07-29-2012, 07:54 AM
I've been mulling over posting a query regarding symbolism in daily life and especially poetic endeavors, but I just haven't decided what I want it to look like and before I knew it I had thought about it for over a month with zero manifestations.
So, here is the basic thought I have: symbolism and archetypes are so ingrained into us as individuals, groups, and societies that we respond to them on an instinctual level and may not have a conscious thought about why we respond or how we respond. It is part conditioning and part inherent.
As poets, have you been introspective enough to look at the symbolism you spill onto the page and ask yourself why you chose to express yourself in that manner? Are you even aware of it?
As readers, have you ever bothered to connect the dots, or do you stick with the mechanics of rhyme, meter, grammar, punctuation, and surface appeal?
A while back I replied to a piece Jack wrote titled 'The Passion of the Wife'. What stood out to me and how I internalized it as a reader were colored by my gender, life experiences, people who have impacted my life, and background with religious, social, and individual archetypes and semiotics. As always the reader completes the process, and I know my reaction was far from what Jack was relating when he wrote it. People tend to use descriptions and objects that are not only generally tied together, but express images and emotions that hint at the undercurrent of shared humanity. Have any of you ever recognized or wondered about why those associations exist in the first place?
So, here is the basic thought I have: symbolism and archetypes are so ingrained into us as individuals, groups, and societies that we respond to them on an instinctual level and may not have a conscious thought about why we respond or how we respond. It is part conditioning and part inherent.
As poets, have you been introspective enough to look at the symbolism you spill onto the page and ask yourself why you chose to express yourself in that manner? Are you even aware of it?
As readers, have you ever bothered to connect the dots, or do you stick with the mechanics of rhyme, meter, grammar, punctuation, and surface appeal?
A while back I replied to a piece Jack wrote titled 'The Passion of the Wife'. What stood out to me and how I internalized it as a reader were colored by my gender, life experiences, people who have impacted my life, and background with religious, social, and individual archetypes and semiotics. As always the reader completes the process, and I know my reaction was far from what Jack was relating when he wrote it. People tend to use descriptions and objects that are not only generally tied together, but express images and emotions that hint at the undercurrent of shared humanity. Have any of you ever recognized or wondered about why those associations exist in the first place?
PS. If you can, try your hand at giving some of the others a bit of feedback. If you already have, thanks, can you do some more?