Goin' Home...to Creativity

WIT' COMPLIMENTS FROM Desiderata:)

Beginning today through the next se7en days, this Blogger shalt re-publish online his first published work which enjoyed a print run of 1,000 copies in 2007. "Midnight Voices" -- 900 copies of 1,000 print-run sold and almost 100 copies gifted away. A solitary copy lies in my study... you may peep to an intro about my maiden work in the July 7, 2007 blogpost:) -- and since Desi has just got ONE copy left, he desided to share with those who fortunately did not obtain a physical copy at huge expense of RM15 then with this Book by instalments. ENJOY! -- YL, Desi, knottyaSsusual

PS ON JULY 30, 2010:

I APOLOGISE TO ALL COMERS&GOERS that while the spirit is willing, the physical prevents. I COULD NOT -- even after 100attempts -- RECOPY THE REMAINING CHAPTERS FROM THE MASTER FILE of Midnight Voices, SO I HAVE TO LET MY ER DOWN> TIME/dime for a REPRINT eh!:) -- YL, Desi




Thursdae, 911am, July 22, 2010

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Midnight Voices and Other Poems
by Desiderata YL Chong

plus

Companion Essay
Poetry
as a Special Medium of Communication






CONTENTS



Acknowledgements
Preamble



Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 Obstacles to Writing in Prose
1.2 Poetry Opens Window into Poet’s Heart
1.3 Research and Design


Chapter 2
Literature Review

2.1 Poetry Is Pulse of Human Endeavours
2.2 What Is Poetry?
2.3 Pleasure from Poetry Game
2.4 Poetry Is Versatile and Vibrant
2.5 Fuzziness in Prose Writing





Chapter 1 Introduction

September 11, 2001, must surely rank as a landmark day in this relatively new millennium’s history – when the world was shaken to its core as helpless people watched “live” as well as through constant replays over television, two commercial aeroplanes allegedly commandeered by Muslim terrorists and used as “missiles” to crash into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York, USA. Suddenly, we realise that the world has become a “very dangerous” dwelling place indeed, and even the United States, the sole superpower in the world, is as vulnerable as its poorer cousins in the African and Asian continents who hardly have enough rations to feed their people, what more having money to spend on weapons of mass destruction! We all woke up that day to experience what I think was the “rudest awakening” that possibly transformed our lives forever in the most dramatic way, and evoked in us all the whole range of human responses, including grief, shock, rage, despair and bewilderment.

And how would human beings find a suitable channel, a meaningful outlet, for this spontaneous outpouring of grief and anguish, rage and bewilderment, shock and helplessness in the face of such great tragedy? This ruthless attack on humanity came “out of the blue” and certainly was beyond human imagination (initially some viewers thought the second airliner crashing into the WTC tower was an excerpt from the latest Hollywood blockbuster!), yet it was stark reality staring at us in our comfortable living room. This “creature” resembling a suicide bomber wrought by fellow human beings motivated by things beyond our ken and understanding to wreak carnage and havoc on human lives and dignity, so how do we begin to even comprehend and cope with a “new” world thrust upon us?

Poetry.com provided an instant outlet, as fellow members of the species called Homo sapiens responded with dedications to 911, as the day of infamy has become identified. The online poetry website, operated by the International Library of Poetry based in Washington, D.C., then chalking 3.1 million entries (and since then has jumped to 4.6 million), immediately set up a dedicated page for people to share their responses. Some 700 readers sent in poems daily in the initial weeks – varying from a few lines to longer ones of 20 to 40 lines – to pour out their feelings. Poetry writing becomes a channel for release, and this is definitely useful therapy at a time of tremendous sorrow and grief.

At the end of the first week, there were some 5,000 poems already posted on this dedicated website, to which this writer added one, titled Reflecting on Newton’s law of 16 lines. I am reproducing here the said poem to demonstrate the brevity and niche theme summarizing some key points flowing from 911, served adequately by just one quarter web-page, to be contrasted with the summary of a piece of prose writing that follows occasioned by the same 911 event.








Reflecting on Newton's law

To every action
There is an equal and opposite reaction
Goes one of Newtonian laws
governing physical forces and motion

Extrapolating on Newton's law to human affairs
In light of the tragedy of Sept 11 morn
I fear that human response to
such horrendous attacks on humankind
Usually brings forth an opposite but often,
more than an equal, reaction,
Inflicting more, and spiralling, violence and tragedy on innocent ones

Borrowing Dylanesque wisdom while we're
adrift in this wind of confusion and sorrow
"When will they ever learn?", I say,
Leave the wrath of the Maker
To visit upon the actors of such cowardly acts.




The premise of my poem was that in human affairs in inflicting violence, usually the reaction is often greater than a reaction to physical force, creating a spiralling chain of increasingly more violent events. I firmly believe there was no way the U.S. could avoid following up with retaliatory action, as some reaction must follow such an attack on humanity. It was only a question of how and in what form the “reaction” (retaliation) would be, and for how long, to justify the objectives once the enemy has been identified and the objectives have been spelt out. My final premise of the poem was that finally, an end must come, and only God – in whatever form we perceive Him to be - can exact the just retribution on the perpetrators of the terror attacks.

