Personal commentary on poem inspiration, influences, and techniques

¶ … Night the Crystals Broke

Write where you got inspiration from?

The inspiration from this poem comes from my grandmother and her family, who lived through the pogroms and just before the Nazis took over Hungary. The title refers to the Kristallnacht, the event in which the Nazis burned synagogues and their religious items, and broke the windows. They also broke the windows of the local businesses. This poem also refers to the journey that was scary and arduous, over the Atlantic in the ship to Ellis Island. The statue at the end of the poem is the Statue of Liberty, which welcomed the "poor" and "hungry" masses, like my grandmother's people.

(2) Which author and poem did you refer to when writing this poem?

There is no one author or poem I referred to here. This is a completely original work. However, it is written in the form of a ballad. The ballad type of poem is appropriate for use when speaking of a historical person or event. Because I was writing about the events of the Nazi era and of my grandmother and great grandmother, this is in a ballad form.

(3) What did the poem mean to you personally? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? How does this poem relate to your world and your life?

This poem means a lot to me personally, because it is about my heritage. I have spoken with my grandmother and she has told me some stories that made me angry and sad, which is why I wanted to write about this poem. This poem was enjoyable to write, because I felt I was doing something for my grandmother. It felt cathartic. Also, this poem relates to my world and my life because it mentions the experience of immigration and prejudice.

(4) What techniques did you use for this poem and do you think your readers understand what you are trying to convey to them?

The techniques I used included metaphor, imagery, repetition, and diction. For example, I repeated some words like "faster faster" to convey a sense of suspense, and also "quick quick" to describe the sense of urgency in needing to leave the old country.

(5) How effective do you think your poem was? How did you find the whole process of writing each poem?

I believe this poem is effective, because I showed it to my sister and she appreciated it. I found the process of writing this poem to be enjoyable because I did not have to make rhymes or count the meter.

(6) How is the structure and voice of the poem?

The type of the poem is a ballad, and is told in third person voice.

II. "Tough Love"

1) Write where you got inspiration from?

I got this inspiration from two places: both my own mother and my aunt's experience raising my nephew. The experience of raising a child is complex and difficult, which I tried to capture here. This poem is divided into sections, to refer to the stages in the child development. The inspiration for the theme comes from the fact that like all teens, I distanced myself from my mother. My cousin is doing the same to his mother, and it is causing her frustration and sadness. The inspiration for this poem was therefore from personal experience.

(2) Which author and poem did you refer to when writing this poem?

I did not refer to any other poet or author when writing this poem, it is all original and about my personal life.

(3) What did the poem mean to you personally? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? How does this poem relate to your world and your life?

I enjoyed writing this poem precisely because it means a lot to me: the relationship between my mother and me. Actually, all relationships between mothers and their children are important for me to write about. We will all experience similar emotions as parents: having our children pull away from us at certain times, after they are grown up. But teenagers also still need their parents, even if they want more independence. They might not be as dependent as the young children are, but they still need love, support, guidance, and attention.

(4) What techniques did you use for this poem and do you think your readers understand what you are trying to convey to them?

I used the technique of dividing the poem into two uneven stanzas. I wanted it to be free verse, so that there was an open structure and sense of tension. The reader will understand the reason for the division of the poem into sections, and also hopefully feel the sense of sadness and tension contained by the use of a repetitive structure at the end of the poem (You shun me / You need me). These are two contradictory phrases, rendered as the same grammatical structure. It shows that the child is both dependent and independent.

(5) How effective do you think your poem was? How did you find the whole process of writing each poem?

I believe this was a very effective poem, because it captures the complex emotions of motherhood. No one is being blamed. It is not as if the mother or the child are to blame for the distance between them.

(6) How is the structure and voice of the poem?

The voice of the poem is sad, and it is told from first person perspective. The mother is the speaker. She is speaking to her child. The poem is structured in free verse, to give the mother a free voice. She is here to say what is in her heart and mind, and she speaks freely.

III. "Shoe Sonnet"

(1) Write where you got inspiration from?

I got the inspiration from this poem first from walking through a shoe store that I liked, and feeling like I wanted to buy everything. There were so many pairs on the wall, with different colors and functions. Although at the time I was only shopping, later I realized that the shoes and the store experience could be a metaphor for a poem. It occurred to me that shoes symbolized diversity. There are so many shoes in the world, just as there are so many different people. All the different types of people can be compared with shoes, because of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Therefore, shoes were the primary inspiration for the poem, but diversity was the secondary inspiration that allowed me to use shoes as a metaphor.

(2) Which author and poem did you refer to when writing this poem?

I did not refer to any specific author, but I used the sonnet format. This format was widely used by Shakespeare. Therefore, I paid homage to Shakespeare when writing this poem.

(3) What did the poem mean to you personally? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? How does this poem relate to your world and your life?

From the standpoint of shoes alone, the poem was fun to write because I like shoes. Also, I like writing about diversity. It was also fun to use an extended metaphor and try to work a lot with it in the sonnet. I also enjoyed using the structure of the sonnet to guide my writing. The poem relates to my world and my life because I am surrounded by diversity every day.

(4) What techniques did you use for this poem and do you think your readers understand what you are trying to convey to them?

The technique of an extended metaphor, plus iambic pentameter, and rhyme scheme makes the poem enjoyable for readers. I think most readers can relate to the subject matter.

(5) How effective do you think your poem was? How did you find the whole process of writing each poem?

I believe this was one of my most effective poems, because I stayed with the structure of the sonnet. I also found that using the extended metaphor kept my thoughts in order.

(6) How is the structure and voice of the poem?

The structure of the poem is a sonnet, which uses a set meter and rhyme scheme. The voice is third person.

