I’ve really enjoyed being exposed to DC poetry and what it has to offer. The style of DC poetry is a unique one that I have not seen before. My perception of poetry has changed a lot since reading the works of DC poets, especially after reading the D.C. Poets Against the War anthology and Joseph Ross’s Darfur poems. I’ve noticed poetry in DC is influenced a great deal by politics and social events today. Being in the nation’s capital, one would expect politics to play a large role in writing. I have also noticed many DC poets are extremely passionate about their work. Poets are passionate to provoke their readers to respond in a deep and emotional manner. My DC community engagement project was to interview local DC poets. So far, I have spoken to Joseph Ross in an email interview. Joseph Ross believes his goal of poetry is “to help the reader feel something or see something—perhaps in a new way” and “that can ‘change the world’ simply because when we feel something, or think of something in a new way, we tend to act on what we now feel.” DC poetry tends to force its reader to move to respond to what they are reading and actually contemplate about how they feel. Other poetry I have read has not made me feel that sense of emotional meditation.
As a young writer it is my responsibility to give credit to those who are established writers. Establishing credibility for myself requires me to do thorough research and correct citations and references. Even though I have to give credit to other scholars, I myself must not lose my own voice or opinion in my writing. I am fully capable of forming and creating my own ideas and opinions about poetry and writing, and I have to share my own thoughts in my work. By doing this, it makes me credible and gives me a sense of ownership of my writing. Throughout this year in University Writing I have been challenged to expand my ideas and thoughts as a writer. This is an interesting topic to me, especially since my final paper is about who is credible to write about disaster poetry. While researching and writing, I have asked myself am I even credible to write about this subject as an amateur writer? Young writers do not have the same authority or credibility as experienced and established scholars, but young writers must push themselves to establish credibility in their own mind to become a confident writer. When I have confidence in my argument and the way I present it, I feel my credibility as a young writer at the best it can be. My goal in writing is to present a clear, well structured, and convincing argument by using multiple scholars and thorough research. That is the best I can do as an amateur writer.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Dc Poetry Community - Allie
Washington D.C. has a rich poetic history stemming from the Civil War. In 1862, Walt Whitman traveled to Washington to take care of his brother who had been wounded during the war. Whitman decided to stay and work as a clerk for the Department of the Interior after witnessing all of the soldiers who were suffering in D.C. There, Whitman created some of his most famous writings including “O Captain! My Captain!” and “When Lilacs in the Dooryard Bloom’d”. Langston Hughes also got his start in D.C. while working as a busboy at the Wardman Park Hotel, in which he left a piece of his poetry on a table, which was later discovered by Vachel Lindsay (Poets.org). Although these poets thrived many years ago, Washington D.C. is still a place with a flourishing poetry community.
Not only does Washington D.C. have a plethora of literary journals including Street Sense, but it also has a large community of slam poets who perform readings and also enjoy meeting with students and fans to further discuss their art. D.C. poetry is alive and well in Street Sense, which I read and analyzed in my Reflective Essay. This journal is extremely interesting because it showcases D.C.’s unique ability to discover, aid, and broaden the poetry community, especially those who have do not have any formal education in poetry or have never been published before. Their mission is to “offer economic opportunities for people experiencing homelessness in our community through a newspaper that elevates voices and encourages debate on poverty and injustice” (Streetsense.org).
In addition to the broad array of literary journals, D.C. also has many poetry readings open to the public. These readings also help to broaden the poetic audience in D.C. and spread this form of art throughout the district. There are many different readings and literary festivals including the Folger Poetry Series, Lannan Literary Programs, and Parkmont Poetry Festival (Poets.org). The Parkmont Poetry Festival is distinctively important to the D.C. poetry community because it helps to foster the artistic talents of the Parkmont School’s middle and secondary school students. This age group is especially important in the poetry community because they are at the age at which exposure to art and poetry is extremely important. With this public event, D.C. showcases its growing population of enthusiastic poetry community members.
