The World According To: Life in Quarantine Post 2 ‘Poetry and Writing’

Poetry and Writing – two of my absolute favourite things. I am going to share some of my favourite poems and try and talk about how writing can be both creative and cathartic.

Starting off with poetry: If a heaven for poetry ever existed, it is this website. Imagine every poem ever written in one place – well here it is ( https://www.poetryfoundation.org/ )

Every poem can be interpreted in multiple ways, and there are infinite genres that allow you to do so. For me, poetry is much more musical than prose. There is a specific emphasis on rhyme scheme, on line length, number of stanzas, alliteration, plosives, punctuation etc., and therefore what is said out loud matters just as much as what is written down on the page. Every word matters in poetry, it is carefully selected and crafted to carry out a function, whereas prose is much more descriptive, and you have room to elaborate in ways that poetry does not really permit. I think that it is an art form in itself that does not get the attention it deserves from those who do not study English Literature past GCSE. It baffles me how a lot of people love to read, but very few actively seek poetry over a novel for fear that it is ‘too complex’ or has ‘too much hidden detail’ for them. When one visits an art gallery, or looks at a complex piece of architecture, do you dismiss it for being more opaque or complex than a stick man on paper, or do marvel at its beauty nonetheless? There is just as much hidden detail in paintings and buildings as in poetry, but you can still take what you want from it. So, having said that, here are some of my favourite works.

1. Memorial, Alice Oswold

I just finished reading this yesterday – I thought it was absolutely moving, written as a testimonial to all those who died in the ‘Iliad’, the tone is understandably sombre, yet Oswald brilliantly uses repetition to match the downbeat, funereal environment in which the poem is set, while simultaneously turning what is effectively a literary mass grave into a series of personal tributes. The balance between vibrant and intense imagery against the background of death and commemoration creates a beautiful space for poetry to exist! – love, Love, LOVE.

2. Beowulf, Seamus Heaney Translation

Beowulf is an Old English epic. Many people are put off by the sound of anything old, dismissing it as outdated and boring, but I also think many people (including myself at times) are put off by, or afraid of what they don’t understand. Beowulf is a fabulous story about a valiant warrior who battles a man eating monster named Grendel. The plot follows his journey to Denmark, and his subsequent battles. Beowulf faces three battles against Grendel, Grendel’s mother who seeks revenge for her son, and a Dragon. For anyone who likes Game of Thrones, the medieval setting of epics like Beowulf and stories in ‘The Icelandic Sagas’ (these feature in my article on women in the literary past) were used to inspire life North of the Wall. (Also currently on offer at only £1.30)

3. The Waste Land, T.S Eliot

This beautiful poem comprised of five sections, is regarded as one of the most important works in modernist literature. Each section has a different narrative, and a setting that shifts between sombre and sinister, to satirical and jovial. I love this poem because of its unpredictability, and the vast amount of content it covers. The reader never finds themselves in the same place, or with the same speaker. We are instead taken on a social journey that presents both the good, (but mainly the ills) of a modernist world. For me, this is not just a poem, but a work of art, the images create such strong tableaus of every day life, and as a result, the relatability of its setting really lifts the work off the page and into a third dimension.

This ‘In Our Time’ Podcast talks about “T.S. Eliot and Modernity’ it has a really interesting take on the poem and his other works, including my favourite ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’

4. ‘Ozymandius’, Percy Bysshe Shelley (married to Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein)/Horace Smith and ‘Kubla Khan‘ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

These are two of my favourite romantic poems by two fabulous poets. While Percy Bysshe Shelley may be less well known, he married Mary Shelley in 1816 who wrote the world famous ‘Frankenstein’ (I love it when the 19th Century woman is better known than the man). Nonetheless, his beautiful sonnet deals with the sad fate of a statue of an Ancient King (Ozymandius), lying abandoned in a desert. I did not actually know that Horace Smith was involved in the writing of ‘Oymandius’, I did not even know who he was which is a bit embarrassing, but, having researched him, he is most famous for his literary parodies. You can read this dazzling work online at the Poetry Foundation.

Here is the link: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46565/ozymandias

‘Kubla Khan’ is much longer than ‘Ozymandius’ but equally stunning. Coleridge is perhaps better known for his ‘Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner’ which is studied in various schools before GCSEs.

