Belizean Literature Poetry example essay topic

According to Robert Pinsky "Poetry... is an ancient art or technology: older than the computer, older than print, older than writing and indeed, though some may find this surprising, much older than prose. I presume that the technology of poetry, using the human body as its medium, evolved for specific uses; to hold things in memory, both within and beyond the individual life span; to achieve intensity and sensuous appeal; to express feelings and ideas rapidly and memorably. To share those feelings and ideas with companions, and also with the dead and with those to come after us". In the CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH; poetry is a piece of writing in which the words are chosen for their sound and the images and ideas they suggest, not just their obvious meaning.

The words are arranged in separate lines, often ending in rhyme. In my view poetry is the productions of a poet; the writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound and rhythm. Poetry, or literature in general should strike a chord. Period. There is something universal about it. Maybe we do not like the universe, but it exists nonetheless.

Once we get into comparative literature, slowly a melding begins to take place, and we find connections where relevant. I am not saying that people who grow up in Belize have the same experiences as those in Jamaica or Trinidad, but there is still universality to humanity. When writing literature, shouldn't some of that be taken into account? Or at least, should writers completely ignore the holistic endeavor called life? I think not. Literature should tell a story, but tell it well so that more than just a few can understand.

This gets us into the discussion of art the serves a particular political / social end. It used to be that artists / writers /poets would get into fistfights over this issue (doesn't happen anymore, right? ). Does the process of writing serve a particular political purpose? Does poetry seek political change? Does poetry seek social change?

I would say that Belizean poetry serves social change, that it is an attempt to look at the world and reflect, in verse on injustice and inequality. According to WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (from Preface to Lyrical Ballads): "Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility: the emotion is contemplated till, by a species of reaction, the tranquillity gradually disappears, and an emotion, kindred to that which was the subject of contemplation, is gradually produced, and does itself actually exist in the mind". This is so by the diversity found in Belize. We are a diverse people in which our poetry is diverse but still has one commonality in that it is Belizean. Many argue that only physical expression can be effective for political purpose. If so then why are such political, life altering documents such as the constitution at the core of politics of this nation?

Verbal and literary expressions are our tools to communication, which is the only way to get anything done. Isn't a poet someone who has wonderful control over language who can express themselves through words? Why then is that expression limited? Why couldn't such poet use that command of language for political purpose?

Verbal communication enables for the diminishing of violence to get one's point across. The more we put on paper the less we value our fists. This can be said of our small country of Belize. As a nation we have no had no major upraising such as other countries whether it be for independence or civil war. We are a peaceful nation in which political ideology can be expressed freely. SAMUEL JOHNSON (from Preface to Shakespeare): "The end of writing is to instruct; the end of poetry is to instruct by pleasing".

As a young nation I believe that literature / poetry should express the experiences of the poet at that time period. It should not be specifically political but should carry the beliefs of that individual whether it is political or social. Sometimes the act of loving is a political statement unto itself. If part of our purpose as politically minded poets seeking social change is to subvert or undo authoritarian forces that seek to control us then reclaiming our desire is a political act. I'm thinking specifically of the manner in which, well, let's just say "capitalism" seeks to channel our desire into the want for material goods, and let's just say "government" seeks to channel our desire into the want for the nation state. Love poems redirect that desire, return it to the realm of things human and humane, encourage us to seek bliss instead of gain.

Isn't that subversive in its own right? Isn't that what Belizean literature / poetry should be about? Once society has lost the ability to define itself through language, it loses its identity, value, and place in the world.