I might as well admit...

I used to poke horrible fun at people who blog. It seemed like the most ridiculous, impersonal, over rated cry for attention. At the beginning of the semester I felt horrified and slightly embarrassed at the mere notion of placing something in public where others can freely criticize (I've had horrible experiences witnessing the next generation's online opinions). I would have rather run nude through the streets of Cambridge. After several weeks I have found blogging an excellent way to share and receive ideas, knowledge. It's a way to share information on a tricky topic, or post/read examples of a difficult pattern. Also, blogging gives us an opportunity to get to know each other as individuals and not just text on a page. Even though we can't get to know every poet's work we'll ever read, knowing each other on a personal level helps us help each other portray a desired effect. Then the awakening occurred: my favorite source of information in the equine industry, Fugly Horse of the Day, is a blog. A very popular, very funny, very aggressive blog. It really is funny how most of the things we dislike (people, places, and things, but mostly people) usually end up becoming an extremely valuable, irreplaceable resource.

Curious, as Always

Today in class it seemed impossible for several people to come to the same conclusion with the same preference on any particular piece. It amazes me how differently people perceive what they hear. Are such preferences (content, repetition, alliteration, consonance, rhyme, etc.) cultural or genetic? Do people enjoy certain poems or songs because of an internal processing system, or because they became accustomed to a particular rhythm? Do the same people who dislike music dislike poetry? Or do they only appreciate certain types of poetry? Even within the styles, do you think people who are visual learners align with and value more colorful, descriptive pieces? Obviously not everyone who dislikes poetry dislikes music, but I wonder if somehow, on any level, the two have a connection. Also, do any of you think it is possible, to an extent, that maybe some of us dislike seeing elements in other people's poetry because we cannot make them "work" in our own? Even beyond poetry, (at the risk of sounding like a therapist) maybe we disapprove of certain elements in other people's writing because we were chastised for making a similar attempt.