A Date with a Literary Scholar

Few days ago , to be exact on 21st October 2013, Mr Refaat Alareer , a Palestinian academic and writer paid a visit to us, and this really made my day! I've never thought that he'd come to our class since he's working in his motherland, Gaza. Mr Refaat , it was such an honour to see you here! Okay, let me just be honest here, actually I didn't know that there's Palestinian or Arab poet like Mr Refaat who defending themselves by writing. Getting back , at the very begining of the talk, Mr Refaat told us about how Zionist movement managed to occupy Palestin, then he continued on how to write poetry, shared his experience when he first write a poetry. He himself did not realized that he got the ability to write at first. The thing is, we need to believe that we can write and we should have will to write poetry etc. One thing that I remember is ,  we should not give up when it comes to writing. [ basically that's what I'm doing] , we just need to write everything that comes from our mind . I really adore Mr Refaat as his poems made me realized about hardship faced by Gazans. When he read the poem to the whole class that day, "I am You" I can feel his emotions, nearly made me burst out my tears. 

I am You 

Two steps: one, two.
‏Look in the mirror:
‏The horror, the horror!
‏The butt of your M-16 on my cheekbone
‏The yellow patch it left
‏The bullet-shaped scar expanding
‏Like a swastika,
‏Snaking across my face,
‏The heartache flowing
‏Out of my eyes dripping
‏Out of my nostrils piercing
‏My ears flooding
‏The place.
‏Like it did to you
‏70 years ago
‏Or so.

***
‏I am just you.
‏I am your past haunting
‏Your present and your future.
‏I strive like you did.
‏I fight like you did.
‏I resist like you resisted
‏And for a moment,
‏I’d take your tenacity
‏As a model,
‏Were you not holding
‏The barrel of the gun
‏Between my bleeding
‏Eyes.

***

One. Two.
‏The very same gun
‏The very same bullet
‏That had killed your Mom
‏ And killed your Dad
‏Is being used,
‏Against me,
‏By you.
***
‏Mark this bullet and mark in your gun.
‏If you sniff it, it has your and my blood.
‏It has my present and your past.
‏It has my present.
‏It has your future.
‏That’s why we are twins,
‏Same life track
‏Same weapon
‏Same suffering
‏Same facial expressions drawn
‏On the face of the killer,
‏Same everything
‏Except that in your case
‏The victim has evolved, backward,
‏Into a victimizer.
‏I tell you.
‏I am you.
‏Except that I am not the you of now.

***
‏I do not hate you.
‏I want to help you stop hating
‏And killing me.
‏I tell you:
‏The noise of your machine gun
‏Renders you deaf
‏The smell of the powder
‏Beats that of my blood.
‏The sparks disfigure
‏My facial expressions.
‏Would you stop shooting?
‏For a moment?
‏Would you?

***
‏All you have to do
‏Is close your eyes
‏(Seeing these days
‏Blinds our hearts.)
‏Close your eyes, tightly
‏So that you can see
‏In your mind’s eye.
‏Then look into the mirror.
‏One. Two.
‏I am you.
‏I am your past.
‏And killing me,
‏You kill you.

http://thisisgaza.wordpress.com/

http://thisisgaza.wordpress.com/

I've got some useful tips from Mr Refaat on how to become a  great poet. The first rule when we are starting out to become a poet is to read, read, and read high quality poetry. And then read some more. Many people think that they can write poetry without having read any of it. They cant. The key is, to read the poetry and get some inspirations from it before we start to write our own poetry.I found that it's one of the best way to develop my writing skills and polish my talent. Apart from that, in order to start writing a poetry, we should find a source of inspiration like Mr Refaat said, "try to imitate great poem and get some inspiration from it". The key to a great poem is finding passion and motivation for the poem. I'm still remember how I got the inspiration when I wrote my own poem, inspired by Naomi's poem " All Things Not Considered", where I tried to feel the emotions in Naomi's poem and imagined that I'm the persona in the poem. The thing is, I tried to bring the feeling through the lines of my poem. Mr Refaat also mentioned about "be yourself" when writing a poem. I personally believe that this will bring out our inner feelings and help to convey those feelings in rhythmic words because that's what poetry is all about!


The talk last for about 2 hours and during the Q&A session, there's question about education in Gaza, and Mr Refaat did mention that most female in Gaza involve in activism. 



p/s : sorry guys, I can't attach the picture during that day here. Thank you for reading! :)

What is Drama?

Drama is a prose or verse composition, especially one telling a serious story, that is intended for representation by actors impersonating the characters and performing the dialogue and action. Talking about drama, the first figure that popped out from our mind is "William Shakespeare". 

-Shakespeare's Comedies and Histories-

Shakespeare's career in the theater begins with three plays about Henry IV, written between 1590 and 1592. It is more illuminating however, if we look at his first decade as a whole, dividing plays into three groups. There is a variety of plays, plays which might be regarded as apprentice works in which Shakespeare is learning his craft:  The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Titus Andronicus, The Comedy of Errors, Love's Labours Lost, and Romeo and Juliet. 

