Blog 2: Writing Poetry, or Writing About Poetry
The difference between creating and criticizing has always been a point of contention within the world of art, regardless of the medium. Whether it be music, to films, to poetry, the act of consuming is going to be easier than the act of creating. Yet despite this difference, I’ve always felt more at home criticizing and analyzing media rather than the actual creation process, especially when it comes to poetry. I don’t particularly enjoy making poetry, it’s not something I excelled at when I had to do it in high school, and while I’ve gotten better at it in university, it’s still not to my enjoyment, clearly demonstrated by my nervousness when performing my poem. In general, the creation process isn’t my strong suit, and I’m willing to admit that, but in comparison, I believe that writing about poetry was much more in my comfort zone. Getting a piece, dissecting it, adding my opinion and perspective onto it, it’s why I wanted to be a teacher in the first place, not to create, but to critique. It’s a skill that I would want to pass onto my students, a skill that is slowly becoming less and less utilized within the modern world unfortunately, and it’s that lack of willingness and desire to want to be analytical that is plaguing the children within our school system. It’s a fairly common opinion that public school isn’t meant to stimulate the mind, in fact, it’s made to dull it, to push those already down lower into the dirt. Yet as a future educator, I believe that it’s well within my responsibility to push back against that notion, to actually support my students and educate them in skills that they will need in the future. Even if it’s an uphill battle, it’s something that’s undermined, despite its importance.
Hello Sean, I agree with feeling more at home, wanting to criticize/analyze creative work rather than create it. I think this is because it was what I was taught to do in K-12; I believe that with more creative liberty, students would be able to understand where work comes from and develop critical thinking skills by reading, analyzing, and writing about it. While I don't think it should overcome these skills developed through critique, I think it would be nice to, once in a while, have them look at the other side and have that balance to be able to encourage them to think about factors outside the poems, such as history or present moments. I think that is a valid opinion on the perception of public schools of those who have gone through it without support, and it has been tough to engage students. Educators who are willing to make a difference are definitely needed! - Millie
ReplyDeleteHi Sean, I really enjoyed reading your post this week! I agree that consuming literature is typically easier than creating it. However, I would disagree that creating poetry myself is not enjoyable. The experience we had in class particularly helped me to enjoy the creation process of poetry more because we were meant to choose a topic that was very personal to us. Because of this, I was able to create not only something that showcased what is deeply personal and important to me but also something that I was proud of and wanted to share. While I agree with the idea that it is important for students to be able to dissect and extract meaning from poetry in order to write academic critiques, I also believe that it is equally as important for them to write the poetry themselves. Given the chance to write personal poetry, students would be able to feel more connect with the artform than if they were simply reading other poets works and writing about them. -Emma
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