1.1 Obstacles to Writing in Prose
Coincidentally on September 17, a close friend of mine, J. Vong, who runs a business website called KLSEtracker.com, also wrote an article in prose, titled “Hope Amid the Carnage”, to mark what must be the rudest awakening ever in both our lifetime. He wrote that his was a “small voice pleading for reasoned thought and action amid the raging fires for revenge and retribution”.

Vong said the September 11 attacks on the financial edifices of the world and the center of the U.S. military power “mark yet again the frequent and unwanted blips in the long-march of peaceful civilization. ... However, reconciliation will ultimately have to succeed conflict … history teaches us that. Rebirth and regrowth must follow destruction … markets will boom after doom.”

He stated that it served no useful purpose from the perspective of human history for revenge and retribution. “Ultimately, building an international resolve to establish a system that can open more minds and hearts will undoubtedly, bring civilization to its next stage of evolution. Tearing down the walls of religious and racial bigotry is what makes for global leadership and this is the greatest chance for a global initiative by the United States.”

Can you imagine if some 5,000 people wanted to write in prose relating their 911 experience or reactions, how many could have achieved it? Just how much, and in how many different ways, can ordinary folks express their grief, anger and despair about the tragic event in prose? Very few indeed, I would submit, because it is only a small group who can write well in prose about such a subject generating very deep, personal feelings and raising global questions like war, terrorism and justice. For the record, Vong has been a regular columnist for a local newspaper for more than 15 years, hence he could produce such a lengthy piece, but I am also sure it would have taken him a lot of time, while comparatively, those poets who contributed to Poetry.com would have taken much shorter time. Usually, a poem would just focus on one theme or central idea, unlike an essay which would follow the format of Introduction, Body and Conclusion each consisting of at least one, if not several, lengthy paragraph.

Even if there was a will and capacity to entertain prose writings in a specialized outlet, could one imagine the space, time and human resources required to operate such a website, for “essays” would easily multiply ten- to twenty-fold the length of a poem, which runs merely 10 to 30 lines! So on occasions such as 911 when “instantaneous” action is required, what’s the solution? Yes, turning to poetry, that’s where a quick and ready platform to meet such an “emergency need” exists. Indeed, poetry’s a different world – this medium provides an easy channel for us to express our deep-felt emotions. Those who composed poems on 911, and readers worldwide who shared these works, would have reaped the benefit of “catharsis” so essential in the healing of wounds on the emotional and mental front.
Today, Poetry.com carries about 44,000 poems dedicated to 911, providing relief, consolation to people worldwide. Just a random listing of the titles –
Morning After Death, Sad Silence, In Memory, Inhumane, Sadness, World Trade Center, Where is God?, A Poem for America, Until the End of Time, Echo, 11th of September, and Nation of Survivors –
demonstrates the range of subjects they touched on, indicating the breadth and depth of the raw emotions that singular event evoked in different people. The contributors obviously benefited from releasing their innermost feelings, also fostering a common bond through sharing their poems, and bringing the world community closer together. Hopefully, this common bonding serves to unite the human race for a better tomorrow … and Poetry would have played a small, but meaningful, part in the process.

Therefore, it is seen that poetry on the heels of 911 had served, and continues to serve, as an outstanding medium of communication at a time of great tragedy and unfathomable distress, not just for Americans, but for all the world citizens. The world indeed becomes truly one and borderless under certain circumstances that hold momentous consequences for peoples of all nations as they mourn and commemorate the loss of some 2,800 lives.


1.2 Poetry Opens Window into Poet’s Heart
Poetry thus enables the writer or poet to communicate not just facts or knowledge to inform or persuade his/her audience, as would have been the objective of using prose to communicate. Poetic writing also shares the poet’s experience --writing from the heart -- so that the reader/receiver is touched emotionally, intellectually and perhaps, “affected” by the poem in a longer term than mere prose communication would have done. My personal experience is that speakers and writers in prose sometimes do not mean what they write/say. Simply defined, prose refers to writing that is not in verse. Prose writers through their “fuzzy” writing in some cases contradict themselves outright when a “discerning” listener/ reader is able to sieve through their verbosity and clutter! This especially applies to writings and speeches by politicians and public relations personnel, who can mask their ill intentions through linguistic gymnastics or bombasticity and that wonderful asset often the ownership of politicians worldwide, “double-speak”, and one cannot blame the readers if they feel a sense of letdown, or even betrayal, at the hypocrisy or insincerity of the writers or speakers. This point will be elaborated on later (see pages 92-96).

On the other hand, poetry normally would “expose” the writer’s innerself, and he is in a way “opening the window into his heart”. There is little room to hide one’s hypocrisy, and any lack of sincerity in poetic writing would easily be discernible through a proper reading, and the hypocrisy would be blatantly laid bare for all and sundry to see!

