sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Poetry Friday: Tyger Tyger and the Importance of Pleasure

by

I’ve spent quite a bit of time lately writing and speaking about children’s poetry and the challenges of getting poetry in front of chidlren, especially in Australia where very little chidlden’s poetry is published. One of the things I keep saying is that kids need accessible poetry, and that we must be sure to include contemporary poetry in our offerings.

BUT, that doesn’t mean that I think we should only offer contemporary poetry, just as it isn’t necessary to only offer contemporary fiction. It’s just that when we offer classic poetry, we need to be sure that it is accessible to readers. One of the problems is that too often we offer poetry with difficult language and then too quickly ask what the poem means. My strong feeling is that, modern or classic, our first point of discussion for any poem should be about how it makes the reader feel, rather than about what it means.  The pleasure, the physical response, the emotions aroused, the confusion are all so much for important than knowing exactly what it’s about (and a good poem should not be about just one thing anyway).

So ,take for example this old favourite of mine:

Tyger Tyger

by William Blake

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?
(you can read the rest of the poem here)
Woah. There are some big words (immortal symmetry?). There are some very old words (thine, thy?). There is a word with funny spelling (tyger). And there are some words which don’t rhyme as we pronounce them today (eye/symmetry). And yet when I read it, I can imagine a beautiful, big, fearsome looking tiger, and can tingle with pleasure at the rhythm and flow of the lines. And, if I read it aloud to (or even better with) children, I give them the chance to share that pleasure. If instead, I print it out, give to to kids and ask them what it means, many eyes would glaze over, and hearts sink at the difficult language and the quest for a right answer.
My point? If you’re a teacher – don’t be scared to share poetry with kids. Share classics like this one. Share contemporary poetry too. But share it. Enjoy it. Savour it. If you must take it apart to look at meanings or poetic devices, do that AFTER you have had time to enjoy the poem. The child who has enjoyed the poem will find the seeking of meaning a whole lot easier.
poetry-friday-logo
Today’s Poetry Friday roundup is being hosted at Wee Words for Wee Ones.
Head over there to see what other poetry goodness is scattered around the blogospher.

Comments

  1. Spot on Sally.Some of the best workshops I have run have focused on pleasure.Took a truckload(?) of books,asked the kids to pair off,select a book and go off and read and talk about it,find poems they both liked and then come back and tell me what they had found so we could read it out for others to share.There was a hall full of kids on their tummies on the floor
    with legs waving in the air,discussing and enjoying -and a smiley-forever memory for me.Now get that PhD finished while I am still about to applaud!Big hug Anne xx

    • Oh – a comment from my favourite supporter! Lovely to hear from you. PhD is progressing, I think, though hard to tell until it’s done.

  3. YES! I agree with you 100%, Sally. I love talking with kids about poetry, too, and it is the experience of hearing/reading/feeling poetry that really matters. Love this poem by Blake, as well!

  4. So true, Sally. I love what you say with this. It pairs nicely with what cbhaneck shared with her poem for two voices. (http://cbhanek.com/2015/11/13/photo-replay-a-poem-for-two-voices/y-love-response) You can never overstate the importance and richness of *sharing* poetry with children.

    I’ve been noting the difference between America (so much poetry published) and Australia (not open to poetry submissions) since joining the Poetry Friday crew. It makes me feel like we’re in a poetry famine…

    • Thanks Kat. Yes, I must confess I envy our American friends with their multitude of collections being published. Such a rare thing here.

  5. Thank you for re-familiarizing me with Blake’s poem, Sally! Yes, I agree, accessibility in children’s poetry and concentrating on the emotions evoked. =)

  6. I agree with you wholeheartedly. We need poetry to stay alive, to be still talking to us from the trees, from the leaves of books, from our own memories and from our hopes and wishes. How can we boil down our thoughts to beautiful poetry if we view it as a dead language? And every country needs its own poetry, too. One country should not be the source of all poetry. XOXO

    • Thanks Michelle. I remember feeling so dumb when we studied poetry in high school and I couldn’t see all those hidden meanings.

  8. My granddaughter is studying big cats this year, & I’d forgotten about this Blake poem, will share with her. I bet she’ll love it even though she’s young. I had such a wonderful time with poetry in my classes, & you’re so right, take it easy on the serious ‘what-does-it-mean?’ questions, & see what they love. Is it the topic, the rhythm, the surprise ending, & on. Thanks, Sally.

  9. How funny that you should mention this poem! Just yesterday I was thinking about it and I still remember those opening lines from way back in 6th grade. I love sharing poetry with my first grade class. Somewhere I once read that you should introduce a poem by reading it three times: once for the eyes, once for the ears, and once for the heart. Thanks for the reminder to share the joy of poetry with children.

    • Yes. The importance of multiple readings is something I also stress – and possibly the topic for a future post. Those poems we learned as chidlren are so often magic.

Trackbacks

sallymurphy.com.au