One can clearly see that the prosperous poetry community in D.C. is not nearly new, but rather has been cultivated since before the early nineteenth century. The society of poets is still going strong and utilizes the wide array of poetic endeavors occurring in D.C, such as the thriving group of poets who perform public readings and are free to communicate with fans and students, and the superfluity of literary and poetry journals.
Not only does Washington D.C. have a plethora of literary journals including Street Sense, but it also has a large community of slam poets who perform readings and also enjoy meeting with students and fans to further discuss their art. D.C. poetry is alive and well in Street Sense, which I read and analyzed in my Reflective Essay. This journal is extremely interesting because it showcases D.C.’s unique ability to discover, aid, and broaden the poetry community, especially those who have do not have any formal education in poetry or have never been published before. Their mission is to “offer economic opportunities for people experiencing homelessness in our community through a newspaper that elevates voices and encourages debate on poverty and injustice” (Streetsense.org).
In addition to the broad array of literary journals, D.C. also has many poetry readings open to the public. These readings also help to broaden the poetic audience in D.C. and spread this form of art throughout the district. There are many different readings and literary festivals including the Folger Poetry Series, Lannan Literary Programs, and Parkmont Poetry Festival (Poets.org). The Parkmont Poetry Festival is distinctively important to the D.C. poetry community because it helps to foster the artistic talents of the Parkmont School’s middle and secondary school students. This age group is especially important in the poetry community because they are at the age at which exposure to art and poetry is extremely important. With this public event, D.C. showcases its growing population of enthusiastic poetry community members.
One can clearly see that the prosperous poetry community in D.C. is not nearly new, but rather has been cultivated since before the early nineteenth century. The society of poets is still going strong and utilizes the wide array of poetic endeavors occurring in D.C, such as the thriving group of poets who perform public readings and are free to communicate with fans and students, and the superfluity of literary and poetry journals.
DC Poetry Community - McKenzie
Some critics would lead you to believe that poetry now longer is a credible art form or that it has fallen through the cracks into a realm of obscurity and disenchantment with the populace. In a country where a national poetry month is celebrated, a poet laureate is elected and is home to some of the greatest contemporary poets it is hard to believe that some people believe that poetry no longer “matters” or no longer is an art form. Poetry exists in so many different capacities that it seems almost absurd to question poetry as credible or art. The sad fact of the matter for me however, is that for a majority of my life I have held the jaded, cynical view of some of poetry’s critics. My distaste for poetry most assuredly stems directly from my high school experiences, where poetry was force feed to unwilling students by teachers and where lines of Shakespeare for seared into our memories.
Coming to Washington DC, has changed m view on poetry and reignited a previously smoldering passion. The poetry community of DC is vibrant and seems to encompass numerous different aspects of DC residents lives. Poetry in this city emerges in so many forms from the anthology of poetry written by the homeless (entitled street sense), to poetry slams at such places as Bus Boys and Poets, to poetry readings at such venues as the Folger Shakespeare Theater. Coming from an environment in which people cringed at the thought of reading poetry it is invigorating to see poetry as such an integral part of the DC community.
My own personal experience with the DC poetry community comes directly from a poetry reading at the Folger Theater. I went to see an acclaimed Russian Poet Vera Pavlova perform her newest works. Upon arrival at the theater I fully expected to be in the company of a wholly academic community. That was exactly the opposite; in the lobby of the theater was an eclectic mix of people seemingly from all walks of life and all age groups.. The vibrancy of the DC poetry community has continued to astound me, whether it is the College students who buy copies of Street Sense on the Corner, or my friends who were excited to attend a poetry reading with me, or the fliers that are plastered on my schools walls proclaiming the newest poet to be visiting the city.