The works of past and present poets will be used to further demonstrate the power of the medium, and that only the medium of poetry – definitely, not prose writing -- can be effectively used in certain scenarios. Think of the worldwide outpouring of anguish, rage and bewilderment following the 911 incident cited earlier; no writing in prose can rise up to the task rendered by poetry in the breadth and depth in coverage.

And of course, in our daily lives, love constantly plays a part, big or small, so that the human race always has a compelling force to drive its existence. Borrowing from a popular saying, “Love makes the world go round”, we can safely say at any time of day, someone, somewhere, from this world’s population of some six billion, is thinking about love and how to express it to the recipient. Many would be contemplating writing a love letter in prose, but others would wish to put it in verse, for it carries the message better. Indeed, even in a love letter written in prose, it is highly likely the sender would have included a short poem expressing his/her love. The poem could be the writer’s own work, or “stolen” from some great poet’s creation. Indeed, this indefinable thing called “love” has inspired some great poems and still continues to motivate individuals in all walks of life to pen their heart felt emotions to their beloved in verse. And for tongue-tied young lovers who wish to pen his first love note to win a fair maiden’s (or a gallant lad’s?) heart, what is more effective than using a poem, even borrowing one from the works of poets like Elizabeth Barrett Browning, whose immortal lines starting How much do I love thee? Let me count the ways ... are often quoted. The poem will be discussed later. (See page 39) Indeed, in the month of June 2003, the Light & Easy radio programme was regularly playing an advertisement jingle promoting a food fest at a Kuala Lumpur hotel, leading off with: “How do I love my oysters? Let me count the ways ...” If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then Browning would be on cloud nine, smiling down approvingly down on twenty-first century connoisseurs enjoying food going down very well with wine, poetry or song (minus the women in this instance since oysters are reportedly more tantalising for some men!).

Different types of poems – happy and sad, serious and fun, instructive, those with a moral or without, or mere straight versifying just for pleasure – would be explored to show the range of uses that poetry can be put to good use in human communication. I would also be personal in many instances, falling back on my own works, to share with readers the benefit of my own life’s experience, for what is good writing (or bad!) if it is not circulated and discussed? Hence, this thesis is definitely a journey of self-discovery, and the writer seeks understanding from the audience, and he promises to be a willing and ready listener to all critiques.

In recent years, the Government, and many of the older generation, have lamented the quick deterioration in the standard of English, both spoken and written, and this has resulted in Malaysia’s erosion in marketability and position in international commerce, academia and diplomacy. It is hoped that this thesis could in a small way point to the beauty in learning poetry, and the need to foster a love for poetry from a young age.

1.3 Research and Design

The identification of the works of various poets, both past and present, has been an ongoing process, and there will be many references to published works, both well known and less read ones. Since the writer has always been a lover of poetry and also been involved in composing poems, although more attentively and focused over the past few years, the project also serves as an extension of a “hobby of passion” the author started on many years ago. I do not plan to use any “quantitative” methods (conducting questionnaires or surveys) as the project I am undertaking is a “personal journey” using mainly a literary, and narrative as well as descriptive approach. I must admit, therefore, the approach is very arbitrary and tailored to the “functional” objectives of my thesis in demonstrating that “Poetry is indeed a special medium of communication”.

I have used as a format in classifying poems under Love, War, Humour and Satire, Narrative, Life, Death and God, and Miscellany, which, of course, is again arbitrary, but serves as a convenient way to pursue a subject which can be approached in many computable ways. Some poems are long, and hence only certain portions are quoted, which in the writer’s opinion, demonstrate the key issue under discussion.


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Chapter 2 Literature Review

Nicholas Roe, who edited “William Wordsworth -- Selected Poetry1”, wrote that as a young man, Wordsworth (1770-1850) was “fired with enthusiasm” for the French Revolution. After graduating from Cambridge in 1791 he spent a year in France, but the latter course of the Revolution left him disillussioned with radical politics, and he devoted his time to literature.

Roe said that Wordsworth’s poems “affirm the strength of the human heart against the destructive effects of industrialization and the social dislocation forced by economic
changes.

“As Wordsworth knew, poems could not of themselves reconstruct a more equable commonwealth in Britain. But in the resilience of kindly relationships between human beings – the ‘strength of love’ expressed in ‘Michael’ – Wordsworth (like his friend Coleridge) recognized a possible basis for social melioration.

“It was Wordsworth’s friendship with Michel Beaupuy – a soldier in the patriot army, a man of action – that encouraged his allegiance to the republican cause. Yet it was the
sight of ordinary men and women transformed by zeal for humankind that convinced him the Revolution was a movement for universal good:

Even files of strangers merely, seen but once,
And for a moment, men from far with sound
Of music, martial tunes, and banners spread,
Entering the city, here and there a face,
Or person singled out among the rest,
Yet still a stranger and beloved as such;
Even by these passing spectacles my heart
Was oftentimes uplifted ...

