{contemporary poetry

And Why It’s Important (And Also Frustrating)

gettin

g sta

rted

What Contemporary Poetry is Not

Defining What Lacks Definition

“Where Did This Come From?” One Question: “Why?”

So What is “Good?”

What Does This Mean to Me?

Assignment Details

HomeWork: The Skinny

{Dispelling CommonlyBelieved Myths

whatcontemporarypoetryis NOT

1.

contemporary poetry is…• NOT found on social networking websites• NOT a coping mechanism for whiny teens• NOT a string of words stuck together without

thought or planning• NOT without rules and guidelines• NOT the same thing as modern song lyrics

turns out, contemporary poetry actually is something.

but what is it?

you tell me

{How Can You Define Something Without a Standard Form?

definingwhat lacks

definition

2.

technically, “contemporary poetry” is:poetry written after the start of the 1920’s, especially poetry having to do with modern literary genres, such as modernism and post-modernism

however,this is just a start at something much bigger

contemporary poetry implies more than simply a time period and an association with various literary styles.

when referring to contemporary poetry,writers and critics tend to be discussing a style of poetry that follows a specific series of traits and literary tools, such as…

• inconsistent meter• variations upon standard rhyme• abandonment of a classical “musical” style• variations on the conventions of poetic lines• an otherwise inconsistent regard for standard

poetic structure

this is commonly called…

Free Verse

free verse:“verse whose meter is irregular in some respect or whose rhythm is not metrical”

Pretty Simple?not so much.

free verse still has rules and limits

but more onthat later

{Exploring the History of Contemporary Poetry

wheredid thiscome from?

3.

History:• King James Bible• Walt Whitman – “The Father of Free Verse”• experimented throughout the Victorian era

Now:• very popular • some controversy• recurrence of classical forms of poetry• conflict

{‘nuff said

one question:“why?”

4.

why is free verse important?art, music, literature, and other forms of media and artistic expression have experienced a paradigm shift as some point as they have entered contemporary times

art – impressionism, abstract expressionism, pop art, performance art music – classical, jazz, rock & roll, British invasion, metal, death metalliterature – neoclassicism, romanticism, modernism, post-modernism

poetry does the same thing!

why is free verse important?• poetry, like other forms of literature, is a living

medium • free verse allows for new ideas and experimentation• it has an expressive capacity different than traditional poetry

• it has a following• the form is advocated by numerous professionals

free verse, through its freedom and structural looseness, provides an incredible amount of expressive potential, with arrhythmic meter, alternative rhyme schemes, and attention to subtle poetic tools – making it an optimal style for poets and professional writers

?what other waysis free verse important

{How Can We Grade a Style That is so Strange?

So…what is good?

5.

?what qualities mightmake free verse good

good free verse poetry• free verse is not without rules

• it has to align with the same poetic tools that traditional uses

• some free verse is absolutely better than others

while free verse is not dependent upon meter, rhyme, or other structural poetic tools, the majority of good free verse pays attention to these tools and incorporates them somehow

qualities of free verse• imagery

• rhythm

• metaphor, simile, and conceits

• internal rhyme• alternative rhyming

• slant rhyme• off rhyme

• alliteration, consonance, and assonance • onomatopoeia • creative use of “white space”

• caesura• enjambment• end-stopped lines

all ofthis

and

MORE

Crossing Brooklyn Ferryby Walt Whitman

FLOOD-TIDE below me! I watch you face to face;  Clouds of the west—sun there half an hour high—I see you also face to face.    

Crowds of men and women attired in the usual costumes! how curious you are to me! 

On the ferry-boats, the hundreds and hundreds that cross, returning home, are more curious to me than you suppose; 

And you that shall cross from shore to shore years hence, are more to me, and more in my meditations, than you might suppose.

…continued

Stillbornby Sylvia Plath

These poems do not live: it's a sad diagnosis. They grew their toes and fingers well enough, Their little foreheads bulged with concentration. If they missed out on walking about like people It wasn't for any lack of mother-love.

…

They are not pigs, they are not even fish, Though they have a piggy and a fishy air -- It would be better if they were alive, and that's what they were. But they are dead, and their mother near dead with distraction, And they stupidly stare and do not speak of her.

{Yes, It Does Have Personal Applications

so what does thismean to me?

6.

personal application• free verse is extraordinarily expressive, making it

very personal

• it is often very enjoyable to write

• and frankly, you have an assignment on the whole thing

{You Knew It Was Coming

assignment details

7.

assignment objectivesdemonstrate a practical understanding of contemporary poetry by writing two free verse poems from the following prompts:

• use a kitchen application as the subject to convey your hypothetical feelings of romance

• write an confused poem about a piece of artwork or artistic photograph

assignment guidelines• at least 8 lines long• at least 4 different poetic tools

• include image that inspired you• include poem titles

• include photo of kitchen appliance

• print each poem on its own paper• size 12 font (unless it’s a different size for effect)• font: Times New Roman, Helvetica, Didot, or

Cambria

• cannot be whiny or angsty• must use imagery, metaphor, and simile

both drafts

ARE DUEthis Friday

final poems and drafts

ARE DUENext Friday

{Muahahahahahahahahahaha

HomeWork:the skinny

8.

HomeWorkTheSkinny• read pages 70 – 80 in your text

• complete comprehension questions 1-5 on page 81

• finish autobiographical essay and turn in on Wednesday

• work on free verse assignment