Reading Response

Response 1: Writing Poetry-- Voice
I found it difficult to read this chapter because, as I was reading, I thought to myself  'Oh my goodness, what exactly is my voice when writing poetry?' As I read further, I grasped onto a few techniques that specifically caught my eye, such as the section entitled "Assuming the voice of others." This made me realize that I do not always have to write a poem based off of my actual experiences, or even from my own opinion. I especially enjoyed the poem "Respect, 1967"... I think I may steal some of it, or at least borrow it for a little while. In the section "Throwing your voice", I found it difficult to relate to the 'I dont know' theory that suggests poets should sometimes keep that mentaltity while writing. I need to work on throwing my voice with what I do and don't know.

Response 2: Writing Poetry-- Style
I like style. So why is it so difficult for me to develop my own style?-- It's quite frustrating. In the section "Starting in style", the text implies that we should conciously study and assimilate to style, absorbing different types of poetry to help gain exposure to style. I couldn't agree with this more. I do, however, want to mimic other poets' styles, but have a hard time doing so-- mostly because I try to mimic it TOO much. I also enjoyed the poem "stylistic arrogance"... I couldn't think of a better example than Richard Hugo. it is my goal to develop a stylistic arrogance to my writing.