“When the French Terror began in 1793, Wordsworth sought to disentangle his hopes for the Revolution from the violent course of events. The crucial figure at this period for Wordsworth (and others of his generation) was William Godwin, whose ‘Political Justice’ argued for the perfectibility of human beings through the exercise of reason...

“Yet ‘Political Justice’ was flawed, a partial account of human behaviour in that it denied the validity of emotional and instinctual life....” Roe wrote. (Roe, p. ix-xiii)

Many of the works of William Wordsworth, born in 1770 at Cockermouth, in the Lake District, centred on the beauty of nature, as reflected in his Daffodils -- “I wandered lonely as a cloud/ That floats on high vales and hills…” . And his huge body of works, including Lyrical Ballads, Descriptive Sketches, and The Prelude, earned him the poet laureate title seven years before his death in 1850.

2.1 Poetry is Pulse of Human Endeavours
American book editor Thadine Franciszkiewicz published a review entitled “Poetry: A Valuable Form of Communication” which was highlighted in the literary website, Suite101.com, on Sept 4, 2001 (Part 1) and Sept 17, 2001 (Part 2).

The writer said that poetry is a valuable form of communication because the medium enables humans to express their emotions and society continues to place cultural value upon it; furthermore, poetry has the quality of inviting moral and social inquiry.

“People engage in the pursuit of meaning and self-understanding, in relation to others and in relation to society. It is an ongoing challenge for people to effectively share experiences and gain knowledge as they utilize various forms of communication. Poetry is one vital communication form. It intertwines the emotional, intellectual and spiritual expressions people yearn to offer each other.

The reviewer also noted that as society technologically and educationally progressed, society’s cultural value of poetry paralleled these advancements. The oral expression of poetry gradually transcribed into the written verse. In the late Middle Ages, universities offered studies of verse.

“Poetry’s impact upon society is evidenced by ‘The Canterbury Tales’. Geoffrey Chaucer presented his poetic tale the various voices and roles during his time.”

The writer also cited the fiery impact poets had wielded on the community, quoting the voice of Anne Bradstreet, who challenged in her verses the strictly and plainly defined roles of men and women, quoting from her poem The Prologue.
I am obnoxious to each carping tongue
Who says my hand a needle better fit;
A Poet’s pen all scorn.
I should this wrong.
For such despite they cast on female wits;
If what I do prove well, it won’t advance,
They’ll say it’s stolen, or else it was by chance.

“One of Bradstreet’s contemporaries, John Milton paralleled her expression of needed changes within society as read in his poetry. Although from a different perspective, his poem ‘Paradise Lost’ had ramifying impact upon society, which is still evident today ...

“His (Milton’s) verse challenged readers to question their own actions, to ponder over the enforcement of established mores, and to wonder just who designed the fate of one’s life.

Franciszkiewicz noted that as society’s communication technology developed, such as printing presses, access to written poetry expanded. Thus, distribution of the written verse reached others beyond the community of the poet. “This gave opportunity for poetry to be exposed to a broader scope of people, widening the perimeters of emotional, intellectual and spiritual expressions.

“Poetry is the pulse of struggles, triumphs and defeats, which span the myriad of emotions common to all human beings. Poetry grasps at the very throat of the pursuit to meaning of life within the vapours of fog, smoke and verse.”

On what constituted poetry, Emily Dickinson was quoted by Franciszkiewicz, viz: “If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that it is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. This observation remains a guideline for future poems created and shared.

Franciszkiewicz further wrote: “Somewhere there exists a poem, which connects the reader’s heart to poet’s heart, reader’s soul to poet’s soul. Perhaps, a reader maintains the top of her head. Yet, she is so moved by the lines that even her own confusion fades. Poetry strives for emotional, intellectual and spiritual connections to the reader. These connections are reasons which give poetry value as a form of communication. (The stress is mine.)

So the defining features that distinguish poetry from prose are the emotional, spiritual bonds between poet and reader besides the intellectual, the latter being the common property of poetry and prose. I would equate the features to a poem being equipped with qualities that touch the heart (emotion), the soul (spirit) and the mind (intellect).

Franciszkiewicz also noted that currently, the advanced mode of communication technology of the Internet is able to carry the genre of poetry through time, historically and futuristically. He added: “The rate of the Internet’s communication development is vast and fast. In the serious literary chat rooms, poems are read and shared by poets worldwide in milliseconds. Varied discussions evolve where moral and social inquiry fathoms. Thus, poetry jettisons into the new millennium with global cultural value placed upon it, with continued impact upon worldwide society, with vast expressed human emotions and with a high quality invitation to universal moral and social inquiry.”

Thus, it is seen that poets through the centuries have had played a key role in societal development, as a recorder of important community events and changes, maybe even in a secondary role as an “agent of change” in as far as intellectual leadership and discourse would be able to promote and achieve, as demonstrated by Bradstreet and Milton. This power of reach across national boundaries continues to be available to the modern age poets who are fortunate to be endowed with technology tools such as the Internet which give the poet almost instantaneous access to a potentially worldwide audience. But their influence would be relatively limited compared with that wielded by politicians and government leaders, whether in democratic or authoritarian nations.
In “The Desiderata of Happiness”3, editor Robert L. Bell wrote that Max Ehrmann. is “surely one of the greatest spokesmen of the twentieth century”.

