Monday, February 1, 2010
Important, Universal Topics
Poetry often deals with the powerful emotional experiences in life – experiences that are hard to describe factually or straightforward. A few of these topics are love, hate, and death. Take a moment to respond to one of the following: a) Share any poem that explores one of these “big topics.” How does this poem explore the subject? b) What is another of these “big topics?” What makes it a universal and big topic?
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Another topic that I would consider universal is fear. Fear is something that nobody can really describe or express in one sentence or word. Because nobody can describe fear, it has such a big meaning and so many different perspectives.
A way of thinking of fear is to be scared of something. Some kids are afraid of ghosts or monsters. This is an example where fear can be implied. Another way of looking at it is fear is death. The fear of death is where you are going to go when you die, how you're going to die, and when. Fear has endless questions and all those questions lead right back to the universal topic of fear.
Fear has many different meanings. Many people try to describe poetry and feelings with fear. It can be a fear of literally anything. Everyone has something that they are afraid of or scared of. Those things will always link back to fear.
A topic that would be another "big topic" would be jealousy. Everybody feels jealousy at some point in their lives, but it is a feeling that you can't really describe to someone. We all have a possession in life that we love, but when it is taken away from us, we feel this emotion come over us. It is something that only you are feeling, and no one can really put themeself in your shoes because they do not have that deep connection with the possession that you feel you are loosing, so they would not be able to fully understand you. Jealousy is an emotion that has many other feelings that go along with it too. It is part anger that your ownership of something is fading, and also part fear that you will lose your possession. Jealousy is something that can control a person like a drug, and take them to another state of mind where they act in ways they normally don't, and they won't let a past jealousy issue go. A symbol for jealousy is a green eyed monster, because it can take over your life and turn you into this very different person that is obsessed with one thing and having it all to yourself. People write about jealousy because it is a feeling that is so hard to describe, but many poets use poetry devices to relate other emotions to jealousy so that the reader can relate as best as they can to what the author is really feeling.
Another big topic I would consider 'universal' would be nature. As it was especially apparant in the Romantic period, it never really faded away. Nature has as many poems as any of the other universal topics. During the Romantic Period, that was all that most poets wrote. They would walk around finding beauty and new surprises in nature, then write about it for all to share.
It may be a bit strange, but a universal topic is "pain". Pain happens everyday inevitably. Sadly, it is from pain that people learn most often. From the other topics comes pain, whether if love has ended, if death has happened, or the hate overwhelms you to the point of anguish.
Pain is a big part of our lives. In fear of pain, we avoid things dangerous to us and others. Pain helps us be wary of the world around us.
I believe it is a big topic because there are so many sides to it and also is it a part of being human. One of the differences between man and machine is having not only a rationality and conscience, but also having the ability to feel. It can also be debated whether pain is a good thing and whether it is correct to instill it upon other, no matter the reasoning.
Another universal topic would be frustration. Frustration is something that just comes naturally to us and we usually can't do anything about it. When we want something we cannot have, or something bad happens that we cannot do anything about, it's just human nature for us to get frustrated. I believe this would be another universal topic for poetry is because it's something that can easily be taken out on a piece of paper. As we had talked about in class, it is one of those emotions that can be portrayed indirectly through literary devices and words that sound not only pleasing, but interesting to the ear. Everyone gets frustrated once in a while, which is why it can be easy to interpret through poetry.
A poem i found that explores the topic of death is "Death Snips Proud Men" by Carl Sandburg.
DEATH is stronger than all the governments because
the governments are men and men die and then
death laughs: Now you see 'em, now you don't.
Death is stronger than all proud men and so death
snips proud men on the nose, throws a pair of
dice and says: Read 'em and weep.
Death sends a radiogram every day: When I want
you I'll drop in--and then one day he comes with a
master-key and lets himself in and says: We'll
go now.
Death is a nurse mother with big arms: 'Twon't hurt
you at all; it's your time now; just need a
long sleep, child; what have you had anyhow
better than sleep?
This, along with many other poems on death, says two things. Death is unstopable. It doesn;t care who you are. It will take you one day. It also says not to fear death. It compairs death to a gentle mother putting you to sleep. Most poems about death seem to use the metaphore that death is just a long sleep, and that if you love sleep you'll love death even more.
This is because people fear the unknown, the unstopable, and the uncontrollable. Death is one of those things. Poets are just trying to get people to accept death as part of life, and that everyones life is limited.
One of the most important universal topics is the "unknown", however it is important for reasons other than being "unexplainable". The irony of this situation is that the word unknown can easily be explained. It is something that you do not understand or are unaware of. The reason, then, that the unknown is quite possibly to most important universal topics is because it is the primary factor support every other universal topic. Death, for example, can not be explained. This fear of the unknown is what causes death to be such a disputed topic.If one was to take out the "unknown factor" of death then it would not be a very big deal. If everyone knew that after you died you were magically transformed into a fish, people would stop worrying about death (and probably start being nicer to fish).
