Lecture 2.1.2 – The Search for Meaning in a Poem
Lecture Overview
How do we discover the meaning in a poem? Is there only one answer to the question? The answer is NO! Poets themselves aren’t always aware of all the possible meanings their poems contain. That’s because a poem takes on a life of its own in the mind of everyone who makes the effort to read it carefully and thoughtfully.
If you think about some simple questions that will pull you deeply into poems, you will not only become an expert at analyzing poetry, but poetry will suggest ways you can live your life that will help you for the better.
This is a message that I will repeat many times in this course. I believe that Literature can make us better people and that literature is a cure for what’s wrong with the world – war, racism, gender discrimination – so many problems that we haven’t yet solved because not enough people read fiction after they graduate from school.
- What does the poem have to do with you personally?
- How can you connect with it? Past? Present? Future?
- How much does the poem agree or disagree with your view of the world and what you consider to be right or wrong?
- What did you learn? How much of your own viewpoints were challenged by the poem?
- What can you praise about the poem? What problems do you find with the poem?
- How well did you enjoy the poem, as entertainment or a work of art?