“Deeply concerned with social problems, he was a friend of Eugene Debs, the pioneer union founder in America, whose championing of the underdog struck a responsive chord in Ehrmann who deplored the exploitation of labour in his early twentieth century life. His poem America -- 1910 reflects this period, and Complacent Women, writtten in 1918, is as relevant today as it was then.” (Is there within your soul no pride of life/ No whispered music, and no star of hope/ That you have no desire for human rights?…) (See Appendix 2)

Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, and graduated from De Pauw University, and going on to postgraduate studies in law and philosophy at Harvard University, Ehrmann first practised law, and then joined the family business.

“At the age of 41, he (Ehrmann) left the company (the family meat-packing business) in order to devote his life to writing. Contemporaries told of him lying in the grass contemplating the sky – an early ‘flower child’,” wrote Bell.

And the central attraction in Ehrmann’s poetry is that he used very simple words, and yet the message makes a strong connection with the reader, touching the heart, the soul, and exercises the mind, as exemplified by the following:

Love Some One
Love some one – in God’s name
love some one – for this is
the bread of the inner life, without
which a part of you will
starve and die; and though you
feel you must be stern,
even hard, in your life of affairs,
make for yourself at least
a little corner, somewhere in the
great world, where you may
unbosom and be kind.

Indeed, Ehrmann was the driving force for my growing love for poetry since teenage years. He was able to draw me into his soul in such an immediate and deep manner, that the impact was ever-lasting, especially on an idealistic young mind. His works examined the human condition and contemporary issues some of which are still relevant today. Ehrmann demonstrated the power of communication via poetry so well that on mere first reading of Desiderata in a Reader’s Digest article, I was besotted and moved to seek further reading of his works.

Hence, it is seen that poets like Bradstreet, Milton, Wordsworth, and Ehrmann were not removed from the political events of the day; they were affected deeply and some were actively engaged in contemporary politics via their writings, which must have wielded influence at the times of their lives. The role of a poet as a “conscience of society” can still be played by those engaged in active civil and social life accompanied by their writing, as one stirring poem read by an individual can itself become a powerful medium of influence, even an instrument for change (or the word of greater currency, reformation) starting with that individual self. Leading British philosopher John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) wrote: “I needed to be made to feel that there was real, permanent happiness in tranquil contemplation. Wordsworth taught me this, not only without turning away from, but with a greatly increased interest in, the common feelings and common destiny of human beings.”

2.2 What is Poetry?
So at this juncture, the question is asked: what is poetry?
“Poetry is as universal as language and almost as ancient. The most primitive peoples have used it, and the most civilized have cultivated it... ,” Thomas R. Arp (1997) wrote in Perrine’s “Sound and Sense”.4

“Why? First, because it has given pleasure. People have read it, listened to it, or recited it because they liked it – because it gave them enjoyment. But this is not the whole answer. Poetry in all ages has been regarded as important, not simply as one of several alternative forms of amusement, as one person might choose bowling, another chess, and another poetry... Rather, it has been regarded as something central to existence, something having unique value to the fully realized life, something that we are better off for having and without which we are spiritually impoverished...

“Initially, poetry might be defined as a kind of language that says more and says it more intensely than does ordinary language... Perhaps the commonest use of language is to communicate information... But it is not primarily to communicate that novels, short stories, plays, and poems are written. These exist to bring us a sense and a perception of life, to widen and sharpen our contacts with existence. Their concern is with experience. We all have an inner need to live more deeply and fully and with greater awareness, to know the experience of others, and to understand our own experience better. (Emphasis by Arp p.3-4)

This substantial extract from “Sound and Sense” would lay the foundation for our understanding of what “poetry is about”, which underlines largely the “definition” of poetry for this thesis. The thesis does not propose to delve into the “anatomical analysis” or “ingredients” that make up a particular piece of writing to qualify as a poem. It adopts a general approach in accepting as poetry that which had been “aptly” described by Dickinson, in that when we read a particular piece of writing , we “know it is poetry” because of the effects it has on us. Something is poetic when the verses lift us to a higher plane of human experience, giving us joy and giving us a richer insight into the human condition that strikes a chord in the reader.

Of course, the reader of any poem must have acquired a certain level of competency in the language of the poem; otherwise, he may not be able to fully appreciate and enjoy the poem. For the more serious student of poetry, it is essential that his language proficiency has to be at an advanced level, especially if the language used is also subjected to various interpretations and calls on the reader to be informed of the poet’s background and period of his works to fully enjoy the poems. However, for poetry to serve the function as a communication medium, it suffices that generally, poems delight us with their sound (song) as well as enriching us with the sense in the words used, for every word used has been deliberately selected for its special meaning and property.

