02-15-2012, 05:34 PM
I don't disagree with any of your points -- one of the prime objectives of this site is to avoid entirely the sycophancy and smoke-blowing of most "poetry" sites (your example being particularly apt). Many people have joined here and left soon after because they do not find the instant praise and worship that they crave, and while I think it's a shame they don't try something different, I find it difficult to mourn the loss. It's only through education, through sharing our experience and understandings and then challenging people to "push the envelope" (I do love that phrase) that we can rid the world of the scourge of cummings clones and Plath pretenders (no disrespect intended to either cummings or Plath, but their disciples are largely degenerate) -- perhaps if they learn why their idols used the devices they did, they will use them properly and then advance the techniques so that poetry is richer, not stagnant or heading backwards.
Yes, it is vitally important that people learn the difference between good poetry and bad, and are not afraid to say that there is a difference, rather than "anything that comes from the heart is equally valid and how the poet expresses himself is personal so you can't correct it". It is also important to recognise that there are many different styles of poetry, some not even created yet, and definitive statements of the "this cannot be" type are in many cases counter-productive.
Very few poems are beyond redemption. They may never set the world on fire, but if they're posted in a critique forum I consider it my responsibility at least -- and I understand that not everyone feels the same way -- to help them reach their potential so that the writer learns from the experience and isn't afraid to try a little bit harder next time. Poets are a temperamental lot, you may have noticed, so I find it best not to discourage them if there's any hope at all
Yes, it is vitally important that people learn the difference between good poetry and bad, and are not afraid to say that there is a difference, rather than "anything that comes from the heart is equally valid and how the poet expresses himself is personal so you can't correct it". It is also important to recognise that there are many different styles of poetry, some not even created yet, and definitive statements of the "this cannot be" type are in many cases counter-productive.
Very few poems are beyond redemption. They may never set the world on fire, but if they're posted in a critique forum I consider it my responsibility at least -- and I understand that not everyone feels the same way -- to help them reach their potential so that the writer learns from the experience and isn't afraid to try a little bit harder next time. Poets are a temperamental lot, you may have noticed, so I find it best not to discourage them if there's any hope at all
It could be worse