The most important idea in chapter eight, for me, was that World War II wasn't just a story in the history books. I'm young - I'm turning 19 in 11 days - and World War II was 4 of my lifetimes ago. One generation from now, only the history books and the old black-and-white video tapes will remain. Reading about Hugo, someone who has almost modern takes on the writing process talk about WWII so personally, in non-archaic language, makes it seem so real.
He even has the gall to crack jokes about that sober time. "We won. If you had seen me bomb, you might have doubts."
I'm not learning much from making my own poems, frankly. Something about the technical aspects of making poems isn't clicking in my head. I've spent ten minutes trying to decide if except is two syllables or one, only to get the wrong answer. I've tried to sit down and figure out iambic parameter, but the phrases "stressed syllables" and "unstressed syllables" are gibberish to me. I'm not a bad student. I'm not awful at english. Yet when I sit down to write my own poems, a single stanza can take forty five minutes and still be garbage.
I'm not looking for praise. I love reading poetry and writing fiction. Trust me, I know the quality of poem I am producing.
I've been learning the most from reading the poems the book has selected and seeing them discuss the elements of the professional poems. I love reading poetry! I do enjoy poetry. I'm learning a lot about it. But I'm struggling so much with creating it, in a way I've never struggled before.
I'm definitely with you on your struggle to produce poetry you're proud of. It is way more challenging than I thought it was before taking this class. My first poem this semester was very frustrating, I don't even want to look at it again! But at some point in my writing, especially since we are faced with deadlines, I just have to come to an acceptance with what I've done. That's how I have to deal with it, rather than just beating myself up. I look forward to reading your work in work shop though!
ReplyDeleteIs except one syllable or two? This is now bothering me too. Anyway, it is kind of nice to read about the war without the "fluff" history books put in. He makes the war much more real, which I think is needed. When the human perspective is taken out of war, then war just becomes an event in the past. Not something that changes generations and beliefs for years to come
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