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[CCBC-Net] Poetic license
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From: James Elliott <libraryjim>
Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2008 10:36:58 -0400 (EDT)
of course there is always the 'fun' poetry of Shel Sivlerstein or Jack Perlutsky (sorry on spelling, it's early), that doesn't require much in the way of 'figuring out'.
Jim Elliott North Florida, USA
"Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open ... every child in America should have access to a well-stocked school or community library"
--Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States
----- Original Message ----- From: Kristy Dempsey <kdempsey at campusoutreach.org> To: CCBC Net <ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu> Sent: Fri, 4 Apr 2008 10:27:38 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Poetic license
To extend Monica's point (about poetry being presented as something to be figured out) one step further, I'd venture to say that often poetry is presented to children with the goal of trying to figure out what the
*poet* was trying to say, "What does the poet mean when he says...",
"Why does she use the phrase...", which is really just an exercise in futility. Does it matter what the poet was trying to say? Is not the most important thing what the poem says to the child?
Part of the transformative power of poetry is the fact that each reader will see a poem differently, based on their individual experiences, thoughts and feelings, and that their understanding of the poem may even change over time as they come back to read it again and again. The poem itself is transformed by the reader into more than the poet intended or could even know, just as the reader can be transformed, either through discovery or a sense of connection, by the reading of the poem.
What I love most about themed anthologies like Lee's and Ruth's is that the individual poems are wonderful, but take the whole together and there is depth and height and breadth. There is room for the mind and the heart to explore, and often for imagination or curiosity to run beyond the theme of the book. I'd love to hear more about how the collections are put together, balancing the selections of excellent poetry while expanding the theme beyond its borders. Is it sometimes a struggle to find enough unique material to extend the theme broadly?
Kristy Dempsey Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Received on Fri 04 Apr 2008 09:36:58 AM CDT
Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2008 10:36:58 -0400 (EDT)
of course there is always the 'fun' poetry of Shel Sivlerstein or Jack Perlutsky (sorry on spelling, it's early), that doesn't require much in the way of 'figuring out'.
Jim Elliott North Florida, USA
"Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open ... every child in America should have access to a well-stocked school or community library"
--Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States
----- Original Message ----- From: Kristy Dempsey <kdempsey at campusoutreach.org> To: CCBC Net <ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu> Sent: Fri, 4 Apr 2008 10:27:38 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Poetic license
To extend Monica's point (about poetry being presented as something to be figured out) one step further, I'd venture to say that often poetry is presented to children with the goal of trying to figure out what the
*poet* was trying to say, "What does the poet mean when he says...",
"Why does she use the phrase...", which is really just an exercise in futility. Does it matter what the poet was trying to say? Is not the most important thing what the poem says to the child?
Part of the transformative power of poetry is the fact that each reader will see a poem differently, based on their individual experiences, thoughts and feelings, and that their understanding of the poem may even change over time as they come back to read it again and again. The poem itself is transformed by the reader into more than the poet intended or could even know, just as the reader can be transformed, either through discovery or a sense of connection, by the reading of the poem.
What I love most about themed anthologies like Lee's and Ruth's is that the individual poems are wonderful, but take the whole together and there is depth and height and breadth. There is room for the mind and the heart to explore, and often for imagination or curiosity to run beyond the theme of the book. I'd love to hear more about how the collections are put together, balancing the selections of excellent poetry while expanding the theme beyond its borders. Is it sometimes a struggle to find enough unique material to extend the theme broadly?
Kristy Dempsey Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Received on Fri 04 Apr 2008 09:36:58 AM CDT