There is another reason the unknown is an important universal topic. The unknown unites people.People used to not know what was in space. This desire to venture into the unknown united thousands of people together. Not only does the unknown unite people, but it is one of the few things that is universally shared in common. Nobody knows everything, and until someone does, everyone in the world will be more able to relate to each other. It is by being something that is universally experienced that the unknown can be classified as a Universal Topic.
One powerful and ubiquitous experience that most if not all people experience is the death of someone close to one's heart. Seamus Heaney is a poet that had written 'Casualty', which is based off of his own experience of a close friend passing on.
I
He would drink by himself
And raise a weathered thumb
Towards the high shelf,
Calling another rum
And blackcurrant, without
Having to raise his voice,
Or order a quick stout
By a lifting of the eyes
And a discreet dumb-show
Of pulling off the top;
At closing time would go
In waders and peaked cap
Into the showery dark,
A dole-kept breadwinner
But a natural for work.
I loved his whole manner,
Sure-footed but too sly,
His deadpan sidling tact,
His fisherman's quick eye
And turned observant back.
Incomprehensible
To him, my other life.
Sometimes on the high stool,
Too busy with his knife
At a tobacco plug
And not meeting my eye,
In the pause after a slug
He mentioned poetry.
We would be on our own
And, always politic
And shy of condescension,
I would manage by some trick
To switch the talk to eels
Or lore of the horse and cart
Or the Provisionals.
But my tentative art
His turned back watches too:
He was blown to bits
Out drinking in a curfew
Others obeyed, three nights
After they shot dead
The thirteen men in Derry.
PARAS THIRTEEN, the walls said,
BOGSIDE NIL. That Wednesday
Everyone held
His breath and trembled.
II
It was a day of cold
Raw silence, wind-blown
Surplice and soutane:
Rained-on, flower-laden
Coffin after coffin
Seemed to float from the door
Of the packed cathedral
Like blossoms on slow water.
The common funeral
Unrolled its swaddling band,
Lapping, tightening
Till we were braced and bound
Like brothers in a ring.
But he would not be held
At home by his own crowd
Whatever threats were phoned,
Whatever black flags waved.
I see him as he turned
In that bombed offending place,
Remorse fused with terror
In his still knowable face,
His cornered outfaced stare
Blinding in the flash.
He had gone miles away
For he drank like a fish
Nightly, naturally
Swimming towards the lure
Of warm lit-up places,
The blurred mesh and murmur
Drifting among glasses
In the gregarious smoke.
How culpable was he
That last night when he broke
Our tribe's complicity?
'Now, you're supposed to be
An educated man,'
I hear him say. 'Puzzle me
The right answer to that one.'
III
I missed his funeral,
Those quiet walkers
And sideways talkers
Shoaling out of his lane
To the respectable
Purring of the hearse...
They move in equal pace
With the habitual
Slow consolation
Of a dawdling engine,
The line lifted, hand
Over fist, cold sunshine
On the water, the land
Banked under fog: that morning
I was taken in his boat,
The screw purling, turning
Indolent fathoms white,
I tasted freedom with him.
To get out early, haul
Steadily off the bottom,
Dispraise the catch, and smile
As you find a rhythm
Working you, slow mile by mile,
Into your proper haunt
Somewhere, well out, beyond...
Dawn-sniffing revenant,
Plodder through midnight rain,
Question me again.
The first thing that can be taken into account is it's length. The poem is very long, as he and other poets probably have intense feelings for something as gripping as the death of a loved one. This particular poem splits into three parts, when the narrator hears the news, when he reflects on moments between them with nostalgia, and an afterword, how the future was without him. This poem shows how the death of someone close can effect all who the victim had known.
Another topic would be sadness. People deal with depression in different ways, but it affects people. In poetry, the poet would be able to show how he is affected differently by depression. This is also very relatable because there is a usually a point in a person's life when they are going through something hard. Sadness is a big topic in poetry.
Another big topic used in poems is "acceptance". Many people write poems to release their feelings, and everyone goes through things in their life where they don't feel socially accepted or understood. Because society is so diverse, it is common for people to feel as if they cannot fit in. A poem that shows this is a poem from Chicken Soup called "It's
Tough to be a Teenager".
I think one of the biggest universal to consider is peace. Ultimately peace is the answer to most life struggles such as war. It is a very powerful topic to write about because it helps influence others to stop fighting and hating.
There have been many poets and other important figures that try to in cooperate peace in to their work. Also, peace can be achieved physically and eternally. One can find inner peace by being happy and accepting themselves, while others can achieve physical peace by befriending one another.
This idea has been part of humanity for many years and it never will be fully achieved unless everyone tries to act upon it. Thats why it is important to write about so that others can act upon it.
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