Formative
Questions
What personal qualities are essential for a poet? Make a list - justify each quality.
○ Loves words
Poems are made up of words so poets should know a wide variety of vocabulary words to use in the poems.
○ Observation
The poet should observe a particular scene before trying to create the image using words. they should see something a reader wouldn't.
○ Imagination
The poet needs to know how to create poetic devices to describe the image as detailed as needed.
○ Professional
Poets need to make a good impression of themselves and use words that do not offend other people.
○ Patience
Poets need to be patient when they think of words to use when writing their poems because poems are short and should not be wordy.
○ Passion
Poets need to show passion in what they write so they can show the readers the image or theme of the poem with as much details as possible.
○ Discipline
Poets need to be organized to know when they should be working on their poems. Poets should not take too long to get ideas for their poem as it would take forever. They should not do it as quickly as possible because the quality of the poem would not be good.
Is it essential for a poet to have experienced what they write about?
Yes, it is necessary for poets to have experience in what they write about. This is because poets need to describe the readers the images and themes in the poem with as much details as possible. If the poet never experienced what (s)he is writing about, them the poet cannot describe it with as much details as if the poet had experienced it and the poet won't be able to deliver the message that he wants the readers to know, and as well as the emotions. A poet should experience what they write about so they will produce an effective poem that will affect the future readers of it. So in order to be able to write an effective poem, the poet should experience (s)he will write about.
Use the example of Wilfred Owen and Jessie Pope to outline a specific example of number 2.
There are reasons why Wilfred Owen is considered one of the greatest war poets, if he's not it. He was able to convey his idea and experiences in the form of poetry. He was also able to make the readers feel like they are somehow involved in his poetry and experiences. It is very evident that he was passionate in what he wrote about as we can feel the emotions flowing through is when we read his poems.
Sometimes a poet is commissioned to write a poem on a certain topic. What comments would you make about poems and inspiration as response to the above fact?
The poem won't be a guaranteed great poem because the poet was paid to write it. The poet might not have any idea on (s)he should write, and as well as (s)he might have a different view on what the person who paid the poet. The poet might not show passion in the way (s)he wrote the poem as humans will never agree on the same idea. A poem that was written by a poet who isn't really passionate about what they wrote won't be able to completely convey the idea of the poem itself to the reader. Thus, I think paying a poet to write about a specifc idea isn't really a great thing to do.