During the heat of the election, our blog poet disappeared.
He/she is back! Posted today in response to the article about the poet who could not answer the questions on the Texas standardized test about her own poems:
“Understanding Poetry”
To understand a poem
You shouldn’t ask the poet
Cuz poets all are dumb
And, worst of all, don’t know it.
They’ll tell you this and that
And even ’bout the other
They’ll tell you ’bout their cat
And tell you ’bout their brother
They’ll tell you everything
Except what you desire
So never give a ring
And never ever hire
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Yeah for return of the POET. Great poem.
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On that fun end rhyme, some readers might find this interesting.
Famous Novelists on Symbolism in Their Work and Whether It Was Intentional
a few examples of what waits at the other end of the link.
Question 1
“Do you consciously, intentionally plan and place symbolism in your writing?… If yes, please state your method for doing so. Do you feel you sub-consciously place symbolism in your writing?”
Ray Bradbury: “No, I never consciously place symbolism in my writing. That would be a self-conscious exercise and self-consciousness is defeating to any creative act. Better to let the subconscious do the work for you, and get out of the way. The best symbolism is always unsuspected and natural.”
Norman Mailer: “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for a working novelist to concern himself too much with the technical aspects of the matter. Generally, the best symbols in a novel are those you become aware of only after you finish the work.
QUESTION 2
“Do readers ever infer that there is symbolism in your writing where you had not intended it to be? If so, what is your feeling about this type of inference? (Humorous? annoying? etc.?)”
Ralph Ellison: “Yes, readers (Lloyd’s note: I’m sure this answer applies to corporate test writers too) often infer that there is symbolism in my work, which I do not intend. My reaction is sometimes annoyance. It is sometimes humorous. It is sometimes even pleasant, indicating that the reader’s mind has collaborated in a creative way with what I have written.”
http://mentalfloss.com/article/30937/famous-novelists-symbolism-their-work-and-whether-it-was-intentional
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Yes, I have the feeling that most novelists (and poets) don’t try to over-analyze or deliberately insert any symbolism into their works.
They are just good writers.
OTOH, I guess it keeps test-developers busy trying to devise questions about such symbolism.
And, for that matter, it keeps a lot of English Literature teachers, particularly at the college level, busy, too, with class discussions about symbolism, test questions, etc. 😉
(And literary critics, as well.)
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I once asked Ron Rash if there was anything symbolic in the arrival and departure of the train in Serena. His response was no, it was just a means of transporting goods and people to the camp. Boy did I feel special :0)
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Art makes life. This is Some DAM good day. I am ecstatic.
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Ditto.
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“They’ll tell you everything
Except what you desire.”
Sounds like truth to power. Welcome back.
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Here’s my favorite bit about this kind of poetry (or art) analysis… And a test like this loves to beat things with a hose…
Introduction to Poetry
BY BILLY COLLINS
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem’s room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
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Yay! Welcome back, Some Dam Poet! We missed you!
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Welcome back SDP!
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Ditto!
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Yay!!! Love you, Some DAM!!! Have a happy, healthy & SANE 2017 (& keep writing poems, here, to help US stay sane!)
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Welcome back, Some DAM Poet!
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