The aspects of Carolyn Forché’s writing that I find most relatable to my poem is that she believes there needs to be a happy medium of the political and personal poems, “Let us call this space ‘the social’” (Forché “Witness”). She believes that by using the social space we can avoid prejudices through our writing which I fully agree with. This was very similar to my poem “Letter Composed During a Lull in the Fighting” (Kevin C. Powers) because his poem is written in an extremely politically driven environment but he is speaking through personal feelings on the matter. By combining these two perspectives, the social is found.
Then there is Sam Hamill who believes “We can’t bear very much reality” (Hamill “Necessity”) which seems to speak true through Powers’ poem. In this poem the narrator seems out of touch with the severity of reality which could be a sign that he is tuning out what is really going on because he can no longer absorb it. I think this is the case for many extreme events, the victim becomes so integrated in the environment, it is no longer as real as it once was, it is like it becomes an alternate reality and they are merely witnessing their environment not actually participating in it. However something that I disagree with in Hammil’s writing is that he believes “Knowledge is the loss of innocence” (Hamill “Necessity”), I believe knowledge may be the loss of naivety but innocence is something I believe you lose through actions not learning.
The difference in these authors’ styles is that Hamill states “We think poetry is about emotions. We are dead wrong” (Hamill “Necessity”), whereas Forché believes that poems can be in the ‘personal’ realm which is a very emotionally driven place (Forché “Witness”). However, these authors are both in agreement that there is much political background within poetry, because it is the political decisions that ultimately affect our ways of life. Don't believe it? Check it out http://www.novanewsnow.com/Politics/2007-03-02/article-603796/How-Politics-Affects-Our-Lives/1
Works cited
Forche, Carolyn. "Carolyn Forché on A Poetry of Witness." Welcome to English « Department of English, College of LAS, University of Illinois. Web. 04 July 2011. <http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/forche/witness.htm>.
Hamill, Sam. "The Necessity to Speak." Web. 3 July 2011.
It was very interesting for me to read your post and what you took from the two authors writings. I have an appreciation for people who seem to do this with ease as it doesn't come easy for me, and you are one! Your blog post gave me a better understanding, especially of Forch's article. I personally had a hard time digestion and interpreting what she was saying. I liked the connection you made in Hamill's writing with Powers poem. The quote from Hamill, "We can't bear very much reality," and Powers poem was a good example of what Hamill was writing about in being a witness. You pegged it perfectly when you said, the extreme events cause the person to become witnesses in their reality instead of participants. I think we both agree that this is their coping mechanism. Thanks for giving me a deeper and different perspective on both authors' writings.
ReplyDeleteWow! You had a very interesting passage to read and was easy to comprehend with :) First, I like how you said that Forche's passage, "the social" was a real object and you made her way of poetry more clear to me to understand. I also agree with you on Hamill's "Knowledge is the loss of innocence". I believe you can't point a characteristic without doing any action to prove it. After reading your passage I got a whole new perspective and I thank you for that!
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