Though Plato’s case when it comes to the Sophists and his distaste for their use of rhetoric is valid, often times he doesn’t make sense of whether poetry, rather than the poet, is what he would consider as “good”. In essence, poetry is the vehicle for poets to take the basics of life which have inspired them, for instance nature, and projecting it onto their readers by bringing it to a heightened state, in this case, nature being presented as a form of unnatural cosmic energy. In Ion, Socrates states, “All good poets, epic as well as lyric, compose their beautiful poems not by skill, but through inspiration and possession” (Ion 7). Though here it can be assumed that “possession” would have a negative connotation to it, and Socrates does reaffirm this, it can subsequently, instead, be substituted as “passion”. Possession entails the poet composes their poems by losing all senses, yet poetry is a combination of senses, for the poet, in short, experiences the basics of life differently than someone who is not a poet. A passionate poet, instead of a possessed poet, doesn’t lose his or her senses but rather uses them to create poetry. Conversely, passion, or even being in the state of what Plato would consider to be irrational, is what consequently makes humankind fully human. The ontology of humans come from many different avenues of influence, but their state of being comes from the quest of insight. The act of coming to truth must be done from the basis of a humans own life. Though philosophy itself is a basis of truth, philosophy functions in poetry, for instance the poets philosophy on a topic, which inherently makes poetry able to be a means of truth as well. An example of this is seen in the Plato’s [book] Phaedrus when in Diot...
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...ose its purpose by being put through a filter, though. Poetry actually gains more purpose due to being more widely understood.
Consequently, though Plato makes a good argument pertaining to poetry, the role of the poet, and the role of the individual who choose to recite poetry, Plato forgets to include how poetry fits into our ultimately sense of humanity. From Plato’s theory of human nature, to have a lite full of content, an individual must have a harmonious balance within themselves. The poet, the individual reciting poetry, and the individual who is affected by poetry all go through a sort of irrationality for to be immersed in poetry is to be immersed in powerful feelings. Yet, though this immersion may hinder the ability to function rationally, truth must be found in both states for ultimate truth comes from what we do understand and what we don’t understand.
Poetry is its own solid object” (Bad Poem, Great Song). To some, the dilemma is cut and dry, songs just can’t be poetry.
Good poetry provides meaningful commentary. One indication of a poem’s success in this is the depth of thought the reader has as a result of the poem. The poems I anthologized may take different
“A good poet was thought to be inspired by divinity—either by the Muses, by Apollo, or simply by “god” unspecified. The process was described as “inspiration,” wherein the gods “breathe into” a poet a “voice” or “honey-sweet song.” (“Greek Lyric Overview” ).
In poetry, we can vent our frustration and interpretations of the world around us on paper. Poets make their points using metaphors or little stories to bring them out. When reading poetry, I always put myself in the shoes of the first or third person to better understand what is trying to be put across in the words of the sonnets. Most poems can mean anything to anybody. There are many cases in which you see people finding beauty in things they don't even understand, such as an Italian Opera or Ancient Hieroglyphics painted on a pyramid wall. Poetry can be silly, cheesy, boring or down right appealing and consuming to the readers eyes.
Poetry is more than just a correlation of words; poetry contains power. Poetry works by sculpting the English language in such a way that it produces sound, while endeavoring to recreate experiences. I really grasped this concept when we read Dulcem Et Decorum Est, by Wilfred Owen. Among other things, this poem contains haunting imagery, and a rhythm that produces the sound of being in the trenches. While reading this poem, Wilfred Owen’s words made me fearful and paranoid. The slightest sound could hold my attention. I also noticed how silent the room felt after we finished the poem. We were all struck and disturbed by the old phrase Dulcem Et Decorum Est.
,“Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity" as William Wordsworth, the English Romantic poet, stated. Poetry is a way to express vast emotions and feelings in a way which is unique to the poet. Poetry uses forms and conventions to suggest differential interpretation to words, or to evoke emotive responses.
Many years ago in ancient Greece, Plato initiated a debate about the usefulness of literature by declaring that poetry had no place in the ideal society, mainly because it was full of lies and because it evoked undesirable emotions. His pupil Aristotle, however, took the opposing side of this dispute and argued that literature was, in fact, useful. Aristotle agreed with Plato that literature induces undesirable emotions, but he stated that it only does so in an attempt to purge us of these harmful sentiments, a process which he termed “catharsis”. The events in Homer’s Iliad, while used by both Plato and Aristotle to defend their theories about literature, lend themselves to the defense of Aristotle’s ideas more so than Plato’s. Specifically, the juxtaposition of Achilleus’s intense lamentation with the portrayal of Hephaistos’s shield, the description of Hektor’s increasing pride, and the account of Patroklos’s impulsive nature in battle all perfectly exemplify Aristotle’s idea of catharsis and demonstrate the true worth of literature.
