What makes a poem … a poem? - Melissa Kovacs
Summary
TLDRIn 1975, Muhammad Ali's two-word poem 'Me, we' sparked a debate on what constitutes a poem. This script explores the nature of poetry, highlighting its musical qualities, condensed language, and emotional intensity. It delves into the evolution of poetry, from its rhythmic roots to modern forms like prose poems and rap. The script also touches on the blurred lines between poetry, prose, song, and visual art, emphasizing the human element in poetry that AI has yet to replicate.
Takeaways
- 🥊 Muhammad Ali is known for his boxing prowess and a brief, impactful poem 'Me, we.'
- 🎓 Ali's poem was delivered at Harvard's 1975 graduation, emphasizing unity and friendship.
- 🤔 The script ponders the definition of a poem, suggesting it's not just about length but impact.
- 🎶 Poems are characterized by their musical qualities, achieved through rhyme, rhythm, and meter.
- 🌟 Poetry often uses condensed language to convey intense feelings and emotions.
- 🎨 Poetry can blur the lines with visual art, as seen in the works of Reinhard Döhl and Eugen Gomringer.
- 🎵 Lyrics of songs by artists like Paul Simon and Bob Dylan can stand alone as poetry.
- 📜 Prose poems challenge traditional line breaks, using vivid imagery within paragraph structures.
- 🌐 Poetry's essence can be found in various forms, including speeches, social media, and everyday language.
- 🤖 Despite advances in AI, human creativity in poetry remains distinct and is not easily replicated by machines.
Q & A
What was Muhammad Ali's shortest poem that he shared with Harvard's graduating class in 1975?
-Muhammad Ali's shortest poem is believed to be 'Me, we.' or possibly 'me, weeee', as the exact pronunciation is uncertain.
What are the three general characteristics of poetry mentioned in the script?
-Poetry generally emphasizes language's musical qualities through rhyme, rhythm, and meter; uses condensed language; and often features intense feelings.
How do the earliest poems relate to the concept of memory?
-The rhythmic patterns of the earliest poems served as a way to remember stories, even before the advent of writing.
What is the debate surrounding whether songs can be considered poems?
-While many don't regard songwriters as poets in a literary sense, lyrics from artists like Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, and Tupac Shakur often hold up even without the music, suggesting they can be considered poems.
How does rap incorporate poetic elements?
-Rap integrates poetic elements such as rhyme, rhythm, and imagery, which are inseparable from the form.
What is a prose poem and how does it differ from traditional poetry?
-A prose poem uses vivid images and wordplay but is formatted like a paragraph without line breaks, unlike traditional poetry which often has a distinct shape with line breaks.
How does the script suggest we should view poetry?
-The script suggests viewing poetry less as a form and more as a concept, recognizing its presence in various forms such as spiritual hymns, speeches, and social media.
What is the origin of the word 'poetry' and what does it signify?
-The word 'poetry' originates from the ancient Greek 'poiesis', which means to create. It signifies that poets, like craftsmen, work with the raw materials of the world to forge new understandings.
What was the outcome of the Dartmouth experiment involving robots writing poetry?
-In the Dartmouth experiment, robots were tasked with writing poetry, and judges were able to distinguish human-written sonnets from those made by machines 100% of the time.
How does the script describe the evolution of poetry and its relationship with other art forms?
-The script describes the evolution of poetry as a form that has blurred the lines with prose, song, and visual art over time, yet its essence as a creative expression remains distinct.
What is an example of how poetry can be found in unexpected places, as mentioned in the script?
-An example of poetry in an unexpected place is a tweet by journalist Joanna Smith during the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which used powerful, direct language and vivid images, akin to a haiku.
Outlines
🎭 The Essence of Poetry
This paragraph explores the nature of poetry through the lens of Muhammad Ali's shortest poem, 'Me, we.' It delves into the characteristics that define poetry, such as the emphasis on language's musical qualities through rhyme, rhythm, and meter; the use of condensed language; and the expression of intense emotions. The paragraph also touches on the evolving definitions of poetry, from its historical role in storytelling to its current forms, including visual poetry and prose poems. It raises the question of whether songs and rap lyrics can be considered poetry, citing examples from artists like Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, and Tupac Shakur. The discussion concludes with the idea that poetry is a concept that permeates various forms of expression, from traditional literary works to modern social media updates, and that its essence lies in the creation of new understandings and commentary on the human experience.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Poetry
💡Rhythm
💡Meter
💡Condensed Language
💡Line Breaks
💡Prose Poem
💡Visual Art
💡Rap
💡Unity and Friendship
💡Poiesis
💡Artificial Intelligence
Highlights
Muhammad Ali captivated Harvard's graduating class in 1975 with his message of unity and friendship.
Ali's shortest poem, 'Me, we.', or possibly 'me, weeee', is considered the shortest poem ever.
The audience at Harvard wanted more from Ali, specifically a poem, after his speech.
Poets have struggled to define what makes a poem a poem, often using metaphors.
Poems generally emphasize language's musical qualities through rhyme, rhythm, and meter.
Poems use condensed language, often described as literature with all the water wrung out.
