Parts of a Poem: Space

Hey, Class another one of our parts of a poem.

Many lecture Siri's.

This time we're going to be discussing space.

Initially, I I was selected a template that kind of

depicted, like a soccer field with soccer players and arrows

and things like that, because one of the conversations we've

been having, um, in our household with the two soccer

players that we have, um, is how do they create

space and utilize space on the soccer field?

But I thought that visualization might be too specific or

niche to soccer players or soccer parents like myself.

So instead, I I chose this template that I thought

reminded me of outer space to kind of think about

this discussion, which to a certain degree is a continuation

of the conversation on the poetic line that we had

in one of the earlier parts of a poem, lectures

many lectures, as well as the conversation on form that

we recently have been having through, particularly through birth as

well as through this parts off a poem lecture.

Many lecture Siri's and so I think that this kind

of gets at some of what we're going to be

discussing when it comes to the concept of space which

I'm defining here in particular ways as tthe e area

and or depth of the page or canvas on or

in which the poem is situated.

And how is the poet then utilizing that space in

in intentional or unintentional way and everything s o the

space that becomes everything that falls outside of the ink

or the demarcation of the letters.

The words, um whether it be on, you know, on

a physical page we have ink.

Whereas on the word processor page we have the typed

sort of, um significant shin of letters and so on,

so forth.

And so with you might think about space as like

with the exception of maybe the erase your poems and

raise your poem is when you take a previously already

created text in a race away aspect of it or

redact pieces of it in order to create a new

poem, a new text.

So excluding that we typically start with a blank page

and thus thing act of writing might be likened to

the using of black ink or letters toe etch the

poem out of this sort of white space, right So,

considering that space reminds us that when reading poems were

often focused on this small percentage of the page, which

is where the text is placed, right where the letters

of the words are placed or even sometimes images around

it lies this pause right this empty, if you will

space that is, that does include meaning, despite like the

pause or or the momentary rest.

Um, that is is being signified by that space, right?

And so we might consider that blank space that white

space as the functional white or the functional white space

of the page.

Right? So the functional white guides the reader through a

text. The white space or functional white space allows the

text to exist in a specific position.

On the page, right, we saw that we look at

it again in Abad, in burning city, right and eso.

The text exist in a specific position on the page

in relation to the functional white space as a background

or backdrop.

Eso discussing the functional white space is not necessarily just

about thinking about the white space as ornamental or visual,

um, but also how that space helps to shape the

way that we engage with the poem, how we read

it. The feelings evoked the meaning constructed in the poem,

all that could be manipulated or conjured through the use

of functional white space.

So, uh, we might think about how you know, I

think it's I saw recently Anne Cardwell, who was wrote

an essay called The White Space and Poetry.

And she talked about how and this was a piece

on medium that to call her white spaces, where the

silent world carries on and characters continue their lives and

pauses in margins in between lines.

It's the unwritten words.

The untold story or strategic line breaks the untold story

our strategic line breaks can conjure.

If you look for it, a good portion of meaning

can be found outside of the pole.

And so the ways that we might see that or

that might be created through the functions of functional white

space is through how it creates visual distance.

Visual breaks or fractures between words or in the middle

of words are between lines.

Todo it dictates breath in reading.

When we see that pause, or that that that break

or that white space we pause, it affects the way

that we read, or even the way that we breathe

right in the poem.

It expresses this blank.

Ah, functional white space expresses silence or a pause.

It allows us toe physically breathe.

But also there's a certain sort of breath in our

intake of the meaning or the or the sound of

that previous thought or word, right.

It can also be used as a as an alternative

to punctuation instead of a comma or an end Ashour

period. Sometimes people use a more dramatic use of space.

Sometimes it could be used as a filler for a

syllable to create or disrupt rhythm, right?

It can signify different aspects of voice or components.

Uh oh, our voices, Sorry aspect, voices or components of

narrative. Sometimes the use of space can be telling us

who's speaking or what type, or what time people are

speaking. Um, or speakers, I should say, are speaking, uh,

imply some kind of possibility of something else lurking some

kind of haunting sense in the poem, right?

It can cause it could cause another dimension of meaning

and create a certain sort of meaning in the poem

that's used to space and also can create shapes and

concrete poetry We started.

We started reading a little bit about country poetry through

Bert in the form section, right and so sometimes used

to space could just be the way, and you're trying

to get it to look like something that's being too

victim in the poem.

But then it is to say that not all white

space dysfunctional white space, functional white white space is being

used to, uh, include or in code or or enhance

some kind of meaning, some kind of sound, some kind

of visual experience that is purposeful, um, to the reading

and understanding of the poem.

And so we might think about how we can apply

that I talked about this is that just came out

in the anti Caldwell kind of quote.