Maybe, since DC is a much larger city than I am used to living in, the poetic culture is much larger or maybe DC is a more “cultured city” and more people wish to perform poetry in DC. But I think the vibrancy of DC poetry is not determined by the poets or the poetry itself but rather by the individuals who live in DC. The residents of this city seem to have a genuine desire to engage in the poetry community, almost an eagerness to attend poetry readings or read poetry anthologies. This could all be a masquerade for people to seem culture but I don’t think so. When I was sitting in the Folger Theater listening to Vera Pavlova, I was immersed in a community that was excited to be in the presence of poetry. At the end of the reading instead of filling out of the theater to go home to proclaim how “cultured” they were to their friends, they stayed not because they had to but because they wanted to meet, engage and interact with the poet. Not out of a desire to be considered “artsy” or “cultured” but rather out of a genuine desire to learn about and engage in the large and vibrant poetry community of Washington DC.
Coming to Washington DC, has changed m view on poetry and reignited a previously smoldering passion. The poetry community of DC is vibrant and seems to encompass numerous different aspects of DC residents lives. Poetry in this city emerges in so many forms from the anthology of poetry written by the homeless (entitled street sense), to poetry slams at such places as Bus Boys and Poets, to poetry readings at such venues as the Folger Shakespeare Theater. Coming from an environment in which people cringed at the thought of reading poetry it is invigorating to see poetry as such an integral part of the DC community.
My own personal experience with the DC poetry community comes directly from a poetry reading at the Folger Theater. I went to see an acclaimed Russian Poet Vera Pavlova perform her newest works. Upon arrival at the theater I fully expected to be in the company of a wholly academic community. That was exactly the opposite; in the lobby of the theater was an eclectic mix of people seemingly from all walks of life and all age groups.. The vibrancy of the DC poetry community has continued to astound me, whether it is the College students who buy copies of Street Sense on the Corner, or my friends who were excited to attend a poetry reading with me, or the fliers that are plastered on my schools walls proclaiming the newest poet to be visiting the city.
Maybe, since DC is a much larger city than I am used to living in, the poetic culture is much larger or maybe DC is a more “cultured city” and more people wish to perform poetry in DC. But I think the vibrancy of DC poetry is not determined by the poets or the poetry itself but rather by the individuals who live in DC. The residents of this city seem to have a genuine desire to engage in the poetry community, almost an eagerness to attend poetry readings or read poetry anthologies. This could all be a masquerade for people to seem culture but I don’t think so. When I was sitting in the Folger Theater listening to Vera Pavlova, I was immersed in a community that was excited to be in the presence of poetry. At the end of the reading instead of filling out of the theater to go home to proclaim how “cultured” they were to their friends, they stayed not because they had to but because they wanted to meet, engage and interact with the poet. Not out of a desire to be considered “artsy” or “cultured” but rather out of a genuine desire to learn about and engage in the large and vibrant poetry community of Washington DC.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Poetry of Peace - Monique
What constitutes peace poetry, is it similar to anti war poetry? The two separate entities do overlap in many ways however there are major differences. Anti-war poetry does go against the concept of war and the upheaval that it brings like peace poetry. Although anti-war poetry often just grazes the issue, and does not tend to offer a solution for a lasting peace. Peace poetry draws from many themes in anti-war poetry however it goes a few steps forward, it often focuses on Utopian ideals, and offers resolve to growing global instability and strife.
In his article Poems for Peace Philip Metres states that peace poetry can be divided into three different sections, sorrows, resistances, and alternative visions. Anti-war poetry does deal with sorrows and resistances but rarely ever gives alternative visions. Metres details how the American society is marred by the image of war. He states that the American society perpetuates the culture of war and is in a constant state of preparation for war or “pure war”. So how then can poets pass this cultural stranglehold, does peace have to be imagined or understood in order for poems and society to achieve this grand gesture? In Metres article Denise Levertov denounces this by stating that peace is not palpable to our minds eye, that peace is not just an interim between wars but a positive condition of society. This mirrors the words of Miriam Rukeyser where she states that peace is not just a lack of war but also the positivity of a society.