Here it is relevant to reproduce Alexander Pope’s observation as quoted in “Sound and Sense”, from the writer’s “An Essay on Criticism”:

True ease in writing comes from art, not chance,
As those move easiest who have learned to dance.
‘Tis not enough no harshness gives offense,
The sound must seem an echo to the sense.

Arp stated that poets, from their own store of felt, observed, or imagined experiences, would select, combine, and reorganise to create significant new experiences for the readers. By their participation, readers may gain a greater awareness and understanding of their world. “Literature, in other words, can be used as a gear for stepping up the intensity and increasing the range of our experience and as a glass for clarifying it. This is the literary use of language, for literature is not only an aid to living but a means of living.” (Arp p.4)

In an appendixed footnote quoted from Encyclopedia Americana IX (1955) 473-74, it was stated: “A third use of language is as an instrument of persuasion. This is the use we find in advertisements, propaganda bulletins, sermons, and political speeches. These three uses of language – the practical, the literary, and the hortatory – are not sharply divided.... But language becomes literature when the desire to communicate experience predominates.”

Arp continued: “Literature, then, exists to communicate significant experience – significant because concentrated and organised. Its function is not to tell us about experience but to allow us imaginatively to participate in it. It is a means of allowing us, through the imagination, to live more fully, more deeply, more richly, and with greater awareness. It can do this in two ways: by broadening our experience – that is, by making us acquainted with a range of experience with which, in the ordinary course of events, we might have not contact – or by deepening our experience – that is, by making us feel more poignantly and more understandingly the everyday experiences all of us have. It enlarges our perspectives and breaks down some of the limits we may feel.” (Emphasis by Arp p.5)

Hence, Arp has stressed the need of readers to take part in “experiencing” the poetry shared by the poet, or there is no “connection”. Only when there is participation, there is “connection” established between poet and reader which would result in an enjoyment by the reader or listener of recited poetry. To me, this is equivalent to “reaching to the heart, soul and mind” of the reader by the poet via his/her verses based on the latter’s experience which is shared through the written word; this represents the “bonding in communication” which does not normally happen in a piece of prose writing.


2.3 Pleasure from Poetry Game
Robert Scholes, Nancy R. Comley, Carl H. Klaus and Michael Silverman, who edited
“Elements of Literature: Essay, Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Film”5, wrote:
“If you ask a poet, ‘What good is it! I mean, what earthly good is it?’ you may get an answer like Marianne Moore’s ‘I, too, dislike it,’ or W. H. Auden’s ‘Poetry makes nothing happen.’ The modern poet is not likely to make grandiose claims for his craft. And we shall try not to betray that honest and tough-minded attitude.”

They described Poetry as essentially a “game, with artificial rules, and that it takes two – a writer and a reader – to play it. If a reader is reluctant, the game will not work.”

“Physical games have their practical aspects. They help make sound bodies to go with the sound minds so much admired by philosophers of education. A language game like
poetry also has uses, but they are by-products rather than its proper ends. Poetry exercises a valuable though perhaps ‘unsound’ side of the mind: imagination.

The writers stressed that a game can require great exertion, but it must “reward that exertion with pleasure or there is no playing it.” (Emphasis by Scholes, Comley, Klau & Silverman p.525)

So readers of poetry, or listeners of poems read aloud by someone else, will derive pleasure, of varying degrees, from the activity, carried out alone or shared with others. Indeed, as children, we have learnt to sing nursery rhymes: like Jack and Jill went up the hill/ To fetch a pail of water/ Jack fell down and broke his crown/ And Jill came tumbling down after; and in our teenage years, easily learnt to hum along, if not sing, when a Beatles number, Let It Be (And when the broken hearted people/ Living in the world agree/ There will be an answer, let it be...), or John Lennon’s Imagine (Imagine there’s no heaven it’s easy if you try/ No hell below us, above us only sky...) came on air; or with Peter, Paul and Mary mesmerising us with their ballad, Blowin’ in the Wind, so relevant even today, with perhaps adapted lyrics like “bombs and missiles” (referring to the US-led war on Iraq early this year and replacing “cannon balls” in the lyrics ...(Yes, ‘n’ how many times must the cannon balls fly/ Before they’re forever banned?/ The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind/ The answer is blowin’ in the wind...). It is going back to the ‘60s, when for most of us, the luxury was the radio broadcast, and colour, or even black and white, television was still the privilege of the well-to-do. I and others of my generation, and I am sure many others that follow through the decades, derived, and continue to do so, tremendous pleasure, also improving one’s English too, from the activity of just passively listening to, or joining in singing, the songs. The younger generation get luckier in that on top of the sound, they get visuals too, as colour television became a common household item, then followed by video compact disc (VCD), and now digital video compact disc (DVD), giving even more intense (and greater too?) pleasure from playing the sound and visual game!

On the “Qualities of Poetry”, the editors continued: “Part of the pleasure of poetry lies in its relation to music. It awakens in us a fundamental response to rhythmic repetitions of various kinds... But poetry is not just a kind of music. It is a special combination of musical and linguistic qualities – of sounds regarded as pure sound and as meaningful speech. In particular, poetry is expressive language ...

