Young Writers Society

So, earlier today, I was talking to my mother about poetry, and the question came up.




Even when I'm reading something very straightforward, I assume there's a deeper meaning beyond what is being said-- I infer the metaphor on my own. Should we do this? Or should we take our poetry at face value? Do you believe that poetry should be defined as poetry by metaphor? Does it matter what poetry looks like, as long as someone says it's poetry, or is there a specific kind of writing that truly is poetry?

Oooh! Interesting question!

Yes and no... because I have to be conflicted about this question.

I think the poet can write as literally as that poet wants, with no intention of metaphor. That is fine. So, Shel Silverstein can write silly poetry for kids, and that's fine.

HOWEVER.

I think the reader should read the poem with an eye for metaphor and, if the reader sees a metaphor there that rings with the reader's life, then this is okay and the metaphor is probably valid.

I tend to define poetry as words that can't stop tapping its toes and trying to dance. This is probably not a very good definition though. XD

Simply put, no. Poetry doesn't have to have metaphor to be a poem. Being a poem means, to me, that it is using poetic devices. Metaphor isn't the only poetic device. At the same time there is a very blurry line that people don't tend to recognize between what is and is not a poem.

I think that most poets expect you to do both. There's this poem by Billy Collins that I like to use to introduce people to poetry called "Introduction to Poetry" which sort of goes over the idea that you're struggling with. For him, there's a mix of what students are trying to do to a poem, and what he wants you to do. Basically he's saying that he wants you to dance across the surface of the poem and enjoy it, but students try to eek every bit of meaning out of everything. This is the poem

So I sort of see it as a mix. As readers we're obligated to ourselves to get what we get from what we read, but unless we're in a poetry class, a poem can simply be about enjoying poetry. That being said, you're right, there can be metaphors or no metaphors, what matters is that in the end when you're done with the poem, there's something there which makes it worth reading and writing to you.

If you look at Poe's discussions on composition, you'll find that he's saying that Truth with a capital T doesn't matter. What matters is the resulting emotional connections your audience makes and you write poems to draw out those "effects." I think it's this essay where he goes over that.

In the meantime, there are authors who are all about writing the Truth and diving into metaphor with their poetry and work. For Poe, metaphors are things that readers instill on his works or they're being used to create an effect, not to create some deeper meaning of life.

So yeah, there are both sides of the coin. I tend to like delving into things that are simple examples of life in my poetry, but occasionally I'll dive into a metaphor head first. I haven't really decided what camp I'm in yet and I think that's a job of someone learning poetry, to decide whether they want to write and aim for Truth, or effect. Clearly the two can go together because you can get to the Truth through effect, but what is your goal in writing it and reading poetry. People will each take poems differently, and the same person might take the same poem differently at different times in their lives. Half of the art of poetry is audience's impression.

@Aley I absolutely love that poem, thanks for mentioning it!

About the original question- no.

The metaphor is a tool. It can be used in public speaking, stories and even essays. To say that the tool has to be in any of the three previously mentioned entities by definition is absurd and so is to say it by poetry.

Now here is the controversy; interpretation. Take my version of a poem;

The ball is red.

You can take it as a huge metaphor or a literal sense of a ball being red. You could classify that as poetry or not but the definition and the interpretation is subjective because we are all different and words are symbolic.

But when you say ALL poems must have a metaphor you have to encompass everyone's interpretation of every poem and whether it comes off to them as metaphorical. There is more then 7 billion people in this world so to some people they will read something and not interpret any metaphor. Like me. And so the answer is no every-time.

Some might certainly see it that way and they are probably really fun people but there's no way logically that everyone does.


Do you believe that poetry should be defined as poetry by metaphor?

Poetry is amazing to me because there are no rules or constraints. Yes some may say rhythm ect. but that is also subjective. And to put a rule like this would be totally strange - don't you love a straight forward honest line? Why would you take that away by definition; and then you also take all the guess work out of it. It is a sort-sighted idea for a rule.

Does it matter what poetry looks like, as long as someone says it's poetry, or is there a specific kind of writing that truly is poetry?

Poetry-when done correctly comes in all shapes and sizes- it is suppose to emphasize your uniqueness. So no there is no rule about that. If people want to they can write one letter per line, if that's how they feel it should go. I would tell them I don't like it but that's just my take on it.

Hmmm...interesting subject. My answer - maybe.
Poetry is all about expressing one's feelings, definitely the poet's feelings, on various topics. The poet could use a metaphor if he or she feels like a metaphor is needed.
My dealing with poetry for some time now has shown me one true fact, metaphoric poems tend to give readers a different understanding of what the poet is trying to portray.
My take, it depends.