This poem is a poem for the individuals that do not think they like poetry. Marianne Moore extends her hand and acknowledges 'there are things that are important beyond all this fiddle.' I understand her statement, as I have read some poems with contempt and overall dislike. Moore wants to make a change in how people feel about poetry. After reading any kind of poem, the poet invokes some kind of response. Every reader has 'hands that can grasp, eyes that can dilate, hair that can rise'. She appeals to the universal feeling of, 'that we do not admire what we cannot understand.' Poetry can be a bridge to
understanding.
Moore references Dutton's 'Diary of Tolstoy', and his thoughts of the boundary between prose and poetry, this is important because it helps strengthen her argument that the informative language of 'business documents and school books', should not be discriminated against. 'All these phenomena are important.' She encourages poetry to be well done not by 'half poets', but by those who accept their role as 'literalists of the imagination'. Their words need to be sowing the seeds of an 'imaginary garden with real toads in them.' And that is how poetry will have a broader appeal. Moore appeals to the public to seek 'the raw materials of poetry' and genuine thought and emotion, put into words by a true poet.
While reading your blog, I somewhat found it a bit ironic that you mentioned that "poetry can be a bridge to understanding." I wanted to just draw this out a little further..
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed, poetry can be a bridge to understanding. However, there are those times when the poet's specific wording may not set right with the audience or exactly 'click' in the reader's mind. Some poetry, in fact, can actually lead some readers to a less understanding of what the poet was attempting to get across. Especially when it comes down to more Shakespearean poetry (although this is for an American literature class), the phrases and wording can definitely get to be a bit daunting. On the other hand, which is what your argument is here, poetry can lead many others to solid understandings of certain things in their own lives. I would definitely agree with you and say that this is what happens most often - one reads a poem and it just happens to connect, somehow, to something in their life. I guess that's just the beauty of it and the way that poetry works, which is exactly what Moore is trying to tell us through this poem.
-Ben
I really enjoyed this poem because I feel like Moore is describing a teenager's view on poetry. Such as an example you give: "there are things that are important beyond all this fiddle". I think a lot of people, not just teenagers, when they read poetry they know there's hidden meanings behind this imagery, but what she saying is that poetry is a pathway to understanding so we end up appreciating it more and its meaning once we understand it.
ReplyDelete