Poetry Appreciation

MooKu SG

How does one "appreciate" poetry?

If I were given a piece of poetry and told to try and appreciate it, I think I'll start doing a critical analysis of it, armed with a pencil and eraser Razz

How about yooooo? Mr. Green

DeadPoet SG

We were taught in school to break the poem up and analysis it word-by-word or sentence by sentence.

But now I dont really do that, I tend to go for the overall feeling. I go for the flow of words. However if I suspect that the writer/poet have a hidden agenda in his/her work., then I will proceed digest it further by looking at words used, length of sentence, etc.

To me a good poem is one that is able to express the writer inner feeling successful to his/her audience. Thus love poems are usually easier to read and are the most common of all. Mr. Green

MooKu SG

I can't get the 'overall feeling' without breaking it up and analyzing it yet.. Embarassed

DeadPoet SG

You must feel with the poem, picture yourself as the poet whom wrote it, what is he/she trying to say, why did he/she said it, etc.

Actually to know the poem, you must know the poet.

So if you are really interested to know more, you must read up his/her biography. It sounds like a lot of hard works, but trust me it is worth it.
Mr. Green

FireIce SG

im not versed in E.Lit
i studied and still current self-studying Chinese Literature

literature reflects the societal phenomenons of tt period........
to know the country, u not oni read history....one mus oso read the literary works.....
like how lu xun(modern literature) writes about feudal systems and how the society is being oppressed....the rich-poor gap.....the feng jian si xiang.....how ppl suffer under those eco-socio-political transition periods.......
poets of tang period reflected the cultural peak of ancient china......whether poems of romance or praising the beautiful mountains and rivers......

if anyone rbers, Jiu Dan penned Wu Ya (The Crows).....a book which talks about xiao long nuus from China who travelled to Singapore in search of wealth and perhaps a good husband.....this are bery real and we need these ppl to write about them, publish them and let the ppl know.......this book was banned in china though......
following her, more and more china women started to write such "autobiographies" to reveal the underside of the society to the world.....like Wei Hui's Shanghai Baby.....Jiu Dan's 2nd bestseller "Singapore Lover"

FireIce SG

read about the poet's background.....the era....his upbringing.....
break down the words....think about why he chose to use this particular word instead of others......wat the composer trying to convey beneath those few lines.......
isit composed when he is happy, sad, angry, in despair, in desperation....
isit and outburst of joy, agony, pity.....
in chinese, it's called "yi4 jing4"

for value-added evaluation, can say do u agree or disagree with wat he/she trying to say......
can those feelings/situation be found in the modern day society........

DeadPoet SG

True, be it dance, drama, books, or poems, it usually (though not always) reflected the authors social status, the social problems in his/her country, the state of the society, etc.

So it is always good to do some research.

Coco_Coco SG

well… it’s critical appreciation then… u need to understand the structure and the poet’s intentions and thinking before the meaning of the poem comes in a full threshold…