Plays are traditionally divided into comedies and tragedies. Tragedy has its origins on Greek drama, specifically in the plays of the Athenian dramatists such as Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. The central concept is that a major character is afflicted by some kind of suffering, but preserves his or her dignity in the face of this affliction. 

In tragedy, the hero faces the worst the world has to offer, but there is no sense of compensation beyond the present. Shakespeare's greatest play, "Hamlet" is one of tragedies . Hamlet's uncle, Claudius, has married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, just a month after the death of her husband. In addition, Claudius has claimed the throne, ignoring the rights of his nephew. Hamlet discovers his father was murdered by Claudius. After a great deal of procrastination Hamlet kills Claudius.  

WORLD WAR 1 POETRY

Lieutenant Noel Hodgson, MC

Courtesy of Poems and Poets of the First World War (link)

Life

Hodgson was the fourth and youngest child of Henry Bernard Hodgson, the Bishop of Saint Edmundsbury and Ipswich. He entered into The School House of Durham School in September 1905 on a King's Scholarship. He steered in the second crew in 1907; was in the XI, 1910, 1911; and in the XV, 1910. He won the Steeplechase in 1909 and 1911. He left Durham in July 1911, with Gallipoli war poet and friend Nowell Oxland, for Oxford University where he was an exhibitioner of Christ Church. He obtained a first class degree in Classical Moderations in March 1913 and decided to stay and do Greats.

Known as "Smiler" to his friends, he volunteered for the British Army on the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 and served in the 9th Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. For the first year of the War he was training in England, before landing at Le Havre on 28 July, 1915 and being sent to trenches near Festubert. His first major offensive came on 25 September during the Battle of Loos. He was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Military Cross for holding a captured trench for 36 hours without reinforcements or supplies during the battle and he was subsequently promoted to lieutenant.

Having returned to England after the Battle of Loos, he was positioned with his Battalion in the front line trenches at Fricourt in February 1916, before moving a kilometre or so to the trenches opposite the town of Mametz in April. The trench was named Mansell Copse, as it was in a group of trees. He was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme when attacking German trenches near Mametz. He was bombing officer for his battalion during the attack, and was killed by a machine gun positioned at a shrine whilst taking grenades to the men in the newly captured trenches. The bullet went through his neck, killing him instantly. His servant was found next to him after the offensive had ended. He is buried in Devonshire Cemetery in Mansell Copse.

Inspiration Of The Poem

Before Action

Serving with the 9^th Battalion the Devonshire Regiment, Lieutenant Hodgson was on the Somme battlefield in June 1916 preparing for the Battle of the Somme. The scheduled date for the start of the battle was originally to be August 1916, but had been brought forward to the 29^th June, 1916. Owing to bad weather in the week building up to the battle the date of the attack was postponed at 11.00 hours on 28^th June and moved by two days to the morning of 1^st July 1916.

It is believed that Noel Hodgson wrote the poem “Before Action” on 29^th June.

Into Action

In the early hours of the morning of Saturday 1^st July 1916 William Noel Hodgson was in position with his comrades, anxiously waiting for Zero Hour at 07.30 hours. Due to the severe damage from German artillery fire the British Front Line trench was unsuitable for the battalion to assemble in ready for the attack, so the men were about 250 yards behind the British Front Line trench. At Zero Hour the men of 9^th Devons advanced from their position behind the Front Line trench, with the 2^nd Battalion Border Regiment on their left and the 2^nd Battalion the Gordon Highlanders on their right.

The 9^th Devons had about 400 yards of No-Mans-Land to cross in the Carnoy valley before they could attempt to break into the German Front Line south of Mametz village. As soon as the first men of the Devons reached No-Mans-Land they were exposed to fire from German machine guns. Many were cut down in No-Mans-Land and the battalion suffered heavy casualties. Lieutenant Hodgson was Bombing Officer in the attack. He was responsible for keeping the men supplied with grenades during the attack, which would be especially important if they got into the German positions. Within an hour of the attack it is said that Lieutenant Hodgson was killed. He was aged 23. He would never again see a sunset.

In spite of the heavy casualties lost by the battalion the Devons had progressed with their attack and the German-held village of Mametz was captured by the British 7^th Division. All but one of the officers of the 9^th Devons were killed or wounded. The British Front Line position did, therefore, successfully advance to a new position by the end of the day.

“The Devonshires Held This Trench”

That night Lieutenant Hodgson's body was retrieved and brought back into the British Front Line position, along with over 160 of his comrades. They were buried in the vicinity of a little wood called Mansell Copse which was in the British Front Line trench position at the start of the day.

A ceremony was held at the burial site on 4^th July. A wooden cross was put up at the time by the survivors of the 9^th and 8^th Battalions of the Devonshire Regiment. Carved on the cross were the words: “The Devonshires held this trench, the Devonshires hold it still.” The graves were left in this position when the cemeteries were rebuilt after the war. 163 graves are now contained in the cemetery which is named “Devonshire Cemetery”. All but one of the casualties are men of the Devonshire Regiment. Lieutenant Noel Hodgson is buried in Grave reference A. 3.

View towards the village of Mametz (far left of the photo on the skyline) from the British Front Line position. Lieutenant Noel Hodgson and the men of 9^th Devons were to attack the German Front Line at Mametz from here on 1^st July 1916.

