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Introduction to Poetry | | |
 Understanding Poetry
Understanding Poetry
Though this section of the course focuses on poetry
,
the comments made here really can refer to any form of art and how we interact
with it. The poet writes a poem, the artist paints a picture, the composer writes a song but if no one
ever reads the poem, looks at the
picture or listens to the music, then what value do any of them have? It can be argued that the last
person in the creative chain is the
reader, the viewer or the listener. In other words - you.
For example, if you look at a painting or a photograph taken of a place you know well then that experience
will be different from
looking at a picture of a location which you don't know at all. If you read a book which deals with
an activity you know something
about let's say sailing or skiing then your experience is different to other people reading the book.
We are all individuals and therefore
as we read it is a unique individual perspective we bring to the experience. As you work through the
exercises and take part in the on-line discussions, try to retain your individual opinion describing
it and justifying it to other members of the group.
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