I do not believe Philip Larkin poetry’s to be “moody, misanthropic, or darkly witty.” However, I find that the overarching poetic intent and meaning of his intensely articulate verse to be an expression of the speaker’s inner silent, but none-the-less, emotive cry of his profound sadness of “Time” as being transitory in nature, passing too quickly, and never stopping or resting for anyone. I define this as the poet’s inner “Reality of Mortality,” a realistic, but poignant review of the speaker’s life, Larkin’s own life which brings an awareness of his own mortality and no matter how hard he tries, he still feels an "isolation" and "the sure extinction."
Two of his poems, “Talking in Bed” (p100) and “Aubade” (p190) capture the essence of Larkin’s view as speaker, that sadly, life is transitory. He has reached a certain age, is reviewing his life amongst his other daily reveries and musings, and he is suddenly aware to find that life, once strong, vibrant, vast, and never-ending, now has an expiration date stamped upon it. Life has passed him by while he was busy elsewhere. He is powerless to stop it, as are we, powerless human beings, each on a separate life continuum, never truly knowing where this life will lead us or how much time we have left to accomplish our “list of things to do…”
“Talking in Bed“ contains only four brief stanzas, but the despondent message is clearly conveyed through the use of images: winds, clouds, and darkness. “Outside, the wind’s incomplete unrest builds and disperses clouds about the sky, and dark towns heap up on the horizon. None of this cares for us”. The poem, “ Aubade” contains an existentialist angst and despondency where the speaker is contemplating his life after working all day and “getting half-drunk at night.” This poem is dark, but is partially resolved in the end when he realizes that “work has to be done.”
Even though both of these poems are darkly despondent, they do give me an insight into the workings of a poet’s interior artistic mindset; and I ponder my own existence. I realize that it is up to me to make changes to my own life before the “RofM” sets in. Or, from Guillaume Apollinaire, "Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."
Monday, April 11, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Frank O’Hara’s Real Poetry of a Moment
What separates us, or more importantly, what binds us together? For me the answer is all modes, forms and genres of Art. NY School Poet, Frank O’Hara and Guillaume Apollinaire were bound by art and forging new modes of poetry during their short lifetimes, however they made lasting impacts upon their own expressive art forms and upon readers. Abstract Expressionist Painters (O’Hara) and avant guard artists (Apollinaire): there are striking parallels in the lives of both poets.
In reading O’Hara’s Lunch Poems, I discovered that these poems are, on the surface, a spontaneous sketch of a vibrant and bustling New York in which, during his lunch breaks, O’Hara envelopes us with his relaxed observations. And we take notice. For example in Cambridge (pg 18), his use of lightly punctuated free verse accentuates a carefree mood while using a poetic language of color and geography of New York. His poetic musings are an Existentialist experience. He is writing of the moment and about the moment.
In reading O’Hara’s Lunch Poems, I discovered that these poems are, on the surface, a spontaneous sketch of a vibrant and bustling New York in which, during his lunch breaks, O’Hara envelopes us with his relaxed observations. And we take notice. For example in Cambridge (pg 18), his use of lightly punctuated free verse accentuates a carefree mood while using a poetic language of color and geography of New York. His poetic musings are an Existentialist experience. He is writing of the moment and about the moment.
Monday, March 21, 2011
From Inspiration to Art: Jane Freilicher's Lizzie’s Flowers in a Landscape
Art in all forms inspires new ideas and encourages discussions. While reading about the New York School art movement during the 50’s and 60’s, I noticed a positive and open collaboration between artists: musicians, poets, visuals artists, and dancers. The ultimate benefit of collaboration is the movement towards immediate inspiration leading to creative thought and energy. The painting by artist Jane Freilicher, Lizzie’s Flowers in a Landscape, creates a breezy, relaxed, sunny, and contemplative mood through the use of color and light. I believe art is a moving and expressive experience be it music, dance, the written word, or visual art. Art is a way for the artist and for the observer to express and define their “worlds,” their existence, to question, and to respond to everyone about the place(s) in which they reside in that world. When I begin to write poetry, depending on the tone and central theme, I usually try to find a starting place for inspiration, usually a painting or a song: Jazz, Blues R&B, or Rock. I could look at Ms. Freilicher’s painting and imagine myself part of a party, looking out of the window, and how the conversation would progress. When I begin to write, I feel that I am initiating and creating an active and lively conversation. By using such a painting for inspiration with soft colors, gentle light, and relaxed tone, a more vivid, colorful, but unspoken banter emerges between the speaker of the poem and the reader.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wintering
1) An elegiac poem about her dad.
