Marianne Moore begins her well-known poem, “Poetry” with “I too, dislike it.” Explain what poetry she dislikes.
“Poetry, I too, dislike it.” When a person reads these words, the first impression or interpretation that evokes is surely something of negative essence. Marianne Moore starts her well-known poem “Poetry” with somehow contradictory words for everybody. The first appealing fact is that it is a poem about “Poetry” that reveals various sides of life, its pros and cons. Moore parses the real understanding and meaning of poetry building bridges between poetry and a person’s inner world.
Throughout the poetry, she tries to uncover the true essence of it by providing examples, making comparisons, contrasting with everyday life situations, either pleasant or unbearable. Moore dislikes something that is “good for nothing.” She mentions a genuine in the beginning and in the end she again seems to find the “lost” genuine in the frames of poetry. Moore doesn’t support the prominence that is gained by half poets as she considers the result of all that to be not real poetry. It seems, for Moore understanding is the core factor and basis for forming a specific opinion and thus admiring or evaluating something. While reading the poem, you can come across many so-called “dislikes” which are immediately followed by supporting ideas and just opposite points.
Of more importance are the dull things that Moore mentions in the “Poetry” which are useless, trivial. Among those things she mentions bad poetry which seems to be the underlying factor for her “dislike.” She is against something that is raw, especially if it is poetry or just simply half poets. Moore emphasizes the fact that such kind of raw material should be imaginatively conceived.
All in all, Moore wants poetry to be unique in its own way, to continue to be “genuine” and for authentic poetry she wants poets to create an imaginary world in their minds and then make the raw lines real and admiring.
Works Cited
Joyce, Elisabeth W. Cultural Critique and Abstraction: Marianne Moore and the Avant-Garde. Bucknell University Press, 1998, www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/m_r/moore/poetry.htm.
Pinsky, Robert. “Marianne Moore’s Five-Decade Struggle with Poetry.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 30 June 2009, www.slate.com/articles/arts/poem/2009/06/marianne_moores_poetry.html?via=gdpr-consent.
