tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16166950.post3329169350722991551..comments2024-01-23T18:21:17.066+00:00Comments on Surroundings: TLS Competition Shortlist Round-UpRobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046788730174617923noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16166950.post-49860299972298430692007-06-10T09:36:00.000+01:002007-06-10T09:36:00.000+01:00Thanks Ben. I think your thoughts on the poem may ...Thanks Ben. I think your thoughts on the poem may be better than the poem itself, but the fact the poem inspired them does show one source of value, not just of this poem, but of poetry in general.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17046788730174617923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16166950.post-9283995409520762452007-06-09T21:26:00.000+01:002007-06-09T21:26:00.000+01:00For me, Rob, H is a political poem. And it is the ...For me, Rob, H is a political poem. And it is the best sort of political poem because at first glance it doesn't reveal itself as being so. The scene is simple, and plays on an old and almost clichéd image: the wisdom we associate with owls. But like all good poems, it also makes us look at this classic and wornout image in a new and exciting way; revealing perhaps why it first came about, and giving it a refreshing contemporary relevance. <BR/><BR/>I think this is evident in the second owl staring in on the caged owl and questioning 'what is confinement'. For the first owl questions 'what is freedom' as it subjectively sees its own position and straightforwardly desires freedom. The second owl, however, introduces an objectivity to the poem: it weighs up confinement in a more complex way than the first owl desires freedom; it does not have to, but <I>wants to</I> understand its peer's suffering, and how <I>it</I> must view its freedom. The second owl opens himself, then, (and through the assumed dialogue, also his peer) to the possibilities and value of new perspectives and new understandings. Hence the zookeeper's answer to the narrator's question: 'love and philosophy shape / the wisdom of owls'. <BR/><BR/>I think that the poem ultimately guides us towards a realisation of where wisdom lies, then: in opening ourselves up to understanding and 'lov[ing]' one another, and in always asking questions rather than just accepting things for what they are. And what could be a more important message in this age of terrorism and multiculturalism, where tolerance and a recognition of our common humanity are fighting to overcome racism and narrow-mindedness?<BR/><BR/>Alternately, I could just be a sucker for this sort of poem: I tend to go for pieces that merit many, many reads, and require a little dialogue to take place between yourself and the poem. Oh, and I have a hunch as to the mystery author of E, but I could well be way off the mark. Look forward to finding out once the results are published! And I hope my rather long defence of H helps to explain why I enjoyed it.Ben Wilkinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11077824416777371117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16166950.post-6911416263650088932007-06-09T20:27:00.000+01:002007-06-09T20:27:00.000+01:00Well, in the light of comments I've looked at B, F...Well, in the light of comments I've looked at B, F, and H again.<BR/><BR/>I can see that B is really well written, with some great lines, and I don't think it's as preachy as I had first thought. There are layers of meaning too, and an overarching metaphor. So it is getting better! I still feel it would benefit from a cut or two.<BR/><BR/>My opinion on F hasn't changed. Good start, but runs out of steam. This must be a Scottish writer, I guess.<BR/><BR/>Ben, what is it you value about H? The penny hasn't dropped for me.<BR/><BR/>Nic, I don't think anyone will be too mad at me for offering an opinion on a single poem, particularly as I've been (I think) quite fair. Poets tend to get mad, often quite rightly, when critics do a hatchet job on their collections - often these reviews are more about a critic's need to be noticed than about the book.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I got a nice email from the author of Poem E (I am sworn to secrecy, but I never would have guessed).Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17046788730174617923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16166950.post-50257227979665131882007-06-09T19:36:00.000+01:002007-06-09T19:36:00.000+01:00F & B my favourites here. E doesn't quite do it fo...F & B my favourites here. E doesn't quite do it for me. There are some good images, but they don't really form a coherent whole.Colin Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15627539650929533832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16166950.post-77556261022638085542007-06-09T17:01:00.000+01:002007-06-09T17:01:00.000+01:00I'm still making my mind up about these, Rob, but ...I'm still making my mind up about these, Rob, but your comments seem fair and even-handed on the whole. Although I would take exception to your criticism of H: admittedly it's nothing special to begin with (and so fails at least on <I>that</I> level), but after a few reads I've come to value it.Ben Wilkinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11077824416777371117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16166950.post-11947330228066726812007-06-09T14:13:00.000+01:002007-06-09T14:13:00.000+01:00“...and if your poem is in there and I've slagged ...“...and if your poem is in there and I've slagged it off, please don't get too mad at me.”<BR/><BR/>Now let me think. Who could it have been who said once:<BR/><BR/>“… with a review, you are taking your life in your hands by criticising what a poet has published as a finished product. Many poets have huge egos and will hold a bad review against you for the rest of their lives, and if they get the chance to take revenge, they will.”<BR/><BR/>..? <BR/><BR/>(Heh.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16166950.post-5416116918082732822007-06-09T13:47:00.000+01:002007-06-09T13:47:00.000+01:00Mostly agree with your comments, Rob. Except for B...Mostly agree with your comments, Rob. Except for B, which I like quite a bit. <BR/><BR/>RoddyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com