Take a bite!
Beryl Clarke, Contributor

As you know, our syllabus includes the study of poetry. Since the beginning of this year's 'class' we have not worked on this particular literary genre/form. It is for this reason that we are going to spend time on it this week. We will, of course, be returning to the short story 'The Day The World Almost Came To An End'.

Right now, we are going to take a bite of that delectable man-made fruit called poetry. Heh! Delectable? Yes - delicious, appetizing, juicy, tasty!

Now you and I know that you still remember the nursery rhymes you said when you were younger.

Hickory, dickory dock
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck one
The mouse ran down
Hickory dickory dock.

Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry:
When the boys came out to play,
Georgie Porgie ran away.

There was an old woman who in a shoe.
She had so many children she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth without any bread,
And whipped them all soundly sent them to bed.

I have only put these three to whet your appetite and get you going. Do you now realise that while you enjoyed the rhythm, the repetition and the sound of the above, you did not pay any attention to meaning? Of course, not! Let me share something with you, though.

To some people, somewhere, those nursery rhymes had meaning. Just look at the last one and I am confident that you will see that the poet was speaking about among other things - the failure to plan one's family, poverty and the effect on children of economic pressure faced by a parent.

Do you see how even this simple four-line verse can capture ideas? It should, therefore, come as no surprise to you that you are expected to be able to identify and discuss ideas in the poems on your CXC syllabus. Aha, that is the trouble, I hear you say. My response is, Please, do not let that be a bother to you! I can you hear you, now, saying that it is fine for her to talk so, she has been doing this for years. Yes, but that is not a reason, at least not a good one, why you cannot do well.

In the first place, I want you to have a positive approach and attitude to the study of poetry. No poet writes only for himself. He has ideas that he chooses to share with an audience, using poetry as his medium. An artist uses paint or sculpture or music or dance to communicate his feelings about life, any aspect of life that he finds interesting. This is what a poet does. In fact, if you stop to think a while, you will agree that you have sometimes spontaneously composed poetry.

You have quickly made up and written poetry in your friends' autograph album or on their uniforms as graduation draws near. (By the way, have you ever entered the annual JCDC poetry writing competition? You should try using your talent!)Then you sing poetry set to music every day - pop songs, folk songs and hymns. Consider this, do you worry about their meanings or do you make the effort to understand the ideas they convey without making a fuss or automatically concluding that they are hard?

Let us admit that there are times when you yourselves talk to your relatives or friends and they tell you that they do not 'get your meaning' and you have to try to explain.

Poets come from different countries, backgrounds, educational levels and have had a variety of experiences. You can see, therefore, why you may have a little difficulty understanding what they have to say at first. Then, a poet uses far fewer words in expressing his ideas than a novelist or an essay writer or a playwright or someone who writes a newspaper column. This forces the poet to pack ideas together and to use devices to create impressions, recall the past, and create associations. In a poem, each word, sound and image carries weight.

Do remember the following — that if you expand a ten-line poem you could get two pages or more; that a poem can vary in length from a few to thousands of lines; it can be on any subject: love, war, children or even examinations, and it may have several literary devices, for example, onomatopoeia, pun, rhyme, paradox, similes, metaphors and allusions.

Have ever noticed how many speakers include poetry in their speeches - either at the start, to make an important point or to keep an audience interested? There is value in poetry. I hope that I have helped you to lose any fear you may have had of this subject.

How can any person from a country where people are so 'full of lyrics' be afraid of poetry?

As we continue our efforts to prepare successfully for the external examinations, you cannot afford to waste your valuable time or fail to do your very best. This year, with its challenges also comes opportunities and you must not allow them to pass you by at this stage.

Next week we will begin working on a poem together. Until then, be good to yourselves and God bless!

Beryl Clarke is an independent contributor. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com