Stanzas+Purpose

The past few days that we've discussed poetry, our class talked about the purpose the different stanzas serve. Specifically, we spent time on the three stanza poem. Br. Tom even said how it may represent a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. I think it's easy to see comparison regarding the structure, and general contents, of the stanzas in three stanza poems. Often, each one begins with more imagery or introduction, then more opinions or thoughts are presented, and finally the deeper insights are revealed in the third stanza. In general, how do you think stanzas serve the poem. And regarding the three stanza poem, do you see this structure present or important in most of them? 1205371510

I definitely did notice this theme in many of the three stanza poems that we studied. When we split the poems up to read them, Kristen and I had "The Tropics in New York." I didn't notice the separation of the stanzas into this theory until Brother Tom suggested it, but I was so suprised at how well it fit. The first stanza simply introduced all the different fruit that the narrator saw. The second stanza introduced his memories of his life back when he was in some tropical place. Finally, the third stanza connect the first two into how emotional these memories made the narrator. I also noticed the form in "Those Winter Sundays." The first stanza described the father's actions every Sunday and also introduce the lack of appreciation that he received. The second stanza introduces the narrator as the son and describes his actions. The final stanza confirms that the poem is written as an overview from his memory and finally, in the last two lines, "What did I know, what did I know/ of love's austere and lonely offices?", we see that he understands all that his father did to take care of him. I think this form is definitely an interesting way to interpret three stanza poems. 1205375562

I too had to read “The Tropics in New York” and noticed the three stanza structure in several of the poems that we read. It just seems like a natural structure to write in. Usually if someone is comparing something or making a statement about something they usually have two things to compare or an argument and counterargument. The three stanza form lets the poet introduce each element separately and focus on them one at a time and then the poet can combine or compare the two elements at the end. Br. Tom compared this to Hegel’s Dialectic with the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis but I wonder if this three stanza form would be used if Hegel had not created his dialectic. I mean it seems obvious that people would write in three stanza form because it easy and functional. But yet, Hegel got all the credit for creating the point, counterpoint, combination form. So for discussion’s sake, would this form been created or been so widely used if Hegel had not adapted it or created it for his Dialectic. 1205376196

I think stanzas serve the purpose of how the story of the poem is read and therefore the organization. My partner and I had the poem about the pearls. With each stanza began a new part of the tale the maid was telling. it wasn't all one part broken up, but instead it was different parts in the day and different emotions she felt in each stanza. I think without the stanzas we would get confused and wonder where the poem was leading us. With the clear definition we can have an easier grasp. With the three stanza poem it made it much easier to understand. It we were to read it all meshed into one, then it would be so confusing that we wouldn't know where to begin. I liked the three becuase it went very simply: one, two, and three. It was clear what was said in the first and the second and then the final say in the third.1205379253

Stanzas serve alot of purposes in the poem and the three stanza poem is not the only stanza structure that serves a purpose. The size and shape of the stanza can serve as a visula aid to the poem that is alomst as important as the words written on the paper that make up the poem itself. Indentations are also important in reading the poem. In the //poem The Convergence of the Twain// we see that the first two lines of the stanza are indented while the last line is flush with the margins. In the beginning of the poem it seems to set off the lustriousness of the ship and ultimately its pride from the fact that it is now sunk at the bottom of the ocean. In the later half the first two lines seem to describe the ship in its glory or being built while the last one describes the evil fate that awaits it. As to the 3 stanza poem it almost has to follow the Thesis, Antithisis, and the convergence or the pattern of a introduction, middle and conclusion. Those are the ways that humans think when we think in threes and as of right now I really haven't seen a poem that has the 3 stanza pattern and dosnt fit one of the two patterns although I have only read the 3 stanza poems within this book so my expirence with them is very limited. //user:DGr-c//

I think this is just a coincidence arising from the fact that we just tend to speak that way. When we prove a point, or when we make a speech, don't we naturally state a point but say "oh, this might be true, but this is what I'm arguing anyways."? To prove what we're saying, we can't just say something, we have to explain why somethings like that, so we have to disprove the antithesis to an extent, or blend two different views that aren't true, or aren't entirely true, and turn them into our final argument. So that's why we've got that kinda thing going on with poetry with stanzas. Each one's a section of thought, right? Well, our minds flow to this pattern of thought, so that's what ends up happenning to our poetry in stanzas. 1205448183

