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Clarence Posted 21 years ago

Appreciating poetry

0I find poetry interesting. But I'm not sure how to appreciate poems which do not rhyme, like the one below. (I think it is called 'free verse'?) I'd greatly appreciate it if someone could enlighten me. 02br
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00* * * * * 02br
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00THE NET 02br
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00Toward evening the wind changes. Boats 02br
00still out on the bay 02br
00head for shore. A man with one arm 02br
00sits on the keel of a rotting-away 02br
00vessel, working on a glimmering net. 02br
00He raises his eyes. Pulls at something 02br
00with his teeth, and bites hard. 02br
00I go past without a word. 02br
00Reduced to confusion 02br
00by the variableness of this weather, 02br
00the importunities of my heart. I keep 02br
00going. When I turn back to look 02br
00I'm far enough away 02br
00to see that man caught in a net. 02br
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00* * * * * 02br
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00Usually, I'd have questions such as: 02br
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001. How does the author choose to break the lines? 02br
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002. Why does the author choose to break the lines at 'Boats', 'keep', etc. (Maybe breaking at 'Boats' leaves a picture in the reader's mind, but what about 'keep'?) 02br
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003. What is the significance of these breaks? 02br
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004. Why do we call this a 'poem'? How do we judge if one is or not? 0-
  

Top answer

0 Hi clarence! I too would like to have some advice on poetry appreciation. Are there any good sites to help budding poets understand the laws that govern poetry appreciation?

  • 0 Hi clarence!
  • I too would like to have some advice on poetry appreciation.
  • Are there any good sites to help budding poets understand the laws that govern poetry appreciation?
  • 0-
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23 Answers
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0 Hi clarence! I too would like to have some advice on poetry appreciation. Are there any good sites to help budding poets understand the laws that govern poetry appreciation? 0-
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0It's a vast area, so I doubt you'll find a single comprehensive site, but googling 'poetry appreciation' will give you a beginning and directions to go. 02br
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00As you are curious about the line breaks in 01i00The Net02i00, Clarence, I'll give you my two yen. I don't know the author, but I don't think much of a couple of the line breaks here. (N
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0 01blockquote
00...I too would like to have some advice on poetry appreciation. Are there any good sites to help budding poets understand the laws that govern poetry appreciation?...12blockquote
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00Hello Benita 02br
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00One method is imitation. You take, say, a sonnet by Shakespeare; a song by Donne; a lyric
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0 Hello MrP, 02br
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00A lot of helpful advice from both of you here - thank you Mister Micawber & MrP! As I see it, poem appreciation is something that one has to really work hard on. It is like learning how to appreciate a form of art (like a painting). Most certainly ain't a piece of cake! 050010id1
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0 Hi Mister Micawber, 02br
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00I really appreciate your reply. I was thinking it might turn out to be my greatest 'nightmare' if there are no real explanations as to how this kind of poetry could be written. So far, I’ve not found any books that could give me a clear idea. "The bigger question" you mentioned really enlightens me; I've never thought of looking at the poem f
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0 Hello Benita 02br
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00Yes indeed – though it needn't be such hard work for the ordinary reader; I was writing with your comment about 'budding poets' in mind! 02br
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00I suppose there's no reason why training oneself to write poetry should be any easier than training oneself to write symphonies. But at least you don't need special paper. 02br
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0Hi Benita,02br
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00 I’ve done some searching in google for “free verse”. The best I’ve got is a explanation of what it is, and this after sorting out the rather overwhelming information on the subject of poetry. I’d like to get to know the sites you mentioned too!00 0-
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0Hi 01a01span00MrPedantic02span02a00,02br
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00Your advice sounds really ingenious to me! It also gives me an idea: maybe poems are first initiated and composed in the mind by forming a series of pictures? and then followed by the words? 02br

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0Hello Clarence,02br
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001. I intended them primarily as a response to Benita’s comment about ‘budding poets’. But trying to do something always helps you to understand it.02br
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002. 00 00I can't pretend to any expertise in this matter – my suggestions are merely based on my reading of what various poets have said about the process. I put th
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Hi MrP,

Thanks a lot for your clarification. You mentioned:

"If you become adept at handling other people’s thoughts, and other people’s verse-forms, you’ll find it all the easier to handle your own – on those rare occasions when something turns up that seems worth writing about! 95% of a writer’s work consists of practising in readiness for the 5% that matters."

I like

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