Lecture on Poetry and its Characteristics

Introduction

• Muhammad Ali gave a famous two-word poem "Me, we" at Harvard in 1975.
• Raises the question: What makes a poem a poem?

Characteristics of Poetry

1. Musical Qualities:
   • Emphasis on rhyme, rhythm, and meter.
   • Examples: Shakespeare's sonnets, Confucius' odes, Sanskrit Vedas.
2. Condensed Language:
   • Literature with "all the water wrung out".
3. Intense Feelings:
   • Examples: Rumi's spiritual poetry, Pablo Neruda's "Ode to an Onion".

The Challenge of Defining Poetry

• Poetry challenges simple definitions.
• Early rhythmic patterns were mnemonic tools.
• Not limited to lyrical form:
  • Reiner Dohl's "Opfel" and Jürgen Gommringer's "Silencio".
  • E.E. Cummings' shaped poems, like a leaf's loneliness.

Poetry and Music

• Debate on whether songs are poems.
• Songwriters like Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, and Tupac Shakur blur lines.
• Rap integrates poetic elements inseparably.
• Example lyric by Notorious B.I.G.

Structure of Poetry

• Line breaks are common but not obligatory.
• Prose Poems:
  • Use vivid images and word play without traditional line breaks.

Poetry Beyond Traditional Forms

• Poetry as a concept:
  • Spiritual hymns, speeches by MLK, JFK, Winston Churchill.
  • Social media, e.g., Joanna Smith's tweet during Haiti earthquake.
• Comparison to Haiku's use of brief intensity.

Evolution and Creation in Poetry

• Poetry blurred with prose, song, visual art.
• Originates from Greek "poiesis" meaning "to create".
• Poets as craftsmen forging new understandings.

Artificial Intelligence and Poetry

• Dartmouth research tested robots writing poetry.
• Judges identified machine-written sonnets 100% of the time.

Conclusion

• Despite technological advances, poetry remains a uniquely human art form.