Blog #2 Writing Poetry and Writing About Poetry

I found writing about poetry and writing poetry to be two unique experiences. When I was writing about poetry, I had to look at someone else's work, and try to uncover the meaning embedded within their poem. By explicating the poem of another, I had the opportunity to appreciate the intricate details used. When I was writing my own poems, I really began to understand the complexity of devices such as alliteration and consonance. Weaving them into my poem was difficult, yet rewarding. After I finished my poems, I went through them and looked at them using the same techniques I used when writing about other poems. I was surprised at the different approaches in thought I was able to find towards my own poetry. I realized that others may interpret my poetry in a way unique to the message I had originally intended. It made me wonder how the author of the poem I wrote about would view my interpretation of their work. Was my interpretation anywhere near what they had in mind when writing their poem? There was a lot more freedom in writing my own poem. I was freed from such thoughts, and was chiefly concerned with creating something original and personal. After writing my poem, I was able to look at the poetry of others with new awareness. This experience has given me great insight into teaching poetry to others. I realized that to truly appreciate the poetry of others, it helps to appreciate the process of writing poetry. Not only does it help to know the names of different devices used in poetry, as well as different forms of poetry, it also helps to actually write poetry. By writing their own poetry, students will be more aware of the hard work that went into the poem they are writing about.