IVa. "Haikus Celebrate"

(1) Write where you got inspiration from?

The inspiration for this poem was the form of the haiku itself, which I find fun to write. I also drew on the theme of using the poem to eliminate the sense of seriousness that usually pervades writing exercises. We should have fun when we write, which is the primary theme of the poem.

(2) Which author and poem did you refer to when writing this poem?

I referred to no one, but I respect the Japanese poetic form of the haiku.

(3) What did the poem mean to you personally? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? How does this poem relate to your world and your life?

This particular haiku means a lot to me, because I have seen so many "dour" people in my life. I believe that poetry can uplift these people and show that haikus "celebrate" life. I enjoyed writing this very much, because I appreciate the haiku form. They are fast, but they also force me to think.

(4) What techniques did you use for this poem and do you think your readers understand what you are trying to convey to them?

I used the basic technique of writing haiku, which is three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five again in the third. I believe that the poem is written in a way straightforward enough for all readers to understand.

(5) How effective do you think your poem was? How did you find the whole process of writing each poem?

I believe this was a very effective poem, because haikus are pithy and it captures what I want to say using very few words.

(6) How is the structure and voice of the poem?

The voice of the poem is explanatory, third person. The structure is the haiku form.

IVb. "Parrots"

(1) Write where you got inspiration from?

The inspiration from this poem was from the wild parrots that flew outside my window. They are green, bright, cheerful, and tropical. They like both the rain and the sun.

(2) Which author and poem did you refer to when writing this poem?

I did not refer to any author or other poem, only to my own experience. I referred only to the subject itself.

(3) What did the poem mean to you personally? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? How does this poem relate to your world and your life?

I enjoyed this poem because I really appreciate the sight and sound of the green birds outside my window. It relates to my direct perception of the parrots, and my deep appreciation for nature.

(4) What techniques did you use for this poem and do you think your readers understand what you are trying to convey to them?

I used the basic techniques of haiku writing for this poem. I think the language is simple and straightforward, and the readers will understand what I am trying to convey to them.

(5) How effective do you think your poem was? How did you find the whole process of writing each poem?

I believe this was an effective poem because it captures the atmosphere of the parrots flying around. The whole process of writing the poem was pleasurable because I enjoy writing haiku.

(6) How is the structure and voice of the poem?

The structure of the poem is haiku, and the voice is third person with a cheerful tone.

IVc. Skeletons

(1) Write where you got inspiration from?

The inspiration for this poem was from the holiday of Halloween. Although it is currently not Halloween, I enjoy the holiday very much and look forward to celebrating it every year.

(2) Which author and poem did you refer to when writing this poem?

I did not refer to any author or any other poem when writing my haiku

(3) What did the poem mean to you personally? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? How does this poem relate to your world and your life?

This poem means a lot to me personally and relates directly to my life, because it is about my favorite holiday. I enjoyed writing it because I believe it has a "twist," which is that at first it seems dark and disturbing, but then there is a sort of punch line. This poem is a lot like Halloween itself.

(4) What techniques did you use for this poem and do you think your readers understand what you are trying to convey to them?

I used techniques like suspense and diction to convey the general theme of the poem. I believe that most readers will understand what I am trying to convey, but people from other cultures might not understand.

(5) How effective do you think your poem was? How did you find the whole process of writing each poem?

I think this was an effective poem, because it is short and to the point. The process of writing it was simply to follow the standard haiku format.

(6) How is the structure and voice of the poem?

The structure of the poem is a haiku. The voice of the poem is third person point-of-view.

VII. "Howling Winds" (blank verse/iambic pentameter)

(1) Write where you got inspiration from?

This poem was different in that the inspiration came from nowhere, it just seemed to pop into my head to write about winds and horses, and then it evolved into a poem about an impending storm. I have never owned horses, nor lived on a farm, so I am not writing from personal experience.

(2) Which author and poem did you refer to when writing this poem?

I am referring to no other author or other poem.

(3) What did the poem mean to you personally? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? How does this poem relate to your world and your life?

This poem means nothing to me personally from the perspective of just the subject. However, the metaphor of the storm does mean a lot to me personally, and I ended up enjoying the writing process. The metaphor of the storm is one that most people can relate to. The motif of storm connotes fear, which is the primary thing I wanted to address in the poem.

(4) What techniques did you use for this poem and do you think your readers understand what you are trying to convey to them?

I used the iambic pentameter to give structure to my thoughts. Blank verse allowed the rhyme scheme to be freer than with a sonnet.

(5) How effective do you think your poem was? How did you find the whole process of writing each poem?

I believe this poem was highly effective, but it might be difficult for some readers to understand what the poem is actually about. I tried to convey the different types of fear, but ended up perhaps talking too much about the scenery.

(6) How is the structure and voice of the poem?

The structure of the poem is iambic pentameter with free verse. The voice of the poem is third person point-of-view, with a somber tone

VIII. "March"

(1) Write where you got inspiration from?

I got the inspiration for "March" from learning about Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Era. I meditated on the word "March," and realized that it had many meanings, including being a month of the year named after a Greek god of war. I thought that the word would make a good starting point for a poem.

(2) Which author and poem did you refer to when writing this poem?

I referred to no other poet, but I did refer to Martin Luther King, Caesar, and others. There was no other poem I referred to either.

(3) What did the poem mean to you personally? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? How does this poem relate to your world and your life?

This poem means a lot to me personally. I think a lot about how much work it took to achieve rights and freedoms, not just in the United States, but elsewhere. I am interested in history, so the poem does relate to my world, and to my life. I enjoyed writing it because it made me think about all the different meanings for the word "March" that I could think of.