“According to Coleridge, he composed most of this poem within a dream or vision after having taken ‘medicine’ (By medicine, they definitely mean opium) for a slight indisposition. We know that Coleridge was addicted to laudanum (a form of opium), and so ‘Kubla Khan’ tends to be seen as a drug‑induced, visionary fragment of a poem. Coleridge said he woke up with two or three hundred lines of poetry fully formed in his head but, after writing down some of them, he was interrupted and could not recapture his intense creative vision.

Kublai Khan, a Mongolian leader in the thirteenth century, conquered China and built a lavish palace known as Xanadu. The first thirty‑six lines of the poem focus on Kublai Khan and his creativity, and we could see the whole poem as dealing with the power of artistic creation. Might the river bursting into life and then disappearing be a symbol of the way inspiration might strike a poet?

At line thirty‑seven, the poet focuses on a ‘damsel with a dulcimer’ and, later in the same verse, on his desire to revive her ‘symphony and song’ so he can emulate Kublai Khan. The Romantic view of the artist as an inspired but tormented genius is vividly described in the last few lines.” https://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/kubla-khan-2/

Here is the link to the poem: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43991/kubla-khan

5. Ariel, Sylvia Plath (the full collection, not just the single poem)

Sylvia Plath, a major female writer of the 20th Century, Plath was American but lived in London for a long time. Plath wrote a large amount of confessional poetry and often turns to nature for her images. “Ariel” translates to “lion of God” from Hebrew and in the single poem ‘Ariel’ at the start of the collection, she refers to herself as ‘God’s lioness’ which I think is a dazzling image of both female empowerment, and hints at self-pride. While the poem ‘Ariel’ is definitely not my favourite, actually I really don’t like it… The remainder of the works are stunning (my favourite is Lady Lazarus). Silvia Plath unfortunately made the decision to take her own life in 1963 aged only 31. This was a tragic event, and a great loss to the literary world.

6. Gerard Manley Hopkins

Gerard Manley Hopkins is one of my all time favourite poets. Some of the burning imagery in my poem ‘The Dragonfly’ on my writing page is taken from ‘As Kingfishers Catch Fire’. Some of mine and my friends’s favourite works of his are ‘The Windhover’, ‘Carrion Comfort’, and ‘The Wreck of the Deutschland’. He is deemed one of the greatest writers of the Victorian era (rightfully so!).

7. Sonnets, William Shakespeare

It wouldn’t be any form of English Literature post without Shakespeare featuring at least a little bit. Now, while many people are well acquainted with his plays, often through the long, arduous hours of forced GCSE English, few of his sonnets are ever studied. While there are literally millions of them, and no, not all of them are good, there is something for everyone.

Writing Non-Fiction/Reporting:

Starting this blog for me has been so interesting, it has allowed me to research current affairs, and I’m planning articles on a load of new, interesting things. However, I am still learning how to write properly. I was meant to be working in the School of The New York Times this summer, which would have allowed me to expand my writing further. Sadly, due to the recent coronavirus outbreak, I was not able to make it to New York. So, I started this blog instead, hoping to get myself into the swing of writing articles about things that interest me personally, and for anyone who has similar interests to me. I would definitely recommend starting a blog or newsletter to anyone who is interested in writing, journalism, or a future in media. I am by no means an expert, but reading is the way I get most of my ideas. I also subscribe to a couple of magazines such as the Economist, and the BBC History Magazine, I listen to podcasts on ‘In Our Time’ which I would definitely recommend.

BBC History Magazine: https://www.buysubscriptions.com/print/bbc-history-magazine-subscription?promo=PPC2020&style=brand&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5M2kn5rL6gIVRLTtCh2HmwZgEAAYASAAEgKSCfD_BwE

Economist: https://subscription.economist.com/DA/PPC/BASE12_P/Google_Keyword-Brand?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9rWwtprL6gIVRe7tCh02_wmVEAAYASAAEgK46PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

In Our Time: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qykl

Writing Fiction and Poetry:

I spend a large amount of my life living in what I think can be best described as a dream land, whether that is through literature, film, or music. Nonetheless, writing fiction and poetry is definitely an essential to maintaining it. There are a series of books that give you advice about how to begin writing. For me, the most effective ones are those that are more based on a literary criticism approach. I find that stepping into other people’s headspace or gaining access to an author’s ‘behind the scenes’ if you like, sometimes helps me understand the imagery that I want to replicate. I often look at my favourite author’s selected essays to do this as well, and I will link these below. As you will see I have a poetry and writing section page on this blog where I publish some of my own work. I’d love to hear from any of you, whether you like or dislike my work (either is totally fine, I won’t be offended), if you want to send anything to me whether that is a debate, or your own work).