“Poetry, then, is a kind of musical word game that we value because of its expressive qualities. Not all poems are equally musical, or equally playful, or equally expressive ... But we may consider these three qualities as the basic constituents of poetry so that we may examine some of the various ways in which poets combine and modify them in making different kinds of poems ...” (Scholes, Comley, Klaus & Silverman p.526)

Hence, the medium of poems has to rely a lot on rhythm and sound, often but not necessarily, through rhyme, as modern verse has developed along non-rhyming patterns. Poems, when augmented by music, can command large audiences, especially with the young. Children and youth, with less inhibitions and lots of idealistic energies, often sing and dance to express their feelings, especially of freedom and adventure. Indeed, in the ‘60s and ‘70s with the “flower children”, thousands and thousands would flock to rock concerts throughout the US and Britain, and several European countries, as these concerts became a rallying point for anti-war protesters rebelling against the US government’s decades-long involvement in the Vietnam war. Some of the most reflective and thought provoking compositions came from that era, including from luminaries like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Carole King and James Taylor. However, it is not always that any song, especially pop, would qualify as poem, but the test of time and universal acceptance that a particular song’s lyrics are also poetic would suffice here. A good case is Stephen Foster’s Beautiful Dreamer, which is discussed later. (See page 42)


2.4 Poetry is Versatile and Vibrant
The human race can easily appreciate beauty in those aspects of life which bring joy and happiness – birth of a baby, attainment of success, celebration of a person’s landmark passage such as birthday, wedding and any other anniversary marking a celebration. But the question arises – how then does a reader derive pleasure from poems that inherently deal with tragedy, grief and despair, touching on war, death and destruction? Surely all these are occasions for sorrow and grief, not reasons to celebrate and rejoice!

Arp in “Sound and Sense” further wrote: “Poetry takes all life as its province. Its primary concern is not with beauty, not with philosophical truth, not with persuasion, but with experience. Beauty and philosophical truth are aspects of experience, and the poet is often engaged with them. But poetry as a whole is concerned with all kinds of experience – beautiful or ugly, strange or common, noble or ignoble, actual or imaginary. One of the paradoxes of human experience is that all experience – even painful experience – can be enjoyable when transmitted through the medium of art. In real life, death and pain and suffering are not pleasurable, but in poetry they may be.”

Arp added: “Poetry, finally, is a kind of multidimensional language. Ordinary language -- the kind that we use to communicate information – is one-dimensional. It is directed at only part of the listener, the understanding. Its one dimension is intellectual. Poetry, which is language to communicate experience, has at least four dimensions. If it is to communicate experience, it must be directed at the whole person, not just at your understanding. It must involve not only your intelligence but also your senses, emotions, and imagination. To the intellectual dimension, poetry adds a sensuous dimension, an emotional dimension, and an imaginative dimension. (Arp p.8-10)

Generally then, it is noted that it is difficult to define “poetry” adequately and comprehensively, as “there are so many kinds of poetry that almost any statement about one kind is untrue of another kind”, according to Elizabeth White, Joan Wofford, and Edward J.Gordon in “Understanding Literature” 6.

“Perhaps the one thing that good poetry cannot be is inaccurate A good poet must say exactly what he means; he must use words precisely – being aware not only of their dictionary meanings, but also of their associations and overtones. (Emphasis by White, Wofford & Gordon p.529)

“A poet wants to use words that suggest emotions, attitudes, values. Everyone uses such words, but rarely with the accuracy or originality of the poet.”

Cited as an example was the unusual line from a poem by a modern American writer, E. E. Cummings: “a salesman is an it that stinks to please.” Prose that stated the same ideas would have to be something like this (p.530): “I dislike salesmen. They seem like objects rather than human beings. There is something about the nature of their occupation – the necessity for pleasing others regardless of their true feelings – that seems corrupt and is unpleasant.”

This is a good demonstration of the “economy” of words in composing a poem; yet, the essence of the human situation is so well captured by the poet that even today, as we read about the salesman, whether in old times or in the 21st century, most would nod their heads in swift recognition of the subject! Some “characters” in real life are unmistakeably unchanging through the passage of time! Cummings’ observation of a salesman’s trait shows the power of a few, well chosen words at the hand of a wordsmith who has a “deep insight” into the human character. It shows the lasting impression created when the medium of poetry is used by one blessed with a well-honed craft!

The authors further stated that poetry often uses words with double meanings or words that suggest emotions, attitudes, and ideas beyond their actual definitions. “Because of this, more words than those used in a particular poem are usually necessary to express its meaning in prose. Maybe this is why many people find poetry difficult: it generally says so much more in a few words than is customary in other writing or in conversation.”

