How To Learn From Poetic Devices of Famous Poets
"Conscious Imitation" Inspires You to Write Poetry More Creatively
Aug 23, 2009
Sometimes all that's needed to write more creative poetry is change. One way to introduce change is to study the poetic devices and writing styles that make other poems "work."
Specificially, this means writing a poem by following the structure, techniques, and devices used by other poets. The more different the approach is to one's usual style, the better.
The Power of Poetic Devices
Poems are expressed not only by what they're about, but by the rhythm, music, images, line breaks, who the "speaker" is, and other elements of the poem. Together these produce an effect on the reader, who feels their influence even without being aware of them.
As a poet, trying out new elements that make poems "work" can improve one's own poetry, in much the same way that following the steps of Rachel Ray and others like her can lead to better cooking.
Writing Poetry Through Theodore Roethke's Method of "Conscious Imitation"
According to Theodore Roethke: "Imitation, conscious imitation, is one of the great methods, perhaps the method of learning to write. The ancients, the Elizabethans, knew this, profited by it, and were not disturbed. As a son of Ben [Jonson], Herrick more than once rewrote Jonson, who, in turn, drew heavily on the classics. And so on."
So the obvious benefit of "conscious imitation" is the same as it is for learning any craft. Consciously and unconsciously, poets learn from other poets.
But there's another advantage, and that comes from using the structure of a good poem to create an original poem. Similar to writing in a form, such as a sonnet or sestina, the limits of structure can paradoxically "free up" the poet's writing more than if there were no limits. Nothing is more paralyzing than a blank page! Starting with a scaffold is a good way to get started, even if the poet wanders off into a different form.
So it's a way out of writer's block. And it's also a way to stretch the mind, and help shape raw material that comes from "writing into the unknown" based on John Keats' negative capability, another technique that leads to more powerful poetry.
A Philosophical Poem: "Burlap Sack" by Jane Hirschfeld
"A person is full of sorrow
The way a burlap sack is full of stones or sand.
We say "Hand me the sack,"
but we get the weight.
Heavier if left out in the rain."
Just in these few lines, we note that the poem is a number of affirmative statements, that it has no story or action, but rather is a reflection about the world, in a style referred to as "wisdom poetry." The burlap sack will evolve into an extended metaphor that continues throughout the poem. The mood is serious and contemplative. A very different effect is evoked by techniques used in the following poem by Dean Young.
A Narrative-Like Poem: "Lives of Composers" by Dean Young
"Once I knew a girl named Dawn
who played the part of a swan
in a ballet. Who rejected me
when I became engorged with blood.
As far as I'm concerned, that's it
for ballet. I hid in a drawer."
Here we see what at first looks like a narrative, but one that skips around, takes big leaps, and uses humor, non sequiters, and illogic (in a later line that states "The next time my childhood ended...") The mood is both playful and dark. Later the poet shifts to a more philosphical and serious mood that, juxtaposed with the beginning, gives the poem greater surprise and depth.
A poem works its magic through a number of poetic techniques and devices which, taken together, bring the poem to life -- creating not just a poem but an experience. Studying poems that do it well helps poets in two ways: (a) The skeletal form and poetic devices of a poem provide a starting point that can help any poet overcome writers block. (b) Working within the limits of someone else's poetic techniques can inspire and enable the poet to follow paths to greater creativity.
On the Poet and His Craft: Selected Prose of Theodore Roethke. Ed. Ralph J. Mills Jr. University of Washington Press, 1965, page 61.
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