Jennifer Leonard

October 1, 2009

Knowledge Opens Doors

            Poetry is a broad term used to describe a wealth of literary works that until recently I was not knowledgeable about. As a lover of fiction and the written word I was able to appreciate poetry as a spectator and little else.  When assigned the task of writing a poem I was paralyzed with fear and worry. Then after our first workshop I was horrified to learn that the poem I had written did not meet the length requirements.

            As we progressed and read about the types of poetry I realized that I could in fact write poetry.  My once narrow view of poetry as required to rhyme and have formal stanzas was shattered. The class discussion and the chapter on Free Verse were the most enlightening. Learning that poetry could be more relaxed and still effective inspired me. For my draft exchange I sent my poem to both Alicia and Jackie and was actually excited to receive their opinions and suggestions.

            No longer afraid I looked back at my poems and started revision. This was also a new idea to me. In previous classes usually a poem assignment was one we turned in and forgot. I had really never considered revising, even reevaluating the words chosen and the meaning. The introduction of imagery and image clusters was like being introduced to a new tool to help craft a better product.   

            I learned that the poems that had previously been my favorites to read were not my favorite types to write. In a previous class I had to memorize a poem and recite it in class. The poem I chose was Annabelle Lee by Edgar Allen Poe. It is still my favorite poem but I am no longer intimidated into thinking my poetry has to mirror his in form or fashion to be good. This is no doubt contributable to the class discussion on knowing the rules allow you to break them. Free verse and form are the poems I feel the most connected to and I think the freedom of the poem allows the writer to be more exposed and expressive with their words.

            Prose is still my personal writing preference; however, the knowledge learned during the poetry portion of class will help me create better fiction writing. Imagery and alliteration are just a few of the tools that I keep revisiting in my writing.