Profanity In Poetry
Anonymous
Cyndi_Moone said:Personally, I'm neither FOR or AGAINST profanity in poetry. I can understand both, those who are FOR and those who are AGAINST it.
I meant for this to be a "conversational" forum....to pick up other viewpoints on the subject since I was involved in a heated discussion on the subject and asked to convey my opinion, in which I saw that both sides were neither right or wrong. It's just personal taste of the reader and left to the poet to create his own work.
DEBATING whether or not profanity in poetry is appropriate/inappropriate would be like being angry with a writer for a "seemingly" horrible ending of a movie script or book. My co-worker loves surprise endings (even if it means the bad guy wins or the boy doesn't get the girl) and I love happy endings (where the good guy wins and the guy gets the girl). Personal taste!
Thank you all for sharing your views...and once again, I repeat, the forum was opened for "conversation," not for open debate or critique of anyone's particular work or style... If we want to talk of legitimacy of certain terminology in poetry, we need to go back a lot. Starting from the "Decamerone" written by the Italian poet Boccaccio, all of the tobadour poets with their use of words considered "vulgarity" in those years and De Sade, who was thrown in an asylum for mentally disturbed and tortured because of the use of extreme vulgarity and explicit sexual content, today considered extreme. So what shall we do? Like the Inquisition? Torture, burn at the stake or excommunicate poets because of their freedom of expression? Art knows no limits. Everything is art (except as Ahavati said Pedo, violence or abuse) the rest is not acceptable. We live in an era where certain speech is part of the language. Who doesn't like it, is free not to read. That's why we have a warning. De gustibus non dispitandum. We can't question another person's taste.
I meant for this to be a "conversational" forum....to pick up other viewpoints on the subject since I was involved in a heated discussion on the subject and asked to convey my opinion, in which I saw that both sides were neither right or wrong. It's just personal taste of the reader and left to the poet to create his own work.
DEBATING whether or not profanity in poetry is appropriate/inappropriate would be like being angry with a writer for a "seemingly" horrible ending of a movie script or book. My co-worker loves surprise endings (even if it means the bad guy wins or the boy doesn't get the girl) and I love happy endings (where the good guy wins and the guy gets the girl). Personal taste!
Thank you all for sharing your views...and once again, I repeat, the forum was opened for "conversation," not for open debate or critique of anyone's particular work or style... If we want to talk of legitimacy of certain terminology in poetry, we need to go back a lot. Starting from the "Decamerone" written by the Italian poet Boccaccio, all of the tobadour poets with their use of words considered "vulgarity" in those years and De Sade, who was thrown in an asylum for mentally disturbed and tortured because of the use of extreme vulgarity and explicit sexual content, today considered extreme. So what shall we do? Like the Inquisition? Torture, burn at the stake or excommunicate poets because of their freedom of expression? Art knows no limits. Everything is art (except as Ahavati said Pedo, violence or abuse) the rest is not acceptable. We live in an era where certain speech is part of the language. Who doesn't like it, is free not to read. That's why we have a warning. De gustibus non dispitandum. We can't question another person's taste.
Anonymous
<< post removed >>
Sometimes I feel if not used properly it can detract from a poem, however, in a lot of cases I see how using profanity actually gives to the poem. Curse words are words we have created to express true, strong emotions, which emphasizes the tone and mood of a poem a lot of the time. If I see "You know Damn well," rather than "you know its true," as a line in a poem or book, I am going to add more passion/anger/frustration, than I would the second line.
But at the end of the day its all about style and context.
But at the end of the day its all about style and context.
Profanity is a part of my basic communication, so if it didn't find its way into some of my poetry, that would seem inauthentic. However, I lean on it far more heavily in conversation than I do in the creation of art. It folds well into the casual use of words. If I am attempting to paint a special word portrait (poem), then much more thought will go into the use of words you can't say on the radio.
Profanity in poetry...ok picture being a tourist, on an adventure. The locals he bump into are the bitches and niggas chillin, whats all urban and unfamiliar to how you viewing. Is home right on down to the park where young bops be giving up the mouth. Or two blocks, headed south. That old bando, that still had power for a few months after shorty nem moved out. And y'all used to be trappin out. Or the old man legit from Poland, gyros wit a large pop if he know, it's nothing to haggle then. Or them
Intention is the final terminus of meaning and in that reality all words have the potential to be equally valuable or equally valueless in a poem a word has to be fit for purpose there are no words that are always fit for purpose there are no words that are never fit for purpose.
I think poetry is one of the last places word/concept appropriation doesn't really exist. There are few concepts that are beyond the pale, as we know, but beside that the canvas is quite large. Each artist knows who they are, and what is authentic to them in their experience. Myself, using profanity or explicit concepts explicitly is not authentic to me. I said the word 'whore' in one poem (Culinary School Lessons) and that was because it was an actual quote. I will never change a narrative to suit a poem, but I will also never use extreme language for shock value. If I want a reader to pay attention to something with more intention, I am confident in my ability to find words that are true to what needs to be said as well as authentic.