Before Action

by Lieutenant William Noel Hodgson, MC, 29^th June, 1916

By all the glories of the day

And the cool evening's benison

By that last sunset touch that lay

Upon the hills when day was done,

By beauty lavishly outpoured

And blessings carelessly received,

By all the days that I have lived

Make me a soldier, Lord.

By all of all man's hopes and fears

And all the wonders poets sing,

The laughter of unclouded years,

And every sad and lovely thing;

By the romantic ages stored

With high endeavour that was his,

By all his mad catastrophes

Make me a man, O Lord.

I, that on my familiar hill

Saw with uncomprehending eyes

A hundred of thy sunsets spill

Their fresh and sanguine sacrifice,

Ere the sun swings his noonday sword

Must say good-bye to all of this; -

By all delights that I shall miss,

Help me to die, O Lord.

Reference : 

The Great War. N.p., n.d. Web. Retrieved on 13 Oct. 2013 from http://www.greatwar.co.uk/poems/william-noel-hodgson-before-action.htm.

"William Noel Hodgson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web.Retrieved on 13 October 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._N._Hodgson

Poetry & Drama

courtesy from Google Image (link)

Definition of Poetry

Poetry is an imaginative attentiveness of experience expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices so as to evoke an emotional response. Poetry has been known to employ meter and rhyme, but this is by no means necessary. Poetry is an ancient form that has gone through numerous and drastic reinvention over time. The very nature of poetry as a genuine and individual mode of expression makes it nearly impossible to define.

But there are as many definitions of poetry as there are poets. Wordsworth defined poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings;" Emily Dickinson said, "If I read a book and it makes my body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is poetry;" and Dylan Thomas defined poetry this way. "Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or nothing."

 Types of Poems

Haiku

Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry which is composed of three non rhyming lines. The first and third lines have five syllables each and the second line has seven syllables. They often express feelings and thoughts about nature; however, you could write a poem about any subject that you would like to in this form. Perhaps the most famous Haiku is Basho's Old Pond:

Furuike ya 

kawazu tobikomu 

mizu no oto

Translated, this poem reads:

The old pond--

a frog jumps in,

sound of water.

Pastoral

One of the poetic favorites is pastoral poetry because it elicits such wonderful senses of peace and harmony. Examples of this form include Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn, which is also a type of ode. A stanza of this poem reads:

Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness,     

Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time,     

Sylvan historian, who canst thus express     

A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:     

What leaf-fringed legend haunts about thy shape             

Of deities or mortals, or of both,     

In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?     

What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?     

What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?     

What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?

Like the haiku, nature is often at the center of these types of poems as well. In general, pastoral poetry will focus on describing a rural place, but the terms will be peaceful and endearing. You will feel at ease after reading these types of poems.

Many pastoral poems are written about shepherds. They are written as a series of rhyming couplets.

Imagery

Individuals who often write imagery-based poems are known as Imagists. William Carlos Williams' short poem The Red Wheelbarrow is a famous example of a short imagist poem:

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens.

These types of poems work to draw a picture in the mind of the reader, in order to give an extremely powerful image of what the writer is talking about. They work to intensify the senses of the reader.

Limerick

A limerick is a poem that is often silly or whimsical, written in five lines with an AABBA rhyme scheme. Often, limericks tell a short, humorous story.

There was a Young Lady of Dorking,

Who bought a large bonnet for walking;

But its colour and size,

So bedazzled her eyes,

That she very soon went back to Dorking.

Epic Poem

One of the longest types of poems is known as the epic poem, which has been around for thousands of years.

Technically a type of narrative poem, which tells a story, epic poems usually tell the story of a mythical warrior and the great things that he accomplished in all of his journeys such as The Odyssey and The Iliad.

He who has seen everything, I will make known (?) to the lands.

I will teach (?) about him who experienced all things,

... alike,

Anu granted him the totality of knowledge of all.

He saw the Secret, discovered the Hidden,

he brought information of (the time) before the Flood.

He went on a distant journey, pushing himself to exhaustion,

but then was brought to peace.

He carved on a stone stela all of his toils,

and built the wall of Uruk-Haven,

the wall of the sacred Eanna Temple, the holy sanctuary.

Free Verse

While it is easy to think that poems have to rhyme, free verse is a type of poetry that does not require any rhyme scheme or meter. Poems written in free verse, however, do tend to employ other types of creative language such as alliteration, words that begin with the same sound, or assonance, the repetition of vowel sounds.

Sonnet

A sonnet contains 14 lines, typically with two rhyming stanzas known as a rhyming couplet at the end.

There are several types of sonnets, including:

·         Italian (also known as Petrarchan)

·         Spenserian

·         English or Shakespearean sonnet

Reference :

1. Mark Flanagan – Contemporary Literature: What is Poetry? .  (nd). Retrieved October 5, 2013, from http://contemporarylit.about.com/od/poetry/a/poetry.htm

What Are Different Types of Poems? . (n.d.). Retrieved October 12th, 2013, from http://examples.yourdictionary.com/what-are-different-types-of-poems.html