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

[syntaxofthings]

Considering that people have to actively work to get poetry in their lives—first, by making a decision to learn about poetry enough to enjoy it and second, to seek it out—I'd say that the state of poetry is not that great. It's not out there in the mainstream, so people who are interested have to work pretty hard to find what they like and don't like. It makes it frustrating to want to learn more about poetry, but not really have the resources.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>It's not out there in the mainstream, so people who are interested have to work pretty hard to find what they like and don't like.<<

That's one reason why I try to put some of mine out in places that are easy to find. Still not exactly mainstream, because I'm not mainstream myself, but at least more accessible. So for instance, we donated a copy of my book From Nature's Patient Hands: A Collection of Poetry to our local nature center. I'm also in favor of programs that put poems on billboards, the sides of buses, etc.

>>It makes it frustrating to want to learn more about poetry, but not really have the resources.<<

Too true. One can make a good start with an anthology or two and a decent guidebook about poetry; it's finding a guidebook worth having that's the challenge. Some poetry sites online have good general information about poetry, but there's not a lot on "how to learn to understand poetry."

That's one reason why I write about poetry online sometimes. I've done posts on how to recognize bad poetry, how to edit poetry, etc. when I spot a gap.

Re: Yes...

[syntaxofthings]

I'm also in favor of programs that put poems on billboards, the sides of buses, etc.

I love those programs, too! Actually one of my favorite things is that in the neighboring city they cemented short poems into the sidewalks. I really enjoy stopping for a moment to contemplate a poem on my way somewhere or another.

That's one reason why I write about poetry online sometimes. I've done posts on how to recognize bad poetry, how to edit poetry, etc. when I spot a gap.

That's good to hear - I'll have to read more of your blog/website when I have some time to learn a little more about poetry. I almost read a book on reading poetry once, but somehow never got to it before I had to get it back to the library. I read a lot more novels than poetry right now.

Re: Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>Actually one of my favorite things is that in the neighboring city they cemented short poems into the sidewalks.<<

That's an awesome idea!

>>I'll have to read more of your blog/website when I have some time to learn a little more about poetry.<<

Look in my Memories file for posts about poetry:
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=ysabetwordsmith&keyword=poetry&filter=all

Click the "poem" tag in my sidebar to read individual poems. I have hundreds posted:
http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/tag/poem

Re: Yes...

[syntaxofthings]

Thanks! I'll poke around.

[jjhunter]

I hope poetree proves both a resource and a community for you! It's wonderful to have you here. :o)

[syntaxofthings]

Thank you! I am really enjoying the discussion of poetry so far. =) I was just told yesterday that joining communities are a good way to make friends, so I'm trying to make an extra effort here to engage with the posters and the works. Mostly because I think it's a really good idea for a community!

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I am really enjoying the discussion of poetry so far.<<

I'm happy to hear this.

>>I was just told yesterday that joining communities are a good way to make friends, so I'm trying to make an extra effort here to engage with the posters and the works. <<

Yes, that's effective advice. I occasionally look a a community's profile and visit the blogs of other members to see if I want to friend any of them.