What Makes a Poem - Max

I read a lot of poetry. I write it too. 

I know a lot of people sigh and huff when they hear “poetry” and dislike it due to the unstructured nature of its creation. But, unsurprisingly, the poems that are often read in classes and for homework aren’t the only types of poetry. 

The great thing about poetry is the fact that it can take many different forms. A poem could be a letter written to your past self or a run-on narration of your feelings. 

Sometimes they rhyme, and other times they’re formulated just as formally as an essay. The real importance is the feeling. 

Any piece can be a poem as long as you want it to be. 

In Depression & Other Magic Tricks by Sabrina Benaim; she writes a piece entitled “better together: a Jack Johnson erasure”. It includes a large block of text, though the text is blocked out. It removes the words that are, though written, unwanted and leaves the two phrases she wishes to keep; “I believe in memories” and “But there is not enough time”. Though this poem is not traditional, having few words featured, it conveys emotion and a goal. And, most importantly, she wants it to be a poem. 

the witch doesn’t burn in this one by Amanda Lovelace is another prime example of a poetry book including traditional poems beside some that are a little different. In her piece “a girl’s first words:” only one phrase makes up the page; “‘i’m sorry.’”, listed ten times. The same is said on the next page, a poem titled “a girl’s last words:”. 

Though these poems may not be the average Shakespeare or Edgar Allan Poe, they still convey intense emotion. The strange writing style often conveys more if the theme is to show the strangeness of life or other ordeals. Emotion and want for a poem is what makes a poem, not the way it sounds.

The Importance of Minor Characters - Elanor

 In every story, there are main characters, side characters, and minor characters. The main characters are the characters which are most central to the story, while side characters are connected to the main characters. Minor characters, however, are characters that only have a few pieces on dialouge, and not many readers would even remember their names. Despite this, I find minor characters to be central in creating an inveloping story that readers will truly feel connected to.

Any who know me know I'm a tad bit obsessed with Terry Pratchett, and a large reason for that is he truly gives every character a reason. There is no character meant to be a punching bag, or more importantly (to me at least), there is no character that simply exists to push a story along. Every character is meant to be in the story, and is meant to be impactful.

Spoilers for Thud! by Terry Pratchett.

In Thud!, it is very clear that Sam Vimes would do anything for his family. Throughout the eight book series, the reader watches him go from a drunk, run-down copper to a man who cares deeply about his job, The People (if there is such a thing), and his wife and son. When four dwarves try to keep him out of dwarvish murdering sprees by attacking his wife and son, it enrages him. In the previous book, he is fully ready to sacrifice his life so his wife and son can have a chance to become who they're meant to be. In this book, when that is threatened, he states he would kill any dwarf who was involved.

Eventually, eight dwarves come offering their help, and Vimes is enraged that they dare speak with him when it is their kind killing each other, their kind who tried to kill his son. One dwarf, the name I can't even remember, then speaks up. He says that his own son was one that was killed in the mines. Vimes snaps out of his angry stupor, allowing him to think about the situation. Vimes has never believed (or been good at) politics, and when he started to think about this crime as politics, he stopped having emathy for the people involved.

Despite not remembering the dwarf's name, I remember the scene profoundly. The scene is pivotal to giving Vimes the drive to solve the case. This minor character, which I could not tell you the descrption of other than him probably being short, is what drives the story to finish, while making the reader step back and understand the stakes of the story. The families that had their sons taken away. Main characters are what make the plot, but minor characters are what make the story.