What then should the discourse community be composed of? Philip Metres article introduced a collection of poets and authors. He revels on the idea of a shelve which grew into a bookstore filled with peace poetry. He imagines the local community should be the active audience, students and teachers. In Metres article he states that Rukeyser protests with action, she creates poetry and “never protests without making something.” Through Metres article I find that he does not only focus on one author or idea he uses a collection of works and ideas in order to make his point and enable the reader to understand the message. Therefore peace poetry is a genre where the audience and poets actively build on each others ideas and goals in order to lead the world into a better more positive future.
In his article Poems for Peace Philip Metres states that peace poetry can be divided into three different sections, sorrows, resistances, and alternative visions. Anti-war poetry does deal with sorrows and resistances but rarely ever gives alternative visions. Metres details how the American society is marred by the image of war. He states that the American society perpetuates the culture of war and is in a constant state of preparation for war or “pure war”. So how then can poets pass this cultural stranglehold, does peace have to be imagined or understood in order for poems and society to achieve this grand gesture? In Metres article Denise Levertov denounces this by stating that peace is not palpable to our minds eye, that peace is not just an interim between wars but a positive condition of society. This mirrors the words of Miriam Rukeyser where she states that peace is not just a lack of war but also the positivity of a society.
What then should the discourse community be composed of? Philip Metres article introduced a collection of poets and authors. He revels on the idea of a shelve which grew into a bookstore filled with peace poetry. He imagines the local community should be the active audience, students and teachers. In Metres article he states that Rukeyser protests with action, she creates poetry and “never protests without making something.” Through Metres article I find that he does not only focus on one author or idea he uses a collection of works and ideas in order to make his point and enable the reader to understand the message. Therefore peace poetry is a genre where the audience and poets actively build on each others ideas and goals in order to lead the world into a better more positive future.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Peace Poetry: What does it mean? How does it relate to war poetry? - Jim
Muriel Rukeyser stated in her book, The Life of Poetry, that peace should mean more than the lack of war; it should be something fierce and positive. Rukeyser believed that peace, in contemporary definitions, wasn’t ideal, and that people should push for a better future. Poets are responsible for the task of spreading ideas to people, providing them with their perspectives through their poetry. Since poetry has the potential to have a great effect on society, it should be used as a medium to spread ideas about peace and prosperity thereby changing the way people view the word “peace.”
Peace poetry does exactly this. It delivers messages of idealism and utopianism, and seeks to present just and peaceful societies within its context. However, the scope of peace poetry is wide, and seems too idealistic to be able to relate directly to its readers. Since it is the poets’ job to present their perspectives so that other people can relate to them, in order for peace poetry to be effective it must envision something attainable and realistic. In the article, “Poems for Peace,” Philip Metres speaks of peace in American society as meaning a “preparation of war.” Unfortunately, that is true to some extent. People generally view “peace” as meaning merely a lack of violence. This can be seen in the war poem, “2,000 Pounds,” where in the aftermath of a tragic event, the only peace was that of dying souls and people whispering to their beloveds. In the midst of such tragedy and violence, it is reasonable to think that most people would consider peace to simply mean a lack of war.
Denise Levertov, an anti-war poet, argued in her article, “Poetry and Peace: Some Broader Dimensions,” that the definition of peace as something positive instead of just an interim between wars was something which was almost unperceivable in modern society. By saying this she is acknowledging that the definition of peace does not hold up to Rukeyser’s dreams. However, Levertov proposed that peace poetry at this point should not jump into visions of prosperity and advancement, since that would be far too outlandish for society to fully grasp. Instead, peace poets should focus on writing about the preparation for peace, thereby easing society into the belief that peace should mean something more than a lack of war.