Poetry often features intense feelings, as seen in the works of Rumi and Pablo Neruda.
Poetry challenges simple definitions and has evolved over time.
Early poems used rhythmic patterns as a way to remember stories before writing was invented.
Reinhard Döhl's “Apfel” and Eugen Gomringer's "silencio" blur the line between visual art and poetry.
E.E. Cummings wrote poems where the shape was as important as the words, amplifying the emotional impact.
The debate on whether songs are poems, with lyrics from artists like Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, and Tupac Shakur often holding up without music.
In rap, elements like rhyme, rhythm, and imagery are inseparable from the form.
The Notorious B.I.G.'s lyric is used as an example of how rap can be poetic.
Poetry's shape, including line breaks, helps readers navigate the rhythms of a poem.
Prose poems use vivid images and wordplay but are formatted like paragraphs, challenging the traditional form of poetry.
Poetry can be found in surprising places like social media, as seen in Joanna Smith's tweets from the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Haiku, the ancient Japanese poetic form, is compared to the powerful, direct language used by Joanna Smith.
The word 'poetry' comes from the ancient Greek 'poiesis', meaning to create, emphasizing the creative process of poets.
Dartmouth researchers tested the ability of robots to pen poetry, finding them distinguishable from human-made poetry.
Transcripts
Muhammad Ali spent years training to become the greatest boxer
the world had ever seen,
but only moments to create the shortest poem.
Ali captivated Harvard's graduating class in 1975
with his message of unity and friendship.
When he finished, the audience wanted more.
They wanted a poem.
Ali delivered what is considered the shortest poem ever.
"Me, we."
Or is it "me, weeee"?
No one's really sure.
Regardless, if these two words are a poem, then what exactly makes a poem a poem?
Poets themselves have struggled with this question,
often using metaphors to approximate a definition.
Is a poem a little machine?
A firework?
An echo?
A dream?
Poetry generally has certain recognizable characteristics.
One - poems emphasize language's musical qualities.
This can be achieved through rhyme, rhythm, and meter,
from the sonnets of Shakepeare,
to the odes of Confucius,
to the Sanskrit Vedas.
Two - poems use condensed language,
like literature with all the water wrung out of it.
Three - poems often feature intense feelings,
from Rumi's spiritual poetry
to Pablo Neruda's "Ode to an Onion."
Poetry, like art itself, has a way of challenging simple definitions.
While the rhythmic patterns of the earliest poems
were a way to remember stories even before the advent of writing,
a poem doesn't need to be lyrical.
Reinhard Döhl's “Apfel”
and Eugen Gomringer's "silencio"
toe the line between visual art and poetry.
Meanwhile, E.E. Cummings wrote poems whose shapes were as important
as the words themselves,
in this case amplifying the sad loneliness of a single leaf falling through space.
If the visual nature of poetry faded into the background,
perhaps we'd be left with music,
and that's an area that people love to debate.
Are songs poems?
Many don't regard songwriters as poets in a literary sense,
but lyrics from artists like Paul Simon,
Bob Dylan,
and Tupac Shakur
often hold up even without the music.
In rap, poet elements like rhyme, rhythm, and imagery
are inseparable from the form.
Take this lyric from the Notorious B.I.G.
"I can hear sweat trickling down your cheek
Your heartbeat sound like Sasquatch feet
Thundering, shaking the concrete."
So far, all the examples we've seen have had line breaks.
We can even imagine the two words of Ali's poem organizing in the air -
Me, We.
Poetry has a shape that we can usually recognize.
Its line breaks help readers navigate the rhythms of a poem.
But what if those line breaks disappeared?
Would it lose its essence as a poem?
Maybe not.
Enter the prose poem.
Prose poems use vivid images and wordplay
but are formatted like paragraphs.
When we look at poetry less as a form and more as a concept,
we can see the poetic all around us:
spiritual hymns,
the speeches of orators like Martin Luther King, Jr.,
JFK,
and Winston Churchill,
and surprising places like social media.
In 2010, journalist Joanna Smith tweeted updates from the earthquake in Haiti.
"Was in b-room getting dressed when heard my name.
Tremor. Ran outside through sliding door.
All still now. Safe. Roosters crowing."
Smith uses language in a way that is powerful, direct,
and filled with vivid images.
Compare her language to a haiku,
the ancient Japanese poetic form that emphasizes bursts of brief intensity
with just three lines of five, seven, and five syllables.
The waters of poetry run wide and deep.
Poetry has evolved over time,
and perhaps now more than ever,
the line between poetry, prose, song, and visual art has blurred.
However, one thing has not changed.
The word poetry actually began in verb form,
coming from the ancient Greek poiesis, which means to create.
Poets, like craftsman, still work with the raw materials of the world
to forge new understandings
and comment on what it is to be human in a way only humans can.
Dartmouth researchers tested this idea by asking robots to pen poetry.
A panel of judges sorted through stacks of sonnets
to see if they could distinguish those made by man and machine.
You may be happy to know that while scientists have successfully
used artificial intelligence in manufacturing,
medicine,
and even journalism,
poetry is a different story.
The robots were caught red-handed 100% of the time.
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