Poetic competence

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   breathingposted 12 years ago

   Do you think only living in rural and rustic places makes poets
   more competent than those living in urban?

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      MichaelStonehillposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It depends. Rural places may help to arise a better sense of simplicity and harmony. However, without a proper education and a good knowledge of language, it is not enough. However, in my opinion, most modern poetry can hardly be called poetry, and one of the reasons is that the urban modern way of living is usually machinery, artificial and rather noisy. I suggest you to read the Prelude (1805 version) by William Wordthsworth who elaborated on your question more than any other poet.

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   RedElfposted 12 years ago

   No. Location has nothing to do with either competence or poetic vision.

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      breathingposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I mentioned poetic competence not any other competence that is indifferent to place senses. All creative famous writers(poets or any other) existing in the world since the introductory period of literary writing have proved that nature and isolation can only give the real atmosphere of creating literature that includes poetry. How can city or urban life provide that kind of silence, natural isolation and calmness?

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   2uesdayposted 12 years ago

   I think poetry can be inspired by both a feeling of inner calm or feelings of inner turmoil as well as inspiration from a location.  The important factor is the way these emotions are used in the making and creating of art and poetry.
   
   Both the ancient and modern poets can harness these different emotions and fashion them into poems that others can relate too.
   
   To me poetry is at its best when in words someone conveys to another person a 'picture' or an emotion that sparks a feeling of recognition.
   
   So, in answer to your question a quiet rural location can inspire but so can other landscapes. Also you can have a person with inner calm living in a city and likewise a person with inner torment living in a rural setting.
   
   Thomas Hardy was a poet as well as a writer, in the story of Tess of the D'Urbervilles he seems to be describing a tranquil rural landscape but what befalls young Tess is the almost opposite.

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   calpol25posted 12 years ago

   No I believe a true poet can find inspiration any where, it does not matter about location...

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   kittythedreamerposted 12 years ago

   Not necessarily, but I could see how the countryside could bring about more inspiration and a sense of calm and peace as compared to a busy city life.

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   ahorsebackposted 12 years ago

   I think that a poet can be born, raised and write from anywhere , I don't know how you could think a city boy can't write poetry. The city on a sunday morning , The glow of streetlights in the snow, the mists along the river as the morning begins , in the park watching the children play and the din of childhood chatter near a school. The answer is NO.The competence of the writer or poet is a gift that can be realized from anywhere. As well as the incentive for song, peace and tranquility comes from within as does turmoil and drama .!

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   R.S. Hutchinsonposted 12 years ago

   No. Love or lack of love is what makes a poet.

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   Adekayero Tutuolaposted 12 years ago

   well, location matters very well and i saw someone post love or lack of love issue.The emotions of love or loneliness matters too. I'm a poet and i know what i'm saying. In most cases, poets in the rural kind of thrive in poetic eloquence than the one living in the urban because of the scenery, beauty of nature and the atmosphere that do help the muse of we poets.To be sincere,whenever i arrive in school,i feel nature because the university where i study is not in the city where nature really thrive and it just seems to me like a 18th century times because hardly do we have electricity in our private residence. So, the moonlight is our source of light in the night in accordance with the stars which the beauty in nature makes us to see.But whenever i'm at home in the city.maybe on holiday or visit, to write a poem becomes hard for me.It seems as if my poetic inflow is locked.Guess this is it though.Why not?When you see smoky, noisy and boring environment where you can't see birds whistling,squirrels playing and so on;it really sucks but location do matters.

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   ahorsebackposted 12 years ago

   How can it make a difference , if the soul is poetic and the desire to write is strong it can't matter where you live or get inspired!

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    Jonathan Jancoposted 12 years ago

    I have known quite a few urban poets so I dont agree with that at all. Some people love to write about nature, this is true. But people are also part of nature and in big cities you will find many, many people acting very candidly (i.e., according to their nature). I have heard some excellent poetry readings in NYC, Bridgeport, CT, Scranton, PA, and others densely populated cities. Like ahorseback said, I think a great poet can be born and live anywhere, and what makes a poet competent is his/her passion, conviction and ability to feel his/her own work and its validity.

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    Poetic Foolposted 12 years ago

    I don't think it makes a difference when it comes to the "poetic competence" issue.  What makes for good poetry is such a matter of taste and opinion that I would challenge anyone to come up with a standard definition of "poetic competence".  It makes a world of difference in the perspective and experience from which every poets draws, of course.

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    ubanichijiokeposted 12 years ago

    A true poet makes something out of nothing. He takes advantage of his environment whether rural or urban. I stand to be corrected.
    Thandi

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    Hunbbel Meerposted 12 years ago

    I agree with ubani. There is no hard n fast rule for a poet to be competent, he must belong to either area. A true poet can come out of nowhere, he uses his environment, creativity, imagination and expression to his full potential and with utmost supremacy.

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    Mark Ewbieposted 12 years ago

    It doesn't matter. I live in a high rise tenement with a nagging wife, four screaming kids and an incontinent relative.  We have a rock band in the room above and drug dealers next door (always busy).
    
    Here's my answer to you in poetry.
    
    Tenement Poetry
    
    You ask me
    if you have to live in the country
    to do some poetry.
    I say no.
    
    I hope that settles the argument once and for all.

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    WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

    I wrote poetry in Esperanto a while back and won some major prizes for it (well major to the Esperanto community = big fish in small pond ). Two of my most successful poems were about the London Tube and "midnight in the metropolis", respectively.
    
    Oh, and I stopped writing poetry when my life became more "calm and peaceful". My poetry was born out of various states of turmoil.

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    TexasBobbyposted 12 years ago

    I feel location isn't very important at all. I love to read and write poetry, but if i need to be in a specific place to write, i.e. city or country, I just close my eyes and my imagination will take me there. Hmm... What are my requirements then... My gut, my heart, and a place to copy my thoughts.

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