They also observed that “poets are more concerned with the sound of words than are other writers. Poets have no set rules about sound to follow, but a good poet tries to make the sound of a poem suit the sense of the poem. This is where rhythm and rhyme come in – and a great many other devices concerned with sound. The following line by (Lord Alfred) Tennyson is an example of words chosen for their sounds: “ ... while warm airs lull us, blowing lowly.” Notice the many l’s and w’s, the rhyme of blow and low, the similarity of lull and lowly. The effect is musical, which suits the meaning of the line.”

Often, metaphors, including simile and personification (see Glossary), are used by poets. Indeed, Robert Frost, once stated: “There are many other things I have found myself saying about poetry, but the chiefest of these is that it is metaphor, saying one thing and meaning another, saying one thing in terms of another.”

Why does a poet use metaphor? “The answer is simply that in using a good metaphor the poet does say what he means, and says it more quickly, more accurately, and more strikingly than if he tried to avoid metaphor.” (White, Wofford & Gordon p.556) As an illustration, The Wayfarer by Stephen Crane was quoted:
The wayfarer,
Perceiving the pathway to truth,
Was struck with astonishment.
It was thickly grown with weeds.
“Ha,” he said,
“I see that none has passed here
In a long time.”
Later he saw that each weed
Was a singular knife.
“Well,” he mumbled at last,
“Doubtless there are other roads.”

The seeker of truth is compared with a traveller (wayfarer), and the weeds likened to knives that can hurt, just as truth. Hence, it is seen that poetry is a very special medium of communication in that it aspires to convey more than just information, it raises the intensity of the experience by applying linguistic usage, including figure of speech, that goes beyond the ordinary meaning. Poetry goes beyond playing the main function of conveying information that is delivered by prose, although it is acknowledged that the latter still is dominant in our everyday communication, However, often prose is still not sufficient and adequate when circumstances call for sharing the human experience involving one’s senses, emotions and imagination, not just intellectual understanding.

Quite often then, when delivering speeches in prose, experienced orators will incorporate a poem or two to highlight the core issues. or summarise their main points, as exemplified by none other than Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at the UMNO 54th General Assembly in June, 2003, which will be discussed later. (See pages 87-90) When properly used, a poem can enhance the reception, and retention, of the communicator’s ideas in a speech which can be very lengthy (in the stated case of Dr. Mahathir, running into well over two hours!) and lengthy prose tends to escape the audience’s attention or memory retention, while punchy verses arrest one’s attention and often, stay in the listener’s memory for a while or longer.

2.5 Fuzziness in Prose Writing
While speakers like Dr. Mahathir can arrest people’s attention with long speeches, there are, however, some prose writers who are often guilty of “fuzzy” writing, whether deliberate or unintentional. And it is not just among Malaysians. William Zinsser, in an essay titled “Simplicity” in “The Short Prose Reader” 6, compiled by Gilbert H. Muller and Harvey S. Wiener, (p.22-26) stated that “Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular construction, pompous frill and meaningless jargon.”

Zinsser asked: “Who knows what the average businessman is trying to say in the average business letter? What member of an insurance or medical plan can decipher the brochure that tells him what his costs and benefits are? What father or mother can put together a child’s toy – on Christmas Eve or any other eve – from the instructions on the box?”

He added that the national tendency was “to inflate and thereby sound important”.

All these views sound familiar, 12 years ago in America or now – just as true in Malaysia twelve years ago and at present. Things don’t vary much from country to country through the decades – people indulge in “fuzzy” prose to obscure and mislead, unwittingly or with ill intent, to deceive, or profiteer, or put the reader at a disadvantage.

Indeed, all of us adults at one time or another would have dealt with documents drafted by lawyers or insurance specialists, and half the time, the “real substance” would have been buried in mountainous jargon and verbosity!


In his message to writers to “simplify, simplify”, Zinsser noted of (Henry David) Thoreau, famed for his philosophical On Walden Pond.

“Open Walden to any page and you will find a man saying in a plain and orderly way what is on his mind:
‘I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers. A man thinking or working is always alone, let him be where he will. Solitude is not measured by the miles of space that intervene between a man and his fellows. The really diligent student in one of the crowded hives of Cambridge College is as solitary as a dervish in the desert.’

I would go as far to describe this extract from Walden as poetry prose (see Glossary); of course, there are other gifted prose writers whose works also tend towards poetic excellence, but few among ordinary folks could ever hope to come anywhere near! I’m also not saying that ordinary people can easily write poetry; no, no, no! What is submitted here is that poetry can be used as a medium to enhance communication, and there is enjoyment, deeper understanding and upliftment of the human spirit when this medium is properly used by the transmitter.

Finally, the following poem on the same subject of “solitude” is compared with Walden’s poetry prose, and the similar thoughts are discerned but written in two different mediums, yet achieving the “exalted” status of elegant salute to a state of mind.

Solitude

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
For the sad old earth must borrow it's mirth,
But has trouble enough of it's own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air.
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go.
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all.
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life's gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox



Should anyone try to paraphrase (see Glossary) Wilcox’s work, the resulting prose would be definitely found wanting. There’s just that much another person could do to send across the message of “solitude” in an essay form.


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