I think that because we're used to stanzas, we like them. If a poem were just a bunch of lines, that might be acceptable, but it also might have a negative first impression. If the poem were just in paragraph form, well then, to me, I automatically read it as a paragraph unless the poet has noted otherwise. The stanzas keep poems in such an organized fashion all the time though. I think that many times the poets use the stanzas to organize their thoughts in a pattern other than thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. They might use the stanzas as a compare/contrast tool, or each stanza represents something different within the entire story of the poem, or just as random breaks. We've also just begun to experience the poems that are somewhat out of the ordinary because of the odd breaks in the stanzas. One stanza might be three lines, while another five, and it might be filled with enjambment to top it off! But for those poems that do have three stanzas, I found that many of them were like Br. Tom said. The first paragraph introduced us to something, the second either introduced another something or continued along the path of the first, and the third summed everything up. 1205448519

I think that the ascending order is often the case in a good majority of the poems we read. Still, I think it can be otherwise. It could order from simple to complex, or vice versa. Plus, some poems just jump right into the meat of things and continue at the same level. I also like the way Dgr mentioned many of the effects can have. We don't usually think about how the shape of a stanza can have an importance, but it actually can. If the lines are really long, I could see myself getting the feeling of boredom or seriousness. If they were short, I could feel that it was short and sweet, so every word is important. These little hints can have a plethora of indications and meanings. Plus, if a poem talks about cliffs or something hanging on an edge, an indent in a particular place could seriously emphasize that point. 1205451718

Stanzas are alot like paragraphs--they group together related, but slightly different ideas. If all of the words in a poem were smushed in one continues paragraph, then the focus would be lost. Poetry uses the formation of words as well as the word value. Variety in any artform keeps the interest of the audience. If a painting was all the same, it would not be engagging. That is exactly the same with poetry--if every line looked the same, same length, same style, then the attention of the readers would be lost. Stanzas are just another was of organizing a poem and providing variety in the appearance of it. 1205457390

To me the stanza is set up in a way that it is easiest poem to see a story in. The set up has a lot to do with this. When we were listening to poems read aloud in class yesterday, I heard a storyline in all of the poems. The ideas from the opening stanza just kept building on and on. The middle stanza kept the story alive. We heard more details about the subject or object of the poem; the story progressed as well. In the final stanza, I felt like there was closure to the story being told. It was a mini story within the matter of a minute or two. The poems never swayed off topic; they stuck to the story line. Also, all of the poems we read had a certain melody, rhythm, and rhyme scheme in one way or another. These qualities kept me focused on the story as well. I wanted to see how the author used different sounds and words to continue the flow. I was always interested in hearing what would come next. I think that's what adds to poetry: wondering how the author will use words and sounds to create a poem.1205458695

At first when Br. Tom told us about the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis, i had some doubts. I mean how can that be important? But, i think that it is in some cases. I mean it helps a lot with organization as well as a mode for getting your point across. In The Tropics of New York, the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis is clearly laid out. THe thesis is the long list of fruits of the tropics, the islands, the getaway. The antithesis is that these fruits that the narrator longs to be with are in a grocery store in the middle of a city, not near hills and clear skies. The synthesis is the narrator's longing to be back with these fruits in the tropics. I like that organization; it made it more understandable. 1205463932

I agree that the stanzas definitely do have an organization to them that fits their purpose. The three stanza poem was pretty common, and they all fit the mold of the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. But there were certain poems that didn't fit this mold. Saying Yes was one of them, and I think it is a great example of how the stanzas play a purpose. Each stanza presents a new idea, and in a poem such as Saying Yes, there are much more than three ideas. However, in the three stanza poems, with each stanza being longer, the stanzas all do have a unique function and a unique purpose. Whether we can put each stanza under a mold such as the thesis or antithesis or not, each of the stanzas still does serve a purpose. 1205468794