Can you define poetry
Poetry is personal emotion, thoughts, feelings, ideas, expressed in whatever form that your mind presented them to you in. There is no true definition, because poetry is individual. Those who seek definitions are not poets, because poets know what poetry is without having to directly define it.
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DystopianMelody said:[quote-297108-case28]The strength of a poem can be found in the power of the inspiration, and the skill of the poet to capture and convey that message or tell that story is what makes a poem great. Writing is all about the process, if you're passionate about the act of writing poetry, then the skill, editing and technique will follow as you read other poets and apply yourself to hone your craft.
A poem is like a photograph, it's simply a snapshot of a moment in thought. The person taking the photo may understand the mechanics of how a camera works, they may know what buttons to press to achieve the right settings for the desired effects, but the true skill in taking a great shot relies on the instinct in knowing the right angle to achieve that perfect composition, and where to position the sun to give you the right amount of light and contrast. Poetry is everything that happens before you capture that moment.
In regards to the perfect length of a poem, I think the shorter the better, only through choice, because we're becoming increasingly impatient as humans, but there is skill required in both being concise and writing something epic, both need to be compelling.
I agree with that, up to a point. Poetry is taking a snapshot of a moment, but where (in my opinion atleast) it surpasses photography is that you actually describe what's going inside the subject, rather than just capturing what it looks like. Excuse me while I ponce it up for a moment, but for me, photography only shows the exterior, but if your imagery is good enough then poetry shows the exterior and the inner workings. And the moment can be extended with poetry, whereas you only get the split second With photography.
P.s I'm sure if you write something un-put-downable then that short attention span is cured. [/quote]
Photography is more geared towards thinking in relations of qualities, poetry in symbols, both are expressive in different ways. I don't see one as having any more potential for expressiveness than the other. If everything could be expressed in words there would be no need for other art forms and all art is more alike than different: "the difference is one of emphasis within a common substance. Each possesses what the other activity exploits and its possession is a background without which the properties brought to the front by emphasis would explode into the void, evaporate into imperceptible homogeneity." -Dewey
A poem is like a photograph, it's simply a snapshot of a moment in thought. The person taking the photo may understand the mechanics of how a camera works, they may know what buttons to press to achieve the right settings for the desired effects, but the true skill in taking a great shot relies on the instinct in knowing the right angle to achieve that perfect composition, and where to position the sun to give you the right amount of light and contrast. Poetry is everything that happens before you capture that moment.
In regards to the perfect length of a poem, I think the shorter the better, only through choice, because we're becoming increasingly impatient as humans, but there is skill required in both being concise and writing something epic, both need to be compelling.
I agree with that, up to a point. Poetry is taking a snapshot of a moment, but where (in my opinion atleast) it surpasses photography is that you actually describe what's going inside the subject, rather than just capturing what it looks like. Excuse me while I ponce it up for a moment, but for me, photography only shows the exterior, but if your imagery is good enough then poetry shows the exterior and the inner workings. And the moment can be extended with poetry, whereas you only get the split second With photography.
P.s I'm sure if you write something un-put-downable then that short attention span is cured. [/quote]
Photography is more geared towards thinking in relations of qualities, poetry in symbols, both are expressive in different ways. I don't see one as having any more potential for expressiveness than the other. If everything could be expressed in words there would be no need for other art forms and all art is more alike than different: "the difference is one of emphasis within a common substance. Each possesses what the other activity exploits and its possession is a background without which the properties brought to the front by emphasis would explode into the void, evaporate into imperceptible homogeneity." -Dewey
Anonymous
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I believe its amazing to be able to write your feelings down and share them.You meet people through words and find out that you are not alone.In a way you can really find out how small the world is just by listening. It sounds trippy but
its true. Poetry for me is a communication of souls.
its true. Poetry for me is a communication of souls.
ChipSpice said:Poetry is personal emotion, thoughts, feelings, ideas, expressed in whatever form that your mind presented them to you in. There is no true definition, because poetry is individual. Those who seek definitions are not poets, because poets know what poetry is without having to directly define it.
I believe that poetry in its self is not "personal emotion" but can be the act of describing such an emotion down on paper...
there you have a definition to start with
and apart from being "individual" it can also be social, political, pornographic, or what else one chooses to define it as.
I believe that poetry in its self is not "personal emotion" but can be the act of describing such an emotion down on paper...
there you have a definition to start with
and apart from being "individual" it can also be social, political, pornographic, or what else one chooses to define it as.
To be brief, no I cannot.
That's the beauty of it really. I find poetry beautifully indescribable. To define it for myself: the ever continuing evolution of vocabulary, technicality & maturity through writing in the journey throughout my adulthood garnering experiences & consequences to entertain & enlighten my audience of the aforementioned traits employing poetic methods to create a vague & abstract world.
That's the beauty of it really. I find poetry beautifully indescribable. To define it for myself: the ever continuing evolution of vocabulary, technicality & maturity through writing in the journey throughout my adulthood garnering experiences & consequences to entertain & enlighten my audience of the aforementioned traits employing poetic methods to create a vague & abstract world.
ChipSpice said:Poetry is personal emotion, thoughts, feelings, ideas, expressed in whatever form that your mind presented them to you in. There is no true definition, because poetry is individual. Those who seek definitions are not poets, because poets know what poetry is without having to directly define it.
Well said, ChipSpice, and I'd have to add to that how poetry can also be a form of self-expression which is as individual and even as unusual as the poet itself. Just as other forms of art like drawing, painting, singing, and songwriting are all things that can be the means by which an artist chooses to express himself or herself. Such beautiful expressions all add to the greater tapestry that is art itself. And art, like beauty, is a thing that is subjective and thus people can find different meanings in it... and feel different emotions because of it. Poetry is powerful, always, even when it is simple, because it evokes something in the reader, whether good or bad, happy or sad, emotional or intellectual... whether witty, silly, lovely or repulsive, it makes one feel, or think in some fashion.
Well said, ChipSpice, and I'd have to add to that how poetry can also be a form of self-expression which is as individual and even as unusual as the poet itself. Just as other forms of art like drawing, painting, singing, and songwriting are all things that can be the means by which an artist chooses to express himself or herself. Such beautiful expressions all add to the greater tapestry that is art itself. And art, like beauty, is a thing that is subjective and thus people can find different meanings in it... and feel different emotions because of it. Poetry is powerful, always, even when it is simple, because it evokes something in the reader, whether good or bad, happy or sad, emotional or intellectual... whether witty, silly, lovely or repulsive, it makes one feel, or think in some fashion.
Though I'm very new to DU poetry, I remember being told that 'Poetry is an echo asking a shadow to dance.'
I believe it is words that instil different graphic contents, both explicit and implicit, in our minds and thought allowing us to assess and interpret the deeper picture that was implied
I believe it is words that instil different graphic contents, both explicit and implicit, in our minds and thought allowing us to assess and interpret the deeper picture that was implied