Poet, Sylvia Plath was only eight years old when her father, Otto Plath, died unexpectedly from complications to diabetes. From the book, Ariel The Restored Edition, he was “an internationally known authority on bees” and in which appears four poems written by Sylvia Plath and dedicated to bees and beekeeping. The tone of the poem, Wintering, is elegiac and sorrowful. She never truly and fully grieved the death of her father, a profound loss for Sylvia. In the poem, the speaker (Sylvia) is in the cellar where the bee honey is kept during the long, dark, and cold winter.
2) Role of women in society.
Poet, Sylvia Plath was only eight years old when her father, Otto Plath, died unexpectedly from complications to diabetes. From the book, Ariel The Restored Edition, he was “an internationally known authority on bees” and in which appears four poems written by Sylvia Plath and dedicated to bees and beekeeping. The tone of the poem, Wintering, is elegiac and sorrowful. She never truly and fully grieved the death of her father, a profound loss for Sylvia. In the poem, the speaker (Sylvia) is in the cellar where the bee honey is kept during the long, dark, and cold winter.
2) Role of women in society.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Howling at the Moon (of Moloch)
Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” is a poetic declaration of a sexed up, drug-induced madness and a cold-stone reality of his generation who feel they are not part of accepted society, Moloch.
This is a litany and a catalog of co-Beats and friends descent into chemical madness towards a desperate self-expression and acceptance by the mainstream masses who misunderstand the Beats artistic expression. It is a quest and prayer for spiritual transcendence leading to a hopeful exaltation.
The deep-seated howl of Ginsberg and his fellow poets and artists expressed an inner turmoil that by the end of each part becomes more hopeful and golden. Ginsberg achieved a cathartic expression which speaks for all of his poets and artists. During this turbulent era the public trial only flamed the curiosity of the masses, Moloch. Most importantly, Ginsberg’s art and poetic expression was finally heard and ultimately was valued.
Ginsberg, I believe wrote Howl as a performance poem and is a dedication not only to Carl Solomon, but to all poets and artists who felt imprisoned by society’s then 1955-’56 oppressive gray flannelled machine, Moloch. The phrases that come to mind after reading all three sections of the poem are the need for artistic expression through the use of drugs and sex, acceptance, spiritual transcendence, Ginsberg’s use of shock value of drug use and descent into madness, dramatic irony, and comic realism.
Part I of Howl, Ginsberg’s Comic Realism expresses the serious nature of the poet’s unexpressed vernacular through shocking vocabulary and imagery by way of nonsensical phrasings of “ashcan rantings,” “incomparable blind streets,” and “nitroglycerine shrieks.” The shock value of the drug induced madness of the time is forcefully brought to the reader’s attention with lines such as, “who let themselves be f**ked in the a** by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy…”
Ginsberg is a master at grabbing the reader’s attention by addressing the previously silent and unheard “howl” of the artist’s literal descent into a “gritty” and drug induced rebellion against the “Absolute Reality” of the gray flannel suited Moloch. Ginsberg’s comic realism is an American 20th century reflection of 19th century French realism powerfully expressed through literature and art of the time describing (from The Metropolitan Museum of Art website) “the everyday lives of the working class” … “recorded in often gritty detail the present-day existence of humble people…” by prominent realist authors such as of Émile Zola, Honoré de Balzac, and Gustave Flaubert. Ginsberg beautifully and brilliantly calls attention to the silent and suffering as did the French realists of the 19th century. Whereas Realism ends in tragedy, the end of each part of Ginsberg’s poem, I, II, III, ends on an uplifting and positive note.
Part I,page 20, echoes musical, spiritual and biblical references such as rose reincarnate, jazz, love, saxophone, absolute heart, good, eat and therefore are associated with life affirming qualities. Part II is a poetic definition of Moloch, through the use of vocabulary such as solitude, filth, pure machinery and who is deaf and blind to all the cries of humanity. The final three stanzas of part II begin with “Dreams! Adorations! Illuminations!...” which expresses an excitement of escape and a fleeing from the oppressive society of Moloch to an exuberant and "absolute freedom" shown in the last stanza, “real holy laughter in the river!...They bade farewell!...waving! carrying flowers! Down to the river! into the street!
