poetry.
Furthermore while the skeptical reader may continue to claim that the poem cannot be categorized as war poetry because it does not depict a specific battle it can be argued the term “death” within both war and battles is the same within this poem. In war we often deal with unfair, or unnecessary deaths, the same can be seen within DJ Renegades poem as well. The deaths they seem to commentary on were unnecessary and maybe viewed as they would be in wars seen in the line, “I remember Ronald shot on his front steps…and say the same logic which produced that poem/produced the mushroom cloud over Nagasaki”(Renegade). The skeptical readers claim can be countered with this argument that the deaths of the people in the community are parallel to that of the deaths during Japan in World War II, almost senseless and unnecessary.
The skeptical readers come from having a limited knowledge on the extent and scope of war poetry and all that it can be. When we look at it through a wide lens and draw parallels between themes within the poems the objections can easily be countered.
The poem “Sunday Morning” has been determined to be an allusion to World War I where “Monday Poem” is seen as a response or an almost counter Wallace Steven’s poem. The skeptical reader may view “Monday Poem” as a commentary on our society rather than a war, however the poem speaks directly to Steven’s and his poem, “wonder if Wallace Stevens ever held a gunshot friend and watched his eyes leak light”(Renegade). Skeptical readers could view this in various ways thus creating the confusion that is widespread throughout what defines war poetry. Often people do not understand what war poetry truly is, they view it as only poetry regarding battles or other significant wartime events this causes them to be skeptical to deem other works as war poetry.
What makes “Monday Poem” a war poem then? There are many different ways it can be classified as a war poem in whatever way a skeptical reader would approach it. The poem can be viewed as a commentary on inner community violence, and gang wars. A reference to community or gang violence is made within the line, “carnations taped to the stop sign/ or the empty wine bottles arranged around it”(Renegade). The skeptical reader may claim that gang violence or intercommunity violence is not defined as a war but when you understand all that war poetry can represent, for example conflict and all the emotions that are connected to it. These can be contextualized within poetry and thus defined as War Poetry.
Furthermore while the skeptical reader may continue to claim that the poem cannot be categorized as war poetry because it does not depict a specific battle it can be argued the term “death” within both war and battles is the same within this poem. In war we often deal with unfair, or unnecessary deaths, the same can be seen within DJ Renegades poem as well. The deaths they seem to commentary on were unnecessary and maybe viewed as they would be in wars seen in the line, “I remember Ronald shot on his front steps…and say the same logic which produced that poem/produced the mushroom cloud over Nagasaki”(Renegade). The skeptical readers claim can be countered with this argument that the deaths of the people in the community are parallel to that of the deaths during Japan in World War II, almost senseless and unnecessary.
The skeptical readers come from having a limited knowledge on the extent and scope of war poetry and all that it can be. When we look at it through a wide lens and draw parallels between themes within the poems the objections can easily be countered.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Responding to Lorde - Kendal
Language is undoubtedly a powerful tool in communication. Audre Lorde considers language to be the bridge between dreams and action (37). Language helps convey what we think into what we do or share with others. Without language, human interaction would be changed irrevocably. Specific to language is vocabulary. If language is a tool of communication, then vocabulary is a tool of language. The choice of words provides a desired specificity to language. The specific use of words can lend itself to communicative elements ranging from repetition to hyperbole. In each case, the particular use words convey the desired effect. In her essay entitled “Poetry Is Not a Luxury,” Audre Lorde employs a specific vocabulary to create the effect of contrast.
Throughout the article, there is a repetition of “light” and related terms. There is also a repetition of “dark” and related terms. This contrast between light and dark is one of the fundamental literary elements of the essay. She uses these two specific terms to underscore her theme. In the essay, Lorde describes poetry as an essential, rather than a luxury. She considers it to be one of the primary sources of communication when she writes, “[p]oetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought” (37). Also, she argues poetry to be that bridge between internal ideas and external expression. To contrast this internality and externality, Lorde describes the internal as dark and the external as light. She says “there is a dark place within” (36) each person that is the source of ideas and thoughts. Poetry, then, is “the quality of light” (37) that transfers these internal ideas into external “tangible action.” Thus, the specific use of light and dark vocabulary helps convey Lorde’s message by relating her concept of internality and externality to visually recognizable references. The vocabulary made her message more understandable and therefore more powerful.
Another example of Lorde’s deliberate use of specific vocabulary can be seen in the repetition of “dreams.” With the repetition of “dream” or “dreams” fourteen times in the essay, Lorde emphasizes this term. Throughout the essay, Lorde refers to dreams in the familiar sense of dreaming during sleep. However, she also uses the term in the amiable light of ideas. In these instances, there is a positive connotation of dreams meaning hopeful ideas. She says everyone has these hopes and dreams, and that they are simply a result of living (38).
Overall, this emphasis on dreams supports Lorde’s argument of the necessity of poetry. She states poetry is a tool by which people express their “hopes and dreams” (37). In conjunction with the concept of internal ideas and external communication, dreams constitute internal ideas while poetry represents the external expression of those ideas. Also, she avers poetry itself is a dream (38). In this instance, the term is in reference to creative imagination and a vision for the future. To Lorde, poetry is the expression of creativity that is unique to each person.
Lorde, Audre. “Poetry Is Not a Luxury.” Sister Outsider. The Crossing Press, 1984. 36-39. Print.
