How does a poet think?
How Does a Poet Think?
Above is a photograph of a lemon with snow on it. There are a number of poetry ideas that can come from this photograph. Some include:
- The photograph shows a contrast – there is a bright tasting fruit with cold snow. This idea could be applied to poetry. A poet might write a poem about two people, one who behaves brightly, and one who behaves coldly.
- There is the question of whether the snow will damage the fruit or the tree. The idea of unknown possible damage could be used in poetry. A poet could think of many situations where there is a sense of uncertainty about potential negative consequences.
- Some might look at this photograph and see hope. Despite the snow, there is the fruit. A poet could apply this idea of hope to different ideas.
- Some might look at this photograph and see despair. They might think it inevitable that the snow will damage the tree and fruit. This idea of despair could be applied to different ideas for poetry.
There are many things about this photo that could inspire a poet, all these things being extremely different from one another and all conveying very different flows and theme. Some of my ideas in terms of poetry regarding this photo are:
ReplyDelete- Determination. Even though cold and gloomy snow is all around the lemon let alone covering it, the lemon still shines its bright yellow hue and refuses to let its situation get it down, which could be symbolical for a person overcoming a depressing feat in their life or the never-ending optimism and hopefulness of a young child.
- The obvious contrast of a warm weather fruit in the environment of the coldest season. This could be symbolic of a person in an environment that they don't feel like they belong in or a person's pessimistic inner thoughts about their society.
- The idea of standing out in a crowd or basic setting. In poetry, this could be interpreted as a person thinking they're very different than everyone else and that being different is bad, but in actuality being different is the thing that makes them shine the brightest; a colourful personality in a sea of white.
There are many ways a poet could interpret this photo and adapt those ideas into poetry, and these are some of the thematic ideas I found while analysis the photo for inspiration.
This photograph could inspire a lot of different perspectives and themes, since there is a strong contrast and complexity to the image.
ReplyDelete-This image could inspire a poet with the contrast of life vs. death; the bright colours of the fruit and grass, represent spring and the struggle against the layer of snow, and the death of winter as the seasons change
-the perplexing unique situation of the lemon thriving in the cold weather gives a strong sense of the determination of life, to grow in difficult or unsuspecting circumstances--to fight against the odds or expectations of nature.
-the lemon also stands out in the image, as it is centred as the focal point and the only yellow object in the frame. The symmetrical sphere shape of the fruit could connect to the symbolism of the circle--which is a very strong shape-- inspiring the hope of continuity and unity, as well as the never ending cycle of seasons.
-the lemon could also be viewed in a more somber light, if a poet were to be inspired by the backstory to this image, they may question why the single lemon is still on the tree, left alone because it was never picked, or ripened slower than the rest of the harvest and was therefore left behind.
-This could represent the reality of time, and standing out amongst the rest of the crop--instead of just being picked and sold or eaten, this lemon now posses the potential for so much more, as seen in this photo--experiencing circumstances no other lemon has.
There are endless ways to analyze and perceive this photo, but these were some of the inspirations I took from this captivating and unique image.
When I look at this photograph, I see magic. The sight of a lemon gilded with frost reminds me of wintry stories like The Nutcracker; it seems like it would belong in a secret garden or fairy world. It would be a great inspiration for a poem describing a foray into a place like that.
ReplyDeleteOn the flipside, this could be a snapshot from a story of despair. Imagine the world frozen over, completely in the grip of ice, the fields and fruit orchards barren - or, perhaps, something less literal, like a country overwhelmed by war where nothing new has the chance to grow. Imagine, then, this one small, miraculous fruit appearing like a drop of the sun, heralding the coming spring. Despite the cold, despite the apparent impossibility of its very existence, hope blooms and bears fruit, because life is more powerful than any other force on Earth.
Imagine cupping this lemon in your hands, brushing off the frost, hardly daring to believe your own eyes. Imagine calling over your friends, your parents and sisters, so that they can tell you that you're not imagining things. The winter will pass, the lemon sings to you; spring is coming, the sun will shine, so just hold on. Just hold on.
The image displayed is very unique and since there is no title or caption or anything; it allows one to to be very creative. Here are some ideas on how a poet may be inspired by this picture:
ReplyDelete- Hope can be one because of the lemon's circumstance. Nothing is surrounding it except snow which has taken over the lemon itself and the tree as well. It is unavoidable and merciless with its cold.There is not even others of its kind; only one lemon. Despite it all, at this moment it is bright and beautiful. It will stand this way regardless of the treatment it is being shown.
