To understand Eliot's position on poetry (and an important reminder)
Nowadays, the power of the poem, in my opinion, has been greatly reduced. I have theories about the eroding effect of MTV/visual culture, etc, but I'm not going to go into that here. What I would like to emphasize is a particular conception of poetry -- that poetry is an art which is essentially tied to the expression of the soul, of the more transcendental aspects of life. Why did Eliot write in poetic verse, instead of realist drama? Because he wanted to bring out something that was spiritual, that encapsulates the essence of what makes us human, and that could only be captured by the poetic voice.
Take a look at the discourse that poets and critics adopt when they are writing about poetry here, and consider the position and function of poetry across the ages. Even though Wilfred Owen says he is not primarily concerned with poetry but the pity of war, notice how he still uses poetry as a vehicle for his thoughts, and how he considers himself as a poet. "All a poet can do today is warn. That is why the true poet must be truthful," he says, along with the statement that "the Poetry is in the Pity". Perhaps he is acknowledging that poetry has lost some form of influence when he says "All a poet can do today is warn", especially when we know that he was quite helpless and unable to act out in anyway to stop the terrible things that he had experienced. But he also draws attention to the special role the poet plays in the greater sense of Society.There is something about poetry that expresses the greater Truths of life that people don't see, the Truths that underlie our experiences in life, from the more permanent truths (consider how men will always be stupid and wage war and kill each other, to put it more flippantly; how people experience the same kind of experiences and the same kind of emotions across cultures, across time) to ones which pertain to our unique specific historically-situated time. (As Lit students, we are also more sensitive to these things...I hope...)
Especially consider this prophetic, truth-telling role of poetic language when contrasted with the propaganda that was perpetuated in those times by governments. Consider how language has been consecrated to manipulate people into believing in ideals that were essentially lies (i.e. WWI, Nazi propaganda). Conrad's presentation of language is ambiguous and hard to understand in the Heart of Darkness, but we know he's trying to tell the truth about the state of language in his times -- that it has become used for empty purposes, that it carries little meaning... In Conrad's crafting of the language, he is trying to tell us this truth by creating an impact that goes beyond what the words denote and tell us on the surface...
Poetry is very special. Ancient bards used to be able to wield power, simply because they could name -- using language is a form of power. Being able to write something intangible and ineffable is power.
Being able to PC and read a poem and see it for what it says is power. Being able to compare-contrast two poems is double the power. I have digressed here. The point in this paragraph is now GO SEE MR WHITBY ASAP FOR CONSULTATION FOR PAPER 1. ALL OF YOU.
He is very worried about your paper 1 skills and he is waving the prophetic finger. All a teacher can do now is to warn. The rest is up to you.
Take a look at the discourse that poets and critics adopt when they are writing about poetry here, and consider the position and function of poetry across the ages. Even though Wilfred Owen says he is not primarily concerned with poetry but the pity of war, notice how he still uses poetry as a vehicle for his thoughts, and how he considers himself as a poet. "All a poet can do today is warn. That is why the true poet must be truthful," he says, along with the statement that "the Poetry is in the Pity". Perhaps he is acknowledging that poetry has lost some form of influence when he says "All a poet can do today is warn", especially when we know that he was quite helpless and unable to act out in anyway to stop the terrible things that he had experienced. But he also draws attention to the special role the poet plays in the greater sense of Society.There is something about poetry that expresses the greater Truths of life that people don't see, the Truths that underlie our experiences in life, from the more permanent truths (consider how men will always be stupid and wage war and kill each other, to put it more flippantly; how people experience the same kind of experiences and the same kind of emotions across cultures, across time) to ones which pertain to our unique specific historically-situated time. (As Lit students, we are also more sensitive to these things...I hope...)
Especially consider this prophetic, truth-telling role of poetic language when contrasted with the propaganda that was perpetuated in those times by governments. Consider how language has been consecrated to manipulate people into believing in ideals that were essentially lies (i.e. WWI, Nazi propaganda). Conrad's presentation of language is ambiguous and hard to understand in the Heart of Darkness, but we know he's trying to tell the truth about the state of language in his times -- that it has become used for empty purposes, that it carries little meaning... In Conrad's crafting of the language, he is trying to tell us this truth by creating an impact that goes beyond what the words denote and tell us on the surface...
Poetry is very special. Ancient bards used to be able to wield power, simply because they could name -- using language is a form of power. Being able to write something intangible and ineffable is power.
Being able to PC and read a poem and see it for what it says is power. Being able to compare-contrast two poems is double the power. I have digressed here. The point in this paragraph is now GO SEE MR WHITBY ASAP FOR CONSULTATION FOR PAPER 1. ALL OF YOU.
He is very worried about your paper 1 skills and he is waving the prophetic finger. All a teacher can do now is to warn. The rest is up to you.
posted by Mayee at 8:28 PM
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