Throughout the article, there is a repetition of “light” and related terms. There is also a repetition of “dark” and related terms. This contrast between light and dark is one of the fundamental literary elements of the essay. She uses these two specific terms to underscore her theme. In the essay, Lorde describes poetry as an essential, rather than a luxury. She considers it to be one of the primary sources of communication when she writes, “[p]oetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought” (37). Also, she argues poetry to be that bridge between internal ideas and external expression. To contrast this internality and externality, Lorde describes the internal as dark and the external as light. She says “there is a dark place within” (36) each person that is the source of ideas and thoughts. Poetry, then, is “the quality of light” (37) that transfers these internal ideas into external “tangible action.” Thus, the specific use of light and dark vocabulary helps convey Lorde’s message by relating her concept of internality and externality to visually recognizable references. The vocabulary made her message more understandable and therefore more powerful.
Another example of Lorde’s deliberate use of specific vocabulary can be seen in the repetition of “dreams.” With the repetition of “dream” or “dreams” fourteen times in the essay, Lorde emphasizes this term. Throughout the essay, Lorde refers to dreams in the familiar sense of dreaming during sleep. However, she also uses the term in the amiable light of ideas. In these instances, there is a positive connotation of dreams meaning hopeful ideas. She says everyone has these hopes and dreams, and that they are simply a result of living (38).
Overall, this emphasis on dreams supports Lorde’s argument of the necessity of poetry. She states poetry is a tool by which people express their “hopes and dreams” (37). In conjunction with the concept of internal ideas and external communication, dreams constitute internal ideas while poetry represents the external expression of those ideas. Also, she avers poetry itself is a dream (38). In this instance, the term is in reference to creative imagination and a vision for the future. To Lorde, poetry is the expression of creativity that is unique to each person.
Lorde, Audre. “Poetry Is Not a Luxury.” Sister Outsider. The Crossing Press, 1984. 36-39. Print.
Responding to Lorde - Rachel
In her essay, “Poetry is not a Luxury”, Audre Lorde uses specific word choice to emphasize the importance of poetry, specifically to a women. Lorde begins the essay as equating poetry with illumination, this motif of light and dark resonates throughout the rest of the essay and moves on to a racial undertone between black and white. Lorde explains that within each woman there is a dark place of possibility, thus stating that dark is not negative but an ambiguous potential. Later she says, “[Poetry] forms the quality of light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change”. Poetry is what brings to women the illumination of sustainability. Women need poetry to survive due to the ways in which the white man “distorted” poetry, therefore limited them. Lorde often discusses “white fathers” and the “european mode” perhaps to emphasize her own identity as an African American woman. Lorde does not outright criticize the “white fathers”, but comments on their perspective as being more analytical, whereas poetry is not. Women rely more on their feelings and what cannot be seen, while men are more rational. Descartes famous quote, “I think, therefore I am”, is what Lorde chooses to describe the male way of thinking. Lorde’s approach to describing poetry is very abstract; she defines the art of poetry as essentially, “naming the nameless”. Poetry explains the feelings that we do not know how to directly to define. Lorde also refers to poetry in terms of anatomical qualities; poetry is a “skeleton” and a vital necessity for women. Evidently, Lorde emphasizes her own passion for poetry as an empowering force that all women have the capability to use.
Responding to Lorde - Marina
It is often stressed how important the chosen vocabulary is in a work of literature. Audre Lorde is a black, lesbian, feminist writer whose choice in words only helps to accentuate the importance of specific diction. She believed that the experience of a white woman was different from that of a black woman, and especially of a black lesbian. She, like many others, expressed her experience as a woman through poetry.
All together, the word choice in her piece about the importance of writing to women writers, “Poetry is Not a Luxury,” is clearly picked meticulously, with each word having exactly the meaning she wanted in order to make up the whole piece. First, she has interesting positions referring to light and dark. In her terms, she flips the definitions typically used for the opposites and makes them something unexpected to the reader saying that the real, raw poetry written by women comes through our darkest parts inside of us. Typically, as humans we like to believe that there is light shining through us, deep from our souls, etcetera. Audre avoids the whole cliché and negates it completely. The darkness is not given a negative connotation in the piece, however. By saying to the reader that her respective power comes from ancient traditions, she adds legitimacy because things that are ancient typically come with power and importance.
Next, Lorde uses very specific diction to show the absolute necessity for expression through poetry in the life of women. First, the section is where the chapter title gets its name. She describes what poetry is and also what it is not, and then moves on to a section that is more based on ideas than facts. Audre telling about dreams and ideas that innately seem more airy and feminine because they are not concrete characterizes the end. This word usage is ultimately what I believe causes her audience to be drawn in (and for others to be lost)- fewer men are going to be willing to read about a woman who discusses how poetry comes from our souls and allows us to share our dreams with the world.
All together, the word choice in her piece about the importance of writing to women writers, “Poetry is Not a Luxury,” is clearly picked meticulously, with each word having exactly the meaning she wanted in order to make up the whole piece. First, she has interesting positions referring to light and dark. In her terms, she flips the definitions typically used for the opposites and makes them something unexpected to the reader saying that the real, raw poetry written by women comes through our darkest parts inside of us. Typically, as humans we like to believe that there is light shining through us, deep from our souls, etcetera. Audre avoids the whole cliché and negates it completely. The darkness is not given a negative connotation in the piece, however. By saying to the reader that her respective power comes from ancient traditions, she adds legitimacy because things that are ancient typically come with power and importance.
Next, Lorde uses very specific diction to show the absolute necessity for expression through poetry in the life of women. First, the section is where the chapter title gets its name. She describes what poetry is and also what it is not, and then moves on to a section that is more based on ideas than facts. Audre telling about dreams and ideas that innately seem more airy and feminine because they are not concrete characterizes the end. This word usage is ultimately what I believe causes her audience to be drawn in (and for others to be lost)- fewer men are going to be willing to read about a woman who discusses how poetry comes from our souls and allows us to share our dreams with the world.
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