NEW
Library Project
Volume 1, Number 3 - Winter 2003
Poems Provide
Contrasts, Insights
by Lawrence McCarty
William
Wordsworth defined poetry as a spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings, and it was with this spirit of spontaneity that we began to read
and share poetry in adult learning centers at Project H.O.M.E. and The
Lighthouse in Philadelphia.
Inspired by the lyrical prose of James Joyce, Nadine Gordimer and others,
we discovered in the story's poetics the powerful feelings that clarified
issues and shadows of characters in crisis. We began to read poems that
echoed or contrasted with themes in the text.
Our first poetry session followed a discussion of Joyce's "Eveline."
This story always sparks controversy among readers who voice
frustration with Eveline's pathetic ambiguity and inability to sever
negative ties at home. We studied haunting passages such as "Derevaun
Seraun! Derevaun Seraun!" and contrasted the languishing mood of
"Eveline" with Joyce's "Chamber Music," a decisive
poem that urges the young maiden to say goodbye to the past and opt for
her lover: "Bid adieu, adieu, adieu/Bid adieu to girlish days/Happy
love has come to woo..."
When a poet concentrates powerful feelings in close measures of
verse and metaphorical language, the result can be acutely emotive. The
nostalgia and longing prevalent in "Eveline" are sentiments
common to us all and perhaps felt more intensely by recent immigrants
to the U.S. After discussing "Eveline" in a recent session of
Gente y Cuentos at The Lighthouse, we
closed with "Letania del mar," a poem by Julia de Burgos,
who lived much of her life far from her native Puerto Rico. The symbol of
the sea in both the story and the poem evoked vivid images of the
Caribbean and prompted us to share difficult choices to leave home in
search of a new life.
Loss - of home, youth, love, a dream or a limb - was a prevalent theme in
many stories we read. We closely examined how the characters resolved
their crises. When in doubt, we returned to shadows in the text for
answers; more often than not, we were left with a sense of wonder. Such
was the case with Gordimer's "The Soft Voice of the Serpent."
We asked ourselves how the young amputee could recover from such a loss.
We started with poetics and the dream-like setting of the garden: "A
first slight wind lifted again in the slack, furled sail of himself; he
felt it belly gently, so gently he could just feel it, lifting inside
him." We reflected on the healing tone of the language and agreed
that he would recover because of his vivid imagination. We closed that
session with Emily Dickinson's, "After Great Pain a Formal Feeling
Comes."
We have continued to read poetry to punctuate and conclude our sessions.
Several participants and instructors at Project H.O.M.E. and The
Lighthouse are poets, and everyone participates in reading and
discussions. Frequently the sessions extend to two hours when an inspired
man or woman recites a verse with a "spontaneous overflow of
feelings." Such performance gives the speaker an opportunity to
gain confidence in his or her own voice, and all of us appreciate each
person's individual interpretation. Through readings and discussions, we
have learned to see ourselves in the text and in the life experiences of
others from diverse cultures. We have found contrast, clarity and
beauty in the language of imaginative writers. And we have learned that
great literature is not the restricted domain of academics but is
accessible to and appreciated by us all, especially when shared with the
group.