...nd forms previously mentioned. Plato presents that particulars participate in forms and give their common quality, which the quality is a reflection of his idea. Plato finally concludes with an argument for the immorality of the soul. The soul’s illness is ultimately injustice. A man can ultimately overcome injustice by harmonizing reason, spirit, and appetite (desire), which will lead to a healthy life and soul.4
Restlessness is the main focus of Phillips’ article, it is the title of his article and in his opinion it is the reason why poems exist at all. “Poetry is the results of a generative restlessness of imagination… uncertainties become obsessions to be wrestled with, and with luck, the result is poetry…” (Phillips 132) Phillips, in summary of his article, claims uncertainties in life trouble our minds until the uncertainties become obsessions. We become restless in our quest to understand the uncertainties we face and by writing poems we can organize our thoughts and try to understand the things we do not. Phillips furthers his explains his claim by admitting “ I write poetry for the same reason that I read it, both as a way of being alive and as a way of trying to understand what it means—how it feels—to be alive.” (Phillips 133).
...human imagination and reality, the role of imagination in shaping that reality, and the role of the reader, as an observer as well as participant, in the understanding of poetry, of language shaping the world around him.
If we consider Plato’s ideas abstractions, we shall never grasp his meaning. But if we think of how a great artist sometimes manages to catch the vital meaning of an event on his canvas, we are coming closer to Plato’s theory. Take another example, how many of us have known someone for years when, suddenly, when one day something happens, and we see him for the first time as a “real person.” His personality has become alive and full of meaning in a way, which has nothing to do with his appearance or his attitude. Our two minds seem to look directly at one another. We feel we have a real contact with that person.
Have you ever wondered why literature has become what it is today? Why people started to write literature in the first place, and why readers where so motivated about books? Philosophy, the word itself is not as complex as its meaning, but so is literature. Philosophy is a study that seeks answers to enduring questions about existence and reality. The aim of this curiosity for more is the sole purpose to discover the nature of truth and knowledge, finding what is life and its meaning. Philosophy not only examines nature and life, but also humanity as an individual and humanity as a society. These examinations intrigues not only the writers, but also the audience as well, for the reason that philosophy arises from pure wonder, curiosity, and the desire to know and understand, which is what people look for in literature. Philosophers who marked philosophy as it is are, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These three great philosophers had their own individual judgment, but they all had a common objective, to expand their knowledge and views through the use of literature. As philosophy grew among society and extended throughout the world, people were developing logical reasoning, which became important and influential throughout nations such as Greece and India. Philosophers such as John Locke and Voltaire were the two leading figures in the Enlightenment to provide philosophical literature. Ancient philosophers and enlightenment philosophers both provided the readers a subjective view, using as examples matters such as logic and ethics, but with many more aspects of philosophy also presented by these men of thought. Throughout the years, the inclusion of philosophy has changed literature itself with the rise of curiosity and reasoning,...
Plato and Sidney had some of the same ideas but yet different ideas for poetry at the same time. They may not have the same ideas because of the times that they each lived in. If you think about it, Plato’s time of living was 427-347 B.C. and Sidney lived in the 1500’s. Therefore, each philosopher had a different view of poetry and what it could possible do for their community. Neither one is right nor wrong but, if we, as people, took both of their perceptions to heart, we would probably live in a world that wasn’t so tainted and corruptive.
Poetry must be music in the form of words. Some poets believe the definition of poetry is in the music it creates. "Smooth or rough, with them, is right or wrong." Alexander Pope believed that a poem must be pleasant to the ear. A poem must follow certain rules. A poem can never "ring round the same unvaried chimes" and "[drag] its slow length along." Poems must "[whisper] through the trees" to please the reader's ear. For a poem to create music the poem must follow certain rules. What is the usefulness of a poem if it doesn't communicate any emotions to the reader in the end? It is nice to hear pleasant sounds but the goal of a poem cannot just be to produce pleasant sounds.
Poetry, with its focus on mimesis or imitation, has no moral value. While Plato sees reality as a shadow of a realm of pure Ideas (which in turn is copied by art), Aristotle sees reality as a process of partially realized forms moving towards their ideal realizations. Given this idea by Aristotle, the mimetic quality of art is redefined as the duplication of the living process of nature and its need to reach its potential form. Art, then, for Aristotle, does not become the enemy of society if the artist is loyal to the representation of the process of becoming in nature. Horace, like Aristotle and Plato, also brings to view a theory of poetry as mimesis.