I just read about how we might see the functional

white space or just the white space in the margins

in between letters, words and lines, and try to read

meaning into that, or to read how that how that

manipulates or or changes our understanding or reading of the

poem. And so we have Obama with burning city here

with ocean bang you see a very innovative use of

the space of the page as if it's a canvas

right. There's things are being aligned in different ways, and

they are being shifted from left to right.

And that impacts not only the where are the way

our eyes moved down the page, but the places in

which we pause or give us a little bit of

a pause because of the way that the I physically

needs more space to track from the girl's dress on

the second line, which is pushed over exaggerated even though

it's a shorter line to the right, then all the

way have ours.

We track all the way back to May.

Your days be married and bright, so there's more.

Time is physical.

Time is being taken there, so the pause is greater

but also creates a sort of snake like effect of

the way that you track.

If you look down the center line of the poem,

it also as we know in the poem, there's several

different narratives going on.

So it adds to some of the chaotic nature of

the reading of the poem, and we see like, How

would it look if we just took away some of

that innovative use of functional white space.

Right? We have the first kind of part of Obama

with burning city as it appears, Um, the way Ocean

Vong intended it.

And then we have it if we just aligned everything

and took away the extra spaces between the lines.

Um, and if you were deposited video here and read

the two different versions of this, I think you would

see how dramatic the difference is not only in the

way that feels but also in the way that it

sounds and how those feelings and sounds affect the way

that we interpret what's going on in the poem, right?

And so I encourage you actually to pause the video

here and, uh, and read both versions and see how

it actually comes out and compare and contrast the different

impressions. So, an example.

Hopefully you had a chance to deposit previous section, and

you actually go through that exercise Renate both ways.

Um, but an example of how we might apply further,

apply this concept of space to one of our poems

reading this week.

Uh, mahogany L brown's upon viewing the death of Basquiat.

We have really interesting use of space here.

And I put over to the right again the different

ways in which the function of white space might function.

And so we have ah, couple things happening here.

We have this interesting sort of pass tricks or footnote

which creates space between what seems to be the body

of the poem, and then this sort of footnoted other

poem as well.

And so we can decide how we are to read

that. Do we read upon viewing the death of and

then follow the Asterix down to the bottom and then

come back to the body of the poem?

Or do we read the body of the poem and

then read the page basically from top to bottom?

And so we have this space Way created almost creates

a certain sort of choose your own adventure, uh, experience

with this poem.

And so the other thing that which isn't necessarily, um,

approach through the conversation of space unless we're creative with

the way that we understand that is there's this interesting

sort of read action that's happening in the poem, some

some kind of spoilers about the context of that This

is a technique that Basquiat used in his own paintings,

right? Oftentimes, he was right, text in his paintings or

paint text ah, words or phrases in his paintings and

then cross them out.

And he would talk about how, for some, how the

crossed outwards drew our eyes.

There's this interesting kind of thing when it comes to

reduction that were drawn to that which has been crossed

out because we're then thinking, wanting toe to discover or

or, you know, deduct.

What is it that we're not supposed to see?

And we kind of want to see the thing that

we're not supposed to see or what has been crossed,

crossed out or erased right?

And so it creates an interesting sort of effect about

how it draws our attention.

Um, and so we won't read this poem.

I look into the noise mouth, paper thin, a scatter

extinguishes home.

Or we might read at least the body of the

poem with the redaction as I look into the noise

mouth paper thin.

My tongue, a scatter of for gotten belongings extinguishes the

heat of home.

And so it's interesting again, you We heard the way

that I read that even with the redacted spaces kind

of affect the way that the amount of space and

time that we have from getting from thin to a

scatter right.

And so, um, how is this space being used here?

And then there's even space here at the bottom section.

Right? We have.

Once my mother plagued a painting swept oceanic throughout the

dreams of a brown man in the lower Manhattan.

Three years later, she sun rose in California Swan dive

into an oblique woman.

There are days I forget my name, my name.

I forget my claim.

This kind of fire that strikes black bodies into fever

Spliff, clean cleaner Still ain't no mountain of needles or

glass pipes large enough to tow away my body.

Today my mouth is a tomb off the things people

forget Such a power My mouth, This spill wonder this

rough rapture of song eight.

No way!

I let the sun set us a fire again.

And so, whichever way you read this poem maybe in

your breeding I would encourage you.

If you're to use this concept of space to think

about what space, what service is the space or different

types of use of space.

Um, serving in the poem.

What purpose is it serving?

What service is it doing?

Is it creating visual distance or breaks?

Is it dictating our breath and reading?

And if so, how?

And why might these things be important or interesting in

our reading of the poem or support the argument that

we're reading?

Um, when it comes to our interpretation of the pole,

right is being used as an alternative to punctuation and

so on and so forth.

And so I hope this gives us again yet another

element or angle through which we might, or lens through

which we might explore our readings of poetry or specific

poems. Take care.

I hope you got you all enjoyed this lecture and

let me know if there any questions about space.

Parts of a Poem: Space

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