Questions for Poetry Fans

[ysabetwordsmith]

Reading a poem is a participatory experience. It's not like watching television where you just sit there and passively absorb the broadcast. Good poetry makes you think. It raises questions.

What kind of questions? I'm glad you asked! Here are some examples of questions that you might ask yourself while reading a poem, or while discussing poetry in general. Feel free to use these as a jumping-off point for comments on this post or on individual poems posted to this community.


For Poetry in General

• What is poetry?
• What do you think poetry can do better than prose, or vice versa?
• Which poetic techniques do you like or dislike?
• Which poetic forms do you enjoy reading?
• Have you read poems by people very different from yourself (another religion, ethnicity, sex, etc.)?
• When did you get interested in poetry?
• Have you tried writing poetry, or do you prefer to read someone else's poetry?
• What do you think about the state of poetry in today's world?
• Do you feel that the publishing industry is doing right by poetry today? Why or why not?
• How do you feel about poetry online?

For a Specific Poem

• What does the title tell you about the poem?
• What is the form of this poem? What are some of your favorite forms?
• Who is telling the story here? What does that voice sound like?
• How does the poet set the scene and the mood?
• Which techniques can you identify -- rhyme, meter, alliteration, metaphor, etc.?
• Can you spot any hidden symbolism or other 'eastereggs' in the poem?
• How straightforward or mysterious is this poem? Which do you prefer, and why?
• How does the poem make you feel? What words or phrases evoke that emotion?
• What is your favorite line or verse?
• What is the poem about? What message(s) does it send?

No doubt you can think of some more questions for exploring poetry.  Share them in a comment, or make a post of your own if you want to go longer.

Further Reading
"Analyzing Poetry"
"How to Read a Poem"
"Questions to Consider When Reading Each Poem"

Comments

[stryck.livejournal.com]

I admit to moments of glee when I write a poem that allows me to allude to some other work.

To date, nobody has commented on those easter eggs, though. Perhaps my references are too obscure. :)

[jjhunter]

Me too--it's like joining a broader conversation. A single line or phrase can call up this whole other set of resonances and contexts. The tricky bit is making the poem still be accessible to those who aren't familiar with the references.

Do you ever consider writing a note or two re: more obscure references & sticking them under a cut tag at the bottom of a particular poem post? I'm in that habit over at dreamwidth_haikai, but I don't do it very often outside that context.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>Me too--it's like joining a broader conversation. A single line or phrase can call up this whole other set of resonances and contexts. <<

Yes. It works two ways: evoking the familiar if the audience already knows it, or giving a glimpse of something new if they don't.

>>The tricky bit is making the poem still be accessible to those who aren't familiar with the references.<<

There's an amusing divergence between Eastern and Western thought here. Western custom is to cite sources. Eastern custom is to insert uncited quotes from certain sources that "Everyone Knows" such as the sayings of Confucius.

>>Do you ever consider writing a note or two re: more obscure references & sticking them under a cut tag at the bottom of a particular poem post?<<

I do include notes, whenever there's an important reference that people might not get. Sometimes it goes at the top, if it's not spoilery. If it's spoilery or will make more sense after the poem has been read, it goes at the bottom. Reading through Fiorenza the Wisewoman or the Origami Mage will show you some examples of my notes; those are both prone to cultural tidbits that benefit from explanation.

Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Maybe try talking about the references some time after a poem has been published? If you show your audience that you're hiding eastereggs, they may get more active in looking for those.