Starman, barman…. I don’t damn a give

[tectak]

While it has its moments, this poem fails both in its attempts at satire and explicit derision. In order to succeed, it needs to evince far more subtle and nuanced understanding concerning its intended target. The effect created is rather that of a flamethrower being taken to a (rather shabbily-constructed) straw man.

Criticism of a thing, whether direct or indirect, cannot be effective if it is not accurate. If one fails to understand the mark on its own terms, it will remain unscathed by your attack; after all, you're not even deriding it: you're battling some only-very-vaguely-related comical hyperbolism.

This is not to imply, of course, that the genre of poetry to which this poem so frothily addresses its attentions is not fabulously pregnant with possibilities for depreciation. This just isn't a very successful delivery of them.

On a related note, this is a good read: http://www.brocku.ca/english/jlye/meaning.php

Cheers,


-pk

On a related note, it is none of the things you think it is. What else do I need to say to show that the whole piece is just rubbish. Oh,oh. Is your feathered vent showing?
Best,
tectak