Peace poems have the potential to advocate peace even in the midst of war. Muriel Rukeyser’s “Poem,” William Stafford’s “Peace Walk,” and Denise Levertov’s “Making Peace” all talk about seeking to better oneself even in the midst of violence and turmoil. These peace poems reference words and phrases like “love,” “reach beyond ourselves,” and “energy field more intense than war” to convey the feeling that the poets believed that they could overcome the obstacles of conflict through peace and end up in a more positive situation.
The difference between peace poetry and war poetry is that peace poetry isn’t as indirect about its goals like war poetry is. Peace poetry isn’t afraid to mention the presence of conflict, and then depicts peace through images of happiness and progress. War poetry wants to affect the reader through imagery and emotions in order to convey the idea of anti-war. Peace poetry seeks to tell the reader that peace should mean something positive, and has the potential to overcome war.
Peace poetry does exactly this. It delivers messages of idealism and utopianism, and seeks to present just and peaceful societies within its context. However, the scope of peace poetry is wide, and seems too idealistic to be able to relate directly to its readers. Since it is the poets’ job to present their perspectives so that other people can relate to them, in order for peace poetry to be effective it must envision something attainable and realistic. In the article, “Poems for Peace,” Philip Metres speaks of peace in American society as meaning a “preparation of war.” Unfortunately, that is true to some extent. People generally view “peace” as meaning merely a lack of violence. This can be seen in the war poem, “2,000 Pounds,” where in the aftermath of a tragic event, the only peace was that of dying souls and people whispering to their beloveds. In the midst of such tragedy and violence, it is reasonable to think that most people would consider peace to simply mean a lack of war.
Denise Levertov, an anti-war poet, argued in her article, “Poetry and Peace: Some Broader Dimensions,” that the definition of peace as something positive instead of just an interim between wars was something which was almost unperceivable in modern society. By saying this she is acknowledging that the definition of peace does not hold up to Rukeyser’s dreams. However, Levertov proposed that peace poetry at this point should not jump into visions of prosperity and advancement, since that would be far too outlandish for society to fully grasp. Instead, peace poets should focus on writing about the preparation for peace, thereby easing society into the belief that peace should mean something more than a lack of war.
Peace poems have the potential to advocate peace even in the midst of war. Muriel Rukeyser’s “Poem,” William Stafford’s “Peace Walk,” and Denise Levertov’s “Making Peace” all talk about seeking to better oneself even in the midst of violence and turmoil. These peace poems reference words and phrases like “love,” “reach beyond ourselves,” and “energy field more intense than war” to convey the feeling that the poets believed that they could overcome the obstacles of conflict through peace and end up in a more positive situation.
The difference between peace poetry and war poetry is that peace poetry isn’t as indirect about its goals like war poetry is. Peace poetry isn’t afraid to mention the presence of conflict, and then depicts peace through images of happiness and progress. War poetry wants to affect the reader through imagery and emotions in order to convey the idea of anti-war. Peace poetry seeks to tell the reader that peace should mean something positive, and has the potential to overcome war.
Combating War with Peace: A look into how poetry is used to present the themes of War and Peace - Miles
Many people clearly identify “War Poetry” when they read it. Peace poetry however is different. The topic of peace, although practically very rare in our world, is very popular among writers. Poetry has had many usages over its thousand-plus year existence, but many would agree that it has always been an art from that allows its writers therapy and the ability of self expression. Much of what poetry is, is soft and peaceful, yet there are some large collections of more harsh and raw poetry. Luckily however because poetry is such a fluent and light art form, we can read about things like war and death in a manner that is more feasible then graphic art, photography, overwhelming music, ballads, or explicit diary entries and confessionals. Poets convey both war and peace in different ways but overall both themes are very popular. Many people argue over the discrepancy between “peace poetry” and “peaceful poetry.” I see “peace poetry” as being a response to war. I experience it as something that is created to present a very real argument against the cruelties of war. On the other hand I see “peaceful poetry” as something that makes no reference to war, a style that is soft and lighthearted.
