O Poetry!

For the record, I used to LOVE poetry— writing poetry, reading poetry, even explicating poetry. However this assignment was so difficult and time-consuming (in the most positive sense of the words, of course) for me. I found myself getting distracted and sidetracked, but even worse, I was getting stuck. I never realized it was possible to experience writer’s block when dealing with poetry if we consider poetry to be essentially its author’s thoughts and feelings transferred onto paper.

In our previous class session we were given time to work on our poems. This also proved to be a difficult task. I found myself frustratingly staring into a blank screen, then onto my blank notebook, finally scribbling random words, then crossing them out. I felt so uninspired and muse-less. I felt as though I was being forced to pour my heart out for bloggers across the world (and for a grade, nonetheless). Then I came to the comforting conclusion that much of poetry should be non-judgmental and should not be assigned grades. Who is to say what really constitutes a “good” poem versus a “bad” poem? If we must grade poetry, however, the grade assigned should be a reflection of whether or not the student has satisfied the requirements and criteria set forth by the teacher or professor (for example: structural guidelines, figurative imagery, rhyme scheme, etc.). Otherwise, putting a letter grade on something so personal and expressive will only discourage and dishearten students.