What makes poetry good?

Question

I see a lot of classicaly applauded poetry and I see a lot written by internet hacks and I honestly can't tell the difference. For fun - I'll post two poems here - were they written by poets or hacks?

I swallowed my words twenty weeks ago,

A web so well-woven,

I circled the edges,

amazed at how you survived.

I laughed and I cried,

and you'll never know.


Today I smile when I see your picture -

and I feel all the love of a friend.

Tomorrow, forgotten, another arisen,

The end of the cycle,

The start of the circle,

I'm swallowing words once again.

Once I could see time coming:
A speck, a distant puff where the far tracks merged,
A mirage on the shimmering plain,
Time was heading our way
But hadn't reached us yet.

Here on the platform the fresh machines
Stood by the stationmaster they would soon replace.
He held his fob watch, in the past, flicked open
To reveal the clockface virgin and unactivated,
Time like Venus in her shell.
I see his face all made of meat
And satisfied, turning to the east,slowly turning.
And you, too young to move, your skin would now seem a baby's
You held my hand.
You could have held it harder.

Then time was upon us. Everything unfroze,
Swapped places, jittered as the beast pulled in
Past the white signal box that already housed only tomatoes.
Did time stop then?
Certainly, it slowed down, braked a shrieking steel bray. Up in the cab
The driver's eyes were wired,
His mouth a grim horizon I could see

Answer 1

Have you ever studied history? Through my studies, I have found that every society, written language or no, composed poetry of some form, from the African tribes, to the early nomads and beyond. I believe, even more so than art, that poetry is instinctive in human nature. To express one's feelings through poetry, in a rhyme or with a rhythm has proven to be a natural reaction when one is in awe, or the presence of great beauty or emotion. Poetry, music, and art, is merely a way to confront and share emotion. As to what makes poetry "good", most may base it on how the poem follows classical and logical formats. Anything 'outside the box' such as the free form of e e cummings demands the reader's own opinion and can be seen as either Genius or Mediocre. Using the first of your poems as an example, one would most likely interpret it as simple, with good composition, but lacking in any real inspiration. Though it is a fine poem, it does not portray much beyond the writer's own personal feelings and since many scholars feel that they know about emotions already, they would discard the writing as clever, but useless. On the other hand, a simpler, more innocent person reading the first poem might read it to find that it is Genius and 'hits close to home'. I'm simply saying that it depends on who you are when looking to evaluate another man's work.

Answer 2

The call 'poetry' comes from the Greek verb ????? (to do some thing). In undemanding language, the meaning is important - however the words infrequently rely. In poetry the words rely. because of the fact poetry is a variety of magical language (in Latin the understanding for 'poem' is the same because of the fact the familiar be conscious for 'magic spell'). We now not assume poems to bodily make issues happen (however that's intresting what proportion hexes and good success charms have the same formal shape as primary poems) - yet we nonetheless assume poems to artwork in a fashion that undemanding language does not. we assume the words in a poem to attraction to interest to themselves (as words). With a very good poem, you on no account assume to study it and 'purely get the gist': with a very good poem the actually words used could stay with you. The Jeff Friedman you cite isn't a poem i might elect as an occasion the version between poetry and prose. The piece is low-intensity (in all likelihood intentionally so) and does not happen the excellence as of course as (say) Geoffrey Hill's Mercian Hymns or Dylan Thomas Altarwise by using Owl easy. yet there are nonetheless of course issues happening which you does not assume in undemanding language. while Friedman tells us: a breaking pitch with lots stuff on it .... .... the angels whistle you recognize that the angels do not actually whistle right here. in actuality, you could comprehend what's being mentioned whether you do not have confidence in angels. Friedman is utilising the language in a nonstandard way (consequently, extreme exaggeration) with the intention to get a right away visceral effect. Poetry is approximately including right away visceral effects (and different styles of magical augmentation) to the traditional technique of language (maximum language purely instruments out to tell you some thing, to not right away act on you). once you turn to somebody who purely jumped the lighting fixtures fixtures at a pedestrian crossing, and almost mowed you down, and tell them to %*#! OFF! that's a incredibly common form of poetry.

Answer 3

There really isn't a fine line of maxims that make poetry good. What I would recomend would be vocabulary, a deeper meaning that makes people wonder what the acual premise of your poem is about, and maybe a trick ending. Wit is always good too:)

Answer 4

The relationship between the poem and the reader. If the person who is reading the poem didn't enjoy the poem, the poem would be viewed as rubbish and vice versa.

Answer 5

The end. Especially with the above.

Answer 6

Here's what I think-

When people really put emotion, and feeling, and soul into their poems. When people really put their heart into the poem.

Answer 7

poetry can cover all the known senses that a human being can experience.

Answer 8

It has good and short sentences.That goes with the flow if you know what I mean.

Answer 9

depth