Should Poetry have an agenda?

1. 62

   northweststarrposted 13 years ago

   Should Poetry have an agenda?
   
   I believe poetry should never have an agenda, but a lot of people write political/pointed poetry in their hubs and people seem to have no problems with it?  Am I wrong to disagree with this practice?

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2. 40

   DeathStrokeposted 13 years ago

   poetry never has a agenda. With my poetry I write when inspired

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3. 60

   flightofdestinyposted 13 years ago

   True poetry is written as self-expression. Therefore, I don't believe that poetry should have an agenda. If it is not written from the heart of the author to the soul of the reader, I don't believe that it is accomplishing the inherent goals of poetry. That is, the goals of invoking feeling or passion in the reader.

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4. 68

   Max Havlickposted 13 years ago

   Dear Northwest Starr,
   inquiring from afar,
   how generous you are
   to tip toward us your jar
   of seasoned questions far
   beyond the normal bar
   and make us wonder why,
   in genres that we try,
   we write the things we do
   for many or for few,
   what should go in the stew
   and still be something new.
   
   It isn't wrong for you to disagree
   with other writing practices you see
   in other people who themselves are free
   to form their individuality
   and thus work out for their own poetry
   what they might think it should or shouldn't be.
   
   My own experience does not support
   much confidence in my ability
   to redirect a firm philosophy
   of poetry or work of any sort.
   So I would rather ask for quality,
   which one can learn, and not myself purport
   to second-guess the goals that others see.
   
   Some observations are recorded in
   my recent hubs, "Poems are Different,"
   and "You Have My Permission to Write."
   
   I thank you, by the way, that you are you.
   
   Max Havlick

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5. 68

   truthfornowposted 13 years ago

   there is a point, reason, inspiration and feeling beyond poetry which means there is a purpose ~ is that the same as an agenda?

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6. 75

   LVidoni5posted 13 years ago

   Putting restrictions on poetry is like telling someone how to express themselves... Agenda or not, no one should feel constrained from writing what they believe. If I want to pose a postion and create a point of view, fearing people may think I have an agenda can damper my creative process. This shouldn't be. So Yes, Poetry embraces all sorts of styles and even agendas... Poetry is freedom.

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7. 60

   chiquitabiddleposted 13 years ago

   It depends, really it's up to the writer. If the writer think there should be an agenda concerning his work than there can be an agenda, if not, he doesn't have to have an agenda.

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8. 60

   MichaelStonehillposted 13 years ago

   The word agenda usually relates to political or business-like connotations which seem to be far away from real poetry. Satyrical poetry criticizes the political or social situation, and it is generally considered to be a lower form of poetry. However, poetry which only concerns itself with self-expression or beauty is a flat form of poetry. Good poetry shoule have a moral content  based on a general attitude to improve the condition of all humanity.

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9. 61

   Ms.Sallyposted 13 years ago

   Poetry should have a purpose. It should convey something to the reader. Poetry without purpose will not affect the reader and thus is generally uninteresting. The quality of a poem is almost always better when the author has a purpose in mind. The purpose may be to convey a beautiful experience or a devastating experience, it may be to inspire hope, or it may be to recollect an event. When reading a poem the reader should be able to understand what the poem is about, even if he or she does not understand every aspect of the poem.
   
   Keeping all of this in mind, a purpose is not necessarily the same as a political agenda. There is nothing inherently wrong with poetry that conveys a political agenda but, many political poems fail to evoke an emotional and sensory understanding in the reader. When authors are overly concerned with a political agenda their writing often, although not always, suffers. The tone of political poetry easily turns preachy so that the author is no longer sharing an experience with the reader but is instead lecturing the reader.
   
   Not everyone likes all types of poetry and not everyone likes all content matter. We are all entitled to our own opinions and when dealing with creative mediums they are often just that – opinions. We can justify our opinions by generally agreed upon guidelines for quality and our own understanding of purpose but ultimately different people appreciate different things. There is no right or wrong way to use poetry, just as there is no right or wrong way to feel about poetry.

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10. 72

    robincoeposted 13 years ago

    Being that reality is based on our senses.
    And that we can never know for sure whether our own truth is true beyond our own perspective.
    
    I wonder how you can construct a sentence without having an 'agenda'.

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