Reflection On Esther Buffler Fellowship

Most poems, new and old, almost always have an important message to teach to all those who take the time to read it. Authors use poetic devices to get their message across in creative, yet effective ways. For example, Mary Oliver carefully uses several poetic devices to teach her own personal message to her readers. Oliver’s use of the poem’s organization, diction, figurative language, and title aids in conveying the message of how small, yet vital oxygen is to all living and nonliving things in her poem, “Oxygen.”

A poet hopes that people would appreciate their poem in a way that it is not mistreating the work’s value. In the poem “Introduction to poetry” Billy Collins describes his desires on how students should connect with poems. Collins states that students try to force out meanings out of poems instead of diving in to understand its true nature. The author creates a sensitive yet aggressive tone to convey two ways of poetry appreciation through his use of diction, personification and metaphor.

My English Literature major has helped me to achieve an outstanding level of appreciation, enjoyment, and knowledge of both American and British Literature. As a high school AP English student, I struggled through great works like Hamlet and To the Lighthouse. My teacher’s daily lectures (there was no such thing as class discussion) taught me merely to interpret the works as critics had in the past. I did not enjoy the reading or writing process. As a freshman at Loras, I was enrolled in the Critical Writing: Poetry class. For the first time since grade school, my writing ability was praised and the sharing of my ideas was encouraged by an enthusiastic and nurturing professor. Despite the difficulty of poetry, I enjoyed reading it.

Assistant Professor of English. A.B. Salem College; A.M. Washington University. Ms. Britt teaches literature and writing courses. Her poems have appeared in literary magazines such as Denver Quarterly, Lake Superior Review, Greensboro

So we ask ourselves, how does poetry gain its power? To answer this question, we examine the work of poets Harwood and Plath. ‘The Glass Jar’, composed by Gwen Harwood portrays its message through the emotions of a young child, while the poem ‘Ariel’, written by Sylvia Plath, makes effective use of emotions to convey artistic creativity and inspiration.

The position of US Poet Laureate is an exceptionally prestigious and challenging position to achieve, as any aspiring poet within the country is eligible. To quote the Library of Congress, the poet laureate “serves as the official lightning rod for the poetic impulse of Americans” (“About the Position”), which means that their duty is to increase the widespread national appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry, specifically those imbued with American themes. These duties as laureate are perfectly suited for Yusef Komunyakaa, who embodies all of the necessary qualities. Through jazz-infused poetry and personal experiences, Komunyakaa truly captures within his poetry what it means to be an American, and he continues to leave an impact on the world of literature both

Parini, Jay, ed. The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature. Vol. 1. New York: Oxford UP, 2004. Print.

On monday night, poets Michael Waters and Mihaela Moscaliuc read their poems at the visiting writers series. It was the first time I have heard live poetry and it was a different, as well as challenging, experience. As I am used to analyzing and tearing apart poems on paper, it posed an obstacle as I had to merely sit and listen. The sound aspect of poetry was emphasized. I could not sit down and reread the poem, and make connections, I had to experience the poem as a moment.

On September 25th, I had the opportunity to attend Notre Dame of Maryland’s third annual 4 under 40. Emily Mitchell read from her novel and Angela Pelster-Wiebe read bits from her book “Limber”. Dominique Christina and Denice Frohman, otherwise known as Sister Outsider Poetry, each read their poems. Though I found the whole event to be inspirational and positively overwhelming, I believe Sister Outsider Poetry inspired me the most.

In Lori Janis’s electronic poem “dear e.e.” designed by Ingrid Ankerson, the speaker hazily recalls and attempts to understand a dream of an intruder rearranging his apartment. Incorporating visual aspects with the poem’s text heightens the reader’s ability to understand the speaker’s point of view. The visual accessories are essential for the reader to experience the speaker’s haziness and confusion.

I was first introduced to Vassar by an exemplary woman whom I’ve grown to cherish and admire: Elizabeth Bishop. Looking back on the day I was randomly assigned Bishop for an extensive poetry project in my AP Literature and Composition class, I couldn’t have anticipated the impact her story would have on my life. Not only was I enticed by her profound and eloquent poetry, but also her life as a whole -- the trials she faces and the milestones she reached as a prominent

My poems "Among Men," "Letters from Paul," and “The Way It Was,” were nominated for the Pushcart Prize. I received an Excellence in Literature award from MiraCosta College 2005 and won the Hackney Award in

The literature circle leader did a great job engaging students in the discussion about the book, Love That Dog; all students read the book prior to class. The first activity really encouraged a lot about what poetry contains and how children view writing and/or reading poetry. Additionally, the first activity stimulated discussion about all the poems written by Jack throughout the story and how they made the audience feel as he progressed throughout the book. Finally, the second activity was a lot of fun. I am not very good at poetry, and the literature circle leader allowed students to write poetry, but chose a type of poem that encouraged creativity without pressuring students to know a lot about poetry make-up.

The poem activity we did in front of Joan Mitchell’s Sunflower was really engaging. Without knowing who the artist is and what the painting is about, we worked in pairs and came up with 10 words describing the piece. My and my partner wrote on post-it notes words like “disorder,” “floating,” “rainy rainbow,” and “candy.” Then, everyone put their words on the floor, read out loud, and try to form a poem based on these words. Eventually, one of us recited the poem in front of the painting.

I have seen students, who were struggling in memorizing the poem, asking a classmate to help them practice the poem and every day, during recess, the student would practice under the classmate’s watchful eye, making sure the poem was memorized correctly, so that the student can share it with the family. Seeing that, I realized that the poem is not only a wonderful introduction to literature and the language arts, but that it is also a very powerful connection to their parents, strong enough to motivate a child to forego recess and practice memorizing.