Poetry helps me understand who I am. It helps me understand the world around me. But above all, what poetry has taught me is the fact that I need to embrace mystery in order to be completely human.
Interpretation
Poetry is a means of self-discovery and understanding the complexities of life.
In this quote, Yusef Komunyakaa expresses the powerful role that poetry plays in both personal identity and comprehension of the world. He emphasizes that poetry not only aids in self-reflection but also encourages an appreciation for the mysteries of existence, suggesting that accepting these uncertainties is essential to being truly human.
In practice
In a literature class, discussing how poetry helps express emotions.
Students often have such a lofty idea of what a poem is, and I want them to realize that their own lives are where the poetry comes from. The most important things are to respect the language; to know the classical rules, even if only to break them; and to be prepared to edit, to revise, to shape.
It wasn't a deliberate decision to become a poet. It was something I found myself doing - and loving. Language became an addiction.
We have to embrace the good over the bad. That has to be one's personal project.
I originally wanted to embrace the imagery and forthrightness of rap music. There are some interesting, dynamic voices in rap. But I find most of it irresponsible in its overt violence and commercialization of anger. As artists, we believe we can will action through language. If that's the case, we have to take responsibility for what we say.
I'm uncomfortable with the focus on the poet and not on the poem.
Tonight I feel the stars are out_x000D_ to use me for target practice.
Art is uncompromising, and life is full of compromises.
My paintings are not about what is seen. They are about what is known forever in the mind.
What is the explanation of the seemingly insane drive of man to be painter and poet if it is not an act of defiance against mans fall and an assertion that he return to the Garden of Eden? For the artists are the first men.
All my works are games, serious game.
To labor in the arts for any reason other than love is prostitution.
I can talk endlessly about characters, or why someone did this or that, and what that dynamic and interaction is. I really love it, and I think that actors really respond positively to the fact that I like to talk about that stuff, because I'm not sure that all directors do.
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