In Part III of Howl, Ginsberg comically exclaims, affirms, and confirms his connection and friendship with Carl Solomon, “…I’m with you in Rockland…” The shockingly “crazy” “madhouse” litany of comic realist phrasings elicits from the “normal” society-at-large, who are followers of Moloch’s blind and judging "philosophy, a nervous sort of laughter which translates into society’s fear of the complete and absolute freedom of expression by her artists, poets, and musicians. However, in contrast, part III ends with a hopeful and poetic prayer directly from Ginsberg and addressed to “you,” Solomon and to the society of Moloch. Ginsberg is expressing his dream and wish for a reconciliation and an acceptance emanating from society-at-large towards an "absolute freedom" for artistic legitimacy, integrity, and expression.
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/HD/rlsm/hd_rlsm.htm
This is a litany and a catalog of co-Beats and friends descent into chemical madness towards a desperate self-expression and acceptance by the mainstream masses who misunderstand the Beats artistic expression. It is a quest and prayer for spiritual transcendence leading to a hopeful exaltation.
The deep-seated howl of Ginsberg and his fellow poets and artists expressed an inner turmoil that by the end of each part becomes more hopeful and golden. Ginsberg achieved a cathartic expression which speaks for all of his poets and artists. During this turbulent era the public trial only flamed the curiosity of the masses, Moloch. Most importantly, Ginsberg’s art and poetic expression was finally heard and ultimately was valued.
Ginsberg, I believe wrote Howl as a performance poem and is a dedication not only to Carl Solomon, but to all poets and artists who felt imprisoned by society’s then 1955-’56 oppressive gray flannelled machine, Moloch. The phrases that come to mind after reading all three sections of the poem are the need for artistic expression through the use of drugs and sex, acceptance, spiritual transcendence, Ginsberg’s use of shock value of drug use and descent into madness, dramatic irony, and comic realism.
Part I of Howl, Ginsberg’s Comic Realism expresses the serious nature of the poet’s unexpressed vernacular through shocking vocabulary and imagery by way of nonsensical phrasings of “ashcan rantings,” “incomparable blind streets,” and “nitroglycerine shrieks.” The shock value of the drug induced madness of the time is forcefully brought to the reader’s attention with lines such as, “who let themselves be f**ked in the a** by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy…”
Ginsberg is a master at grabbing the reader’s attention by addressing the previously silent and unheard “howl” of the artist’s literal descent into a “gritty” and drug induced rebellion against the “Absolute Reality” of the gray flannel suited Moloch. Ginsberg’s comic realism is an American 20th century reflection of 19th century French realism powerfully expressed through literature and art of the time describing (from The Metropolitan Museum of Art website) “the everyday lives of the working class” … “recorded in often gritty detail the present-day existence of humble people…” by prominent realist authors such as of Émile Zola, Honoré de Balzac, and Gustave Flaubert. Ginsberg beautifully and brilliantly calls attention to the silent and suffering as did the French realists of the 19th century. Whereas Realism ends in tragedy, the end of each part of Ginsberg’s poem, I, II, III, ends on an uplifting and positive note.
Part I,page 20, echoes musical, spiritual and biblical references such as rose reincarnate, jazz, love, saxophone, absolute heart, good, eat and therefore are associated with life affirming qualities. Part II is a poetic definition of Moloch, through the use of vocabulary such as solitude, filth, pure machinery and who is deaf and blind to all the cries of humanity. The final three stanzas of part II begin with “Dreams! Adorations! Illuminations!...” which expresses an excitement of escape and a fleeing from the oppressive society of Moloch to an exuberant and "absolute freedom" shown in the last stanza, “real holy laughter in the river!...They bade farewell!...waving! carrying flowers! Down to the river! into the street!
In Part III of Howl, Ginsberg comically exclaims, affirms, and confirms his connection and friendship with Carl Solomon, “…I’m with you in Rockland…” The shockingly “crazy” “madhouse” litany of comic realist phrasings elicits from the “normal” society-at-large, who are followers of Moloch’s blind and judging "philosophy, a nervous sort of laughter which translates into society’s fear of the complete and absolute freedom of expression by her artists, poets, and musicians. However, in contrast, part III ends with a hopeful and poetic prayer directly from Ginsberg and addressed to “you,” Solomon and to the society of Moloch. Ginsberg is expressing his dream and wish for a reconciliation and an acceptance emanating from society-at-large towards an "absolute freedom" for artistic legitimacy, integrity, and expression.
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/HD/rlsm/hd_rlsm.htm
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