Hahahaha!
Hahahahahahahah!
Haha! Hahahahahahahahahahah!
Okay, I've caught my breath now. This is a double-fail: bad poem, badly read. I found the transcript of the poem, and I read a few lines aloud and it didn't sound nearly so bad. It still was crap, but at least I know I can read crap better than someone qualified enough to read crap at a Presidential Inauguration.
Rush Limbaugh's comment was
Limbaugh asked on his show why poets always hide their message in symbolism instead of just coming out and saying what they have to say. Well, crappy poets get caught up in the symbolism, thinking that by being indecipherable people will think they're smart; good poets find striking, memorable images to convey a message. Sure, there's a simpler way to say it, but even if it takes more words, if you can associate a message with an image, it will have greater impact. You should understand this, Limbaugh, having spent so much of your early career as a DJ, and being such a fan of music. Music is poetry! Elizabeth Alexander's poem is garbage, though. Hilarious, insipid garbage. Limbaugh also said "If I can do it, it isn't art." Nonsense! Limbaugh has political discussion down to an art; no one can do what he does as effectively as he does it. Plus, even if quite a lot of people can, for example, doodle simple sketches, it's still art. This poem was definitely art, it just sucked beyond all measure of sucking. I could write a poem no one wants to hear, too, and it would still be art, just really crappy art.
Alexander was interviewed by Stephen Colbert the other night about her poem, but it was a disappointing interview. He didn't poke fun at the poem at all (of course, that was probably a condition of her appearing on the show, he could have been funnier about it had she not actually been on his show). Colbert jokingly asked "what is the difference between a metaphor, and a lie?", and instead of being eloquent, as you'd expect a poet to be, she didn't really say anything. This is a persistent trait of liberalism: symbolism is more important than substance. Colbert had to make her point for her, by saying "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day.... why not just say 'you're hot, let's do it!'?" In the right hands imagery and symbolism are effective tools. Shakespeare was those hands, Elizabeth Alexander is not those hands.
My favorite line from the poem: "Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum, with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice." Hahaha!
The other highlight was when the poem ended, and the audience only knew because she left the podium, because there was no other cue, no obviously concluding statement, no change in inflection from the reader, Ms. Alexander. I really still don't believe I heard what I heard.
3 comments:
lol, i actually thought it was good because it was thoroughly modern and not 'rhymey rhymey' and dared to say something in a way that people had to think about rather than immediately 'get' like a greeting card.
hey, but this ain't the first time we disagreed about somethin!! :)
interesting getting a different perspective!
Well, if I understand right, you write some poetry? I don't know that I could argue the point well with you as to the merit of the poem, and by criticizing it I don't mean to take away anything another person got out of it, just to voice my own thoughts, but you already understand that. ;)
Unlike some people, I know poetry doesn't have to rhyme, though rhyming makes it stick in memory better, which would have been beneficial in this case for such an "historic" event. My complaint is that a 3rd grader could have written that poem. Let me try:
There is a house somewhere on a street in a town;
Children play in a neighborhood, on swings, slide, merry-go-round;
Cars drive by, burning fossil fuel and polluting the air....
You get the point. Limbaugh said it isn't art if he can do it. I think art is whatever you call it; but good art requires uncommon skill, and in my opinion none was shown here.
The good part is that this segment of the inauguration had me rolling with laughter, and was the only part I didn't find worrying or offensive. Like that "prayer".
no you're absolutely right to have a good laugh at it if ya find it funny! i take no offense! lol
that rush limbaugh quote was funny. i'd be inclined to agree with him. :)
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