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Confessions of Dangerous Thoughts
Newspaper articles focus on reporting a fact objectively and impartially, while the meaning of a poem is to recount life from a unique perspective, from the bottom of its heart, in a different way.
Descriptive imagery is far more useful than straightforward statements in creating a poetic situation or a realistic and perceptible narrative atmosphere for the reader. This truth has been distilled into a ubiquitous golden rule in poetry classes: show, don't narrate.
Let's use this example to see what "show" vs "narrative" really means.
The expression of the "narrative": "I feel weak. ”
Expression of "show": "I can hardly get the spoon in my mouth." ”
The first example bluntly explains to the reader how the speaker feels. The second example gives concrete details that bring the concept of "weakness" to life; we can see where "weakness" exists in the speaker's body at this moment. When you present it in context, you provide the reader with visual, tactile, and sometimes auditory references, rather than an abstract concept. Because weakness may behave and feel completely differently in you and in me, situations can help you express your feelings more effectively. Context can also make the poem go from vague to concrete, so that it becomes more interesting.
The goal of "show" is to show something alive and novel—something that hasn't been said or written about before. In "Show" mode, if the first expression that comes to mind is something you've heard before, such as "My arm is as weak as a noodle"—overly ordinary, well-used phrases like this may have had an impact on the reader, but after too much repetition, they lose their initial presentation and eventually relegate to clichés. These situations, which do not bring novelty at all, have little meaning to your poetry.
Leaving aside the implicit advice in the mantra-like rule of "show, don't narrate," declarative statements in poetry are not always bad or unnecessary.
In fact, injecting a novel idea into life with a mixture of presentation and statement is a common practice in poetry. For example, in my poem "As the Heart, the World," the second verse begins with a declarative sentence:
It's not easy to know how to let go.
The clouds are doped with pink like oil paint
It's like a pigment. Every word, so and so,
Caught in a web of distractions.
I detail letting go with two examples that show complexity in nature and language. Rather than erasing all declarative language from our poetry, it is better to think about how to reconcile declarative discourse and the creation of specific situations—something that makes more sense and has the greatest impact.
Whenever you make a narrative, you can ask yourself, "What would happen if I described it instead of defining it?" And consider the opposite: "Can your descriptive situation benefit from a more direct explanation?" "Sometimes, the only way to recognize is to try a lot of different methods and then find the most suitable one from it. This will help develop your own appreciation of the mixed use of "presentation" and "narrative" in poetry.
Practice:
Rewrite the following sentence in a "presentation" rather than a "narrative" approach:
● Her hair is a mess.
● I hate the smell of roses.
He couldn't wait to see her again.
●School-age children are still not allowed to leave the playground after the break.
● You always change your mind.
● The moon is round.
● I will not give up.
Now, for each of the following questions,
Write a "narrative" answer first, then a "show" answer:
How do you feel about a lost game?
● When a friend has done something very special to you, describe how you felt at the time.
● When is your favorite time of day? Why?
Describe your first (or early) memory.
Take a closer look at a stranger on the street, then describe his appearance and demeanor.
● How do you feel when traveling with your family?
Reinvent these clichés with fresh, original language:
● He has ants on his pants.
I'm like a fish out of water.
● After bathing, she feels as refreshing as a daisy.
● That's just a drop in the ocean.
● This is the best thing after sliced bread.
● In the eyes of pain, you are a feast.
● The boy grew like a weed.
Her great-grandmother was as old as those hills.
● Don't be greedy enough for snakes to swallow elephants.
● I trembled like a leaf.
After a second brief stop, he continued walking on thin ice.
● Do everything possible and spare no effort.
1/ Write a poem consisting entirely of "narrative" sentences, and surround a clear theme.
2/ Rewrite this "narrative" poem in a descriptive context that is full of life.
3/ Combine the "narrative" sentence in the first draft with the "show" context in the second draft, and revise the poem again.