Concerning war, most of what I have read in past years has had a modern war theme, mainly talking about Vietnam, The World Wars, and The Cold War. Some of my learning included reading, “The Things They Carried,” By Tim O’Brien, “Apocalypse Now,” Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and Joseph Conrad’s Novel, “The Heart of Darkness.” Each one of these sources provided a raw look into the life of war. Each one of these examples presents a different strategy to go about presenting war. “The Things They Carried,” uses a journal/testimonial type way of depicting lives of soldiers. O’Brien examines the actual things the soldiers carried in a way that describes their situation. In “The Heart of Darkness,” Conrad takes symbolic and introspective themes and creates a vividly deep story that appeals quite heavily to one’s emotions. Apocalypse now is a movie created using the themes in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Coppala uses the book to formulate an equally powerful movie that quite graphically depicts war and insanity. These methods display war in a very raw way, and are easily in the category of “War Poetry.” War poetry engages its readers in a way that no other poetry can. It really pulls people to think with their emotions and feel every line, every gunshot.
Some of the poetry that we’re reading now is somewhat different then what I’ve experienced before, it is apart of a fairly new genre for me: “Peace Poetry.” It approaches describing war in a different way. “2000 lbs” by Brian Turner introduces new perspectives on war; he shows the view from the terrorists and innocent bystanders. This strategy really expands the perspective of war; it approaches it in a quite peaceful way. Unlike the usual soldiers perspective, it presents the views of civilians largely affected by war. His style opens our minds to new ideas and concepts in a way that isn’t overwhelming to our senses, and mainly peaceful to our short-term emotions. We also read “Monday Morning” by DJ Renegade. He does a really nice job at exemplifying how unnecessary death is. He dives into the real product of death and how irrelevant it is to the final outcome. This is a really powerful point. With war as such an everyday aspect of our lives in the 21st century, we often forget to think about these things. These two examples represent what I would call “Peace Poetry.” These poets describe war in a sense that promotes not only peace, but a look at war from a much different and more critical perspective then usually portrayed by “War Poetry.”
Concerning war, most of what I have read in past years has had a modern war theme, mainly talking about Vietnam, The World Wars, and The Cold War. Some of my learning included reading, “The Things They Carried,” By Tim O’Brien, “Apocalypse Now,” Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and Joseph Conrad’s Novel, “The Heart of Darkness.” Each one of these sources provided a raw look into the life of war. Each one of these examples presents a different strategy to go about presenting war. “The Things They Carried,” uses a journal/testimonial type way of depicting lives of soldiers. O’Brien examines the actual things the soldiers carried in a way that describes their situation. In “The Heart of Darkness,” Conrad takes symbolic and introspective themes and creates a vividly deep story that appeals quite heavily to one’s emotions. Apocalypse now is a movie created using the themes in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Coppala uses the book to formulate an equally powerful movie that quite graphically depicts war and insanity. These methods display war in a very raw way, and are easily in the category of “War Poetry.” War poetry engages its readers in a way that no other poetry can. It really pulls people to think with their emotions and feel every line, every gunshot.
Some of the poetry that we’re reading now is somewhat different then what I’ve experienced before, it is apart of a fairly new genre for me: “Peace Poetry.” It approaches describing war in a different way. “2000 lbs” by Brian Turner introduces new perspectives on war; he shows the view from the terrorists and innocent bystanders. This strategy really expands the perspective of war; it approaches it in a quite peaceful way. Unlike the usual soldiers perspective, it presents the views of civilians largely affected by war. His style opens our minds to new ideas and concepts in a way that isn’t overwhelming to our senses, and mainly peaceful to our short-term emotions. We also read “Monday Morning” by DJ Renegade. He does a really nice job at exemplifying how unnecessary death is. He dives into the real product of death and how irrelevant it is to the final outcome. This is a really powerful point. With war as such an everyday aspect of our lives in the 21st century, we often forget to think about these things. These two examples represent what I would call “Peace Poetry.” These poets describe war in a sense that promotes not only peace, but a look at war from a much different and more critical perspective then usually portrayed by “War Poetry.”
