Poetry Project-Tragic Hope
Kids scatter like euphoric dogs let out of a cage,
Running and screaming through life with icy friction--
Blissfully oblivious to the other children who
Slave in mines across the world for an empty wage.
Women share toxic words as though scheming.
They busy themselves with the worries of social slaughter
While wives waver on whether or not they should alter
The hostile familiarity of their being.
Happy people speak of the government with loathsome remarks,
As they look into a mirrored window--
Ignorant to those on the other side who quietly tiptoe
And drag real rebels down into a devastating dark.
Who are we to live in a world this lavish?
While others wallow in petrifying anguish?
But wait.
A child in the night lies brewing,
Soothed to sleep by mother’s soft cooing.
The gentle voice and warm embrace
Subtly relaxing the trampled face.
Somebody sits alone on the rattling train,
Staring wistfully out of the twinkling window pane.
A stranger enters the coach and makes friendly conversation,
Instilling a sense of rapport in the solemn coach station.
A woman lies in a withering trance,
Waiting for someone to give her the chance.
But a heroine stands with fists erect!
Delivering hope in overwhelming effect.
We are lucky to experience the ones
Who do not let history relapse into tragic reruns.
The world is in a drought, parched for the benevolent soul.
We have to plug this relentless black hole.
We must take the risk to play the hand,
And hope no one will call our bluff in this loaded game we call life.
Running and screaming through life with icy friction--
Blissfully oblivious to the other children who
Slave in mines across the world for an empty wage.
Women share toxic words as though scheming.
They busy themselves with the worries of social slaughter
While wives waver on whether or not they should alter
The hostile familiarity of their being.
Happy people speak of the government with loathsome remarks,
As they look into a mirrored window--
Ignorant to those on the other side who quietly tiptoe
And drag real rebels down into a devastating dark.
Who are we to live in a world this lavish?
While others wallow in petrifying anguish?
But wait.
A child in the night lies brewing,
Soothed to sleep by mother’s soft cooing.
The gentle voice and warm embrace
Subtly relaxing the trampled face.
Somebody sits alone on the rattling train,
Staring wistfully out of the twinkling window pane.
A stranger enters the coach and makes friendly conversation,
Instilling a sense of rapport in the solemn coach station.
A woman lies in a withering trance,
Waiting for someone to give her the chance.
But a heroine stands with fists erect!
Delivering hope in overwhelming effect.
We are lucky to experience the ones
Who do not let history relapse into tragic reruns.
The world is in a drought, parched for the benevolent soul.
We have to plug this relentless black hole.
We must take the risk to play the hand,
And hope no one will call our bluff in this loaded game we call life.
Poetry Reflection
Our assignment was to provide a perspective relating to peace, war, or violence in a poem. This poem could be presented in a variety of ways, including kinetic texts or spoken word poems. This poem was the result of three inspirations: a form inspiration, which we found by looking at several different examples of formats ranging from Shakespearean Sonnets to Haikus; a performance inspiration, where there are illuminated texts and live performances included in this category; and the content inspiration, where the subject matter in the poem was inspired by either something we had gone over in class or a current event. Before the project, we learned about different components and techniques commonly used in poems, such as figurative language and specific rhyme schemes. We also practiced analyzing poems that made use of certain techniques.
When we put these techniques into practice, we were able to create several drafts and types of poems. For example, one assignment was to take random words from a specific text, and reorganize them into what was called a “found poem.” Using these and other techniques, we were able to start writing professional poems, until we were able to incorporate our favorite aspects of previous poems into our final products.
Before this project, I never took poetry seriously, and never realized that if you took certain devices that are commonly used in creative writing, such as figurative language or alliterations, you can create a poem that is very effective and descriptive. Poetry doesn’t have to be a cheesy collection of extended metaphors, but I learned that if you can apply metaphors throughout your poem effectively, not only does it help you drive home the message of your poem; it helps you to not only drive home the message, but also make the poem interesting for your audience. I also learned that the language doesn’t have to be ridiculous to be professional and meaningful, but that it just needs to be what you need it to say, in a unique way. For example, instead of saying something along the lines of, “kids run like they’ll never stop,” I said instead, “children running and screaming through life with icy friction.”
When performing a poem, I always assumed that the only way to deliver the poem to an audience was spoken word, which is not a strong area for me. I was really inspired by the option of kinetic text, and how it was able to capture the actions of the words with the actual words. Upon trying the program that is used to make kinetic texts, I quickly realized the program was too advanced and complicated for me, and not the best option for me to make a project that I would be proud of. So from there, I decided I’d take the basic concept of the kinetic text, but apply it to Photoshop. I portrayed these metaphors in pictures made in Photoshop, and found that they had the same effect on the audience as a kinetic text, and was very pleased with my final product.
When we put these techniques into practice, we were able to create several drafts and types of poems. For example, one assignment was to take random words from a specific text, and reorganize them into what was called a “found poem.” Using these and other techniques, we were able to start writing professional poems, until we were able to incorporate our favorite aspects of previous poems into our final products.
Before this project, I never took poetry seriously, and never realized that if you took certain devices that are commonly used in creative writing, such as figurative language or alliterations, you can create a poem that is very effective and descriptive. Poetry doesn’t have to be a cheesy collection of extended metaphors, but I learned that if you can apply metaphors throughout your poem effectively, not only does it help you drive home the message of your poem; it helps you to not only drive home the message, but also make the poem interesting for your audience. I also learned that the language doesn’t have to be ridiculous to be professional and meaningful, but that it just needs to be what you need it to say, in a unique way. For example, instead of saying something along the lines of, “kids run like they’ll never stop,” I said instead, “children running and screaming through life with icy friction.”
When performing a poem, I always assumed that the only way to deliver the poem to an audience was spoken word, which is not a strong area for me. I was really inspired by the option of kinetic text, and how it was able to capture the actions of the words with the actual words. Upon trying the program that is used to make kinetic texts, I quickly realized the program was too advanced and complicated for me, and not the best option for me to make a project that I would be proud of. So from there, I decided I’d take the basic concept of the kinetic text, but apply it to Photoshop. I portrayed these metaphors in pictures made in Photoshop, and found that they had the same effect on the audience as a kinetic text, and was very pleased with my final product.
Artist Statement
At the beginning of this project, I was struggling with what message my poem would deliver. I had the idea of basing my poem off of current events, such as the fight for Libya or the tsunami in Japan, but I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to say about the current events. At this point, the class had to select a reading from a collection of works given to us at the beginning of the school year. I came across a collection of documents about the My Lei Massacre. Although this event was not a current event, it really brought my attention to the fact that “my side” can be at fault. A lot of perspectives lecture about the faults of others, but there have been few that recognize personal faults. In my poem, I have worked in the idea that we are at fault, but I have taken that idea and transformed it by applying several modest examples of heroism and beauty. From these ideas, I was able to incorporate both into the solace of the poem; so that people could recognize that even with these faults, there can be hope and consolation.
The poem that really inspired me to write an elegy was the poem “For the Union Dead” by Robert Lowell. I noticed how he narrated from different time frames and also keyed in on different details throughout the poem. For example, Lowell went from depicting a trashed city in a “Sahara of snow” to facing “Colonel Shaw and his bell-cheeked Negro infantry.” I thought it would be cool to try to replicate this idea into my poem, and by using this technique, it would help me be able to transition between the major parts of the poem. Once I established the basics of what I wanted to include in the different parts of the poems, I realized that the basic ideas in my poem fit almost perfectly into the framework of the elegy format. Having established that the poem would be an elegy, there was use of the poetic technique “turn.” This allowed me to throw the audience into several different instances abruptly. For example, in the first three stanzas, there are turns within each stanza, which makes the contrast between perspectives very clear. Also, the poem is grouped into the three sections (mourning, lament, and solace) that make up an elegy. These parts are separated by more drastic turns that are very obvious, which helps me to effectively communicate the problems communicated in the poem.
I based the performance aspect of my poem off of a former student, D’Vaughn McCrae, and her poem, “Get It?” D’Vaughn was able to create a poem on the computer, but instead of using After Effects, she used something like a PowerPoint and was still able to present the poem in a very effective and professional way. This gave me confidence because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do a project in After Effects and be satisfied with the final product. I think that she was able to carry out this project because her pictures in the slide show were very dramatic and portrayed her message effectively. I think that I will use this idea and try to incorporate Photoshop into the pictures so that the project comes off as professional and sophisticated as possible, but still within my range of ability. When I apply these aspects to the poem, it will turn out to meet my level of satisfaction without stressing me out on an overcomplicated program.
The poem that really inspired me to write an elegy was the poem “For the Union Dead” by Robert Lowell. I noticed how he narrated from different time frames and also keyed in on different details throughout the poem. For example, Lowell went from depicting a trashed city in a “Sahara of snow” to facing “Colonel Shaw and his bell-cheeked Negro infantry.” I thought it would be cool to try to replicate this idea into my poem, and by using this technique, it would help me be able to transition between the major parts of the poem. Once I established the basics of what I wanted to include in the different parts of the poems, I realized that the basic ideas in my poem fit almost perfectly into the framework of the elegy format. Having established that the poem would be an elegy, there was use of the poetic technique “turn.” This allowed me to throw the audience into several different instances abruptly. For example, in the first three stanzas, there are turns within each stanza, which makes the contrast between perspectives very clear. Also, the poem is grouped into the three sections (mourning, lament, and solace) that make up an elegy. These parts are separated by more drastic turns that are very obvious, which helps me to effectively communicate the problems communicated in the poem.
I based the performance aspect of my poem off of a former student, D’Vaughn McCrae, and her poem, “Get It?” D’Vaughn was able to create a poem on the computer, but instead of using After Effects, she used something like a PowerPoint and was still able to present the poem in a very effective and professional way. This gave me confidence because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do a project in After Effects and be satisfied with the final product. I think that she was able to carry out this project because her pictures in the slide show were very dramatic and portrayed her message effectively. I think that I will use this idea and try to incorporate Photoshop into the pictures so that the project comes off as professional and sophisticated as possible, but still within my range of ability. When I apply these aspects to the poem, it will turn out to meet my level of satisfaction without stressing me out on an overcomplicated program.