Poetry of Peace - Kiera
When discussing peace and anti-war poetry, I find that the themes, focus, and goals of these types of poetry are very different. What the authors are trying to portray in each of these poems varies because they both do not relate to war. Peace poetry does not necessary deal or express emotions about war and battle because there are many aspects relating to serenity and non-violence. Peace exists in other aspects of life besides conflicts between countries or people; it is a total separate type of idea that does not always have to be categorized with war. Many audiences often correlate peace with war because leaders strive for no confrontation or conflict, then citizens follow their lead, they forget that peace can be settled in their states, communities and even homes. The end result is what peace poetry focuses on in context. Authors create stories or describe acts depicting advancement, so that the resolution shows effectiveness. Poems about peace advocate something more in depth than resolving conflict between two hostile groups; ideas are established through feelings of hopefulness and imagination.
On the other hand, anti-war poetry content is still about ceasing worldwide confrontation. The resistance between people is addressed in anti-war poems because authors want the audience to react in specific ways. When the author writes his or her poem in a violent tone, they can expect that the reader will get worked up and then possibly act in an aggressive manner. The readers think they are getting involved for the benefit of their country or community, yet their actions could still be somewhat forceful. In “Poems for Peace,” Philip Metres talks about how specifically the United States has come to “unwittingly [glorify] and [perpetuate] a culture of war.” The other side of poetry, peace poetry, should be revealed because it expresses other ways of “dealing with conflict, oppression, and injustice and how it may advance our thinking into what a future without war might look like” (Metres). Fighting is what anti-war poetry is against, however it is not always written in a peaceful tone; peace is something much more fragile and it written with harmony not discord.
As a part of a community, our class, it is pretty evident that peace is more conclusive to a group of people. In order for us to enter into a discourse community, we set ourselves up to ‘argue’ amongst one another because we all have different viewpoints. Except we are not arguing to prove one another wrong, we share our perspectives to build off of one another’s ideas. We talk about our disagreements by bringing up evidence from a text or poem, and giving our opinions of the context. The class in interested in progress, we share ideas to get different outlooks on what we are studying. Peace is very goal oriented, and that is what we want to achieve as a community, and we have come to realize that various ideas results in progress, leading us to a final conclusion.
On the other hand, anti-war poetry content is still about ceasing worldwide confrontation. The resistance between people is addressed in anti-war poems because authors want the audience to react in specific ways. When the author writes his or her poem in a violent tone, they can expect that the reader will get worked up and then possibly act in an aggressive manner. The readers think they are getting involved for the benefit of their country or community, yet their actions could still be somewhat forceful. In “Poems for Peace,” Philip Metres talks about how specifically the United States has come to “unwittingly [glorify] and [perpetuate] a culture of war.” The other side of poetry, peace poetry, should be revealed because it expresses other ways of “dealing with conflict, oppression, and injustice and how it may advance our thinking into what a future without war might look like” (Metres). Fighting is what anti-war poetry is against, however it is not always written in a peaceful tone; peace is something much more fragile and it written with harmony not discord.
As a part of a community, our class, it is pretty evident that peace is more conclusive to a group of people. In order for us to enter into a discourse community, we set ourselves up to ‘argue’ amongst one another because we all have different viewpoints. Except we are not arguing to prove one another wrong, we share our perspectives to build off of one another’s ideas. We talk about our disagreements by bringing up evidence from a text or poem, and giving our opinions of the context. The class in interested in progress, we share ideas to get different outlooks on what we are studying. Peace is very goal oriented, and that is what we want to achieve as a community, and we have come to realize that various ideas results in progress, leading us to a final conclusion.
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