-Happiness is always destroyed can be another idea. There's snow everywhere; killing everything that grows and nothing can be done so you accept it. But wait, you spy a beautiful lemon. It has beautiful spotless leathery skin and smells like summer's fine citrus. Then you open it up, and it's nothing but sour flesh buried in its bitter protection. You throw it away, realizing you were foolish to feel such expectations of happiness in the first place. Everything is always too good to be true. And one way or another something, sometime will ruin your optimism.
-I think that firstly, there is the aesthetic part- one could write about how vibrant the lemon is, standing out like a sun in a forest. It's a visually pleasing idea.
ReplyDelete-I really like the idea of hope- of a tropical fruit still being born in snow, surviving despite nature going against it. It could be a metaphor for hope and perseverance.
- Perhaps there could be a poem of solitude, the loneliness of being the last one, the lone survivor. This is a tact that is often explored in literary genres like dystopian.
-magic could also be an aspect, if one wished to take the fantasy route. The clovrs are not covered in snow, perhaps warming the lemon with good fortune.
I feel there are many routes a poet could take when analyzing this photo.
ReplyDelete- this photo could be seen as a representation of change. its not often that you see a lemon sprouting in the winter, this could be an example of change.
-the poem could be about one trying to hide who they really are to hide them self from one of the various conflicts. this one being man vs self. the person is trying to mask their personality with ice.
-this also could be a representation of a preteen. usually they are at that stage where they are unsure about staying immature and playful (warm and bright) or becoming mature (cold)
As with all forms of art there are many different ways to interpret things, here are mine:
ReplyDelete-Contrast/happiness in darkness: The lemon is very bright and yellow, its often associated with summer with and relaxing vs the very dark and ominous green grass and leaves behind it. The picture is kind of dark, and adding the snow ontop of that it makes me think of the less exciting parts of winter; cold, wet weather, shorter days, etc.
-Defying odds: Looking more literally at the image, I could see a poet that lives down south in warmer weather writing about this. Lemons, as with most citrus fruit, grow in warm locations like florida, India, etc. so to see a lemon still attached to the tree with snow on it seems almost impossible
-Perserverance: Similar to defying odds, since having lemons and snow together isn't natural, someone could look at this from lemons POV of pushing through the bad weather, in hope of brighter days to come.
-Impeding Threat: Alot of peopel seem to look at this picture from the hope perspective and "things will get better(the weather)," although this could also be seen as a warning of an coming threat. The lemon is a "living" being, so it needs warmth and the correct living conditions. The lemon in the snow could be the first signs of a strong winters storm about to strike or the death of the lemon from the cold could be a sign that a very warm location suddenly is facing a sub -30 degree winter.
I remember doing poetry in Grade 10 and 11. We analyzed picture a lot. We would analyze pictures to create a poem based on it. I find it very interesting for poets to do so. It can be hard sometimes to create a poem off of a picture. Often, people see different things, they look at images different than others. I used to like reading my classmates poems to see how they thought about a certain picture.
ReplyDeleteLooking at a picture and writing a poem about it is intriguing. It allows the writer to be creative and express their own ideas. They are free to write what they think the picture is portraying. I decided to create my own little poem about this picture.
White snow on the tree branches
In the cold frosty air
Neglecting the lemon to grow
To see the beauty of the snow and the lemon
Entering the world of cold air
Remaining on the tree until it gets cold enough to fall off
This is a little poem I did based on the first idea, which is the bright and the cold friend. It went a bit awry but you get the jist. I’m not too good at poetry so it’s not the best possible poem that could come from this photo. There’s so many different ways you could interpret this photo in order to inspire poetry and I think it’s interesting to see everyone's different takes. Enjoy my crappy poem!
ReplyDeleteI once knew a girl,
Who hated everything I said,
But I didn’t take much offence,
Since,
She hated nearly everyone and nearly everything.
She was odd, and she often left people running away in tears.
Sometimes she even left people blue and bruised.
And she regularly left me feeling cold and bitter,
I still think about this girl sometimes,
But I don’t just think about all the things she’s done wrong,
I also think about all the things she’s done terribly right.
A poet might see this image and think of equality. Though the leaves may not stand out against the fruit, the snow is blind to the uniqueness of everything, covering them all equally with snow. This image can bring up a bigger overall moral - that all people, no matter the differences, will undoubtedly be covered in death in the end.
ReplyDeleteI think this image is very thought provoking. It takes a real poet to see a deeper meaning in a simple thing. Most people would just question why there is a lemon in the snow, while someone who writes or views the world in a more complex way would see more behind this photo. This image has live plants in it while the snow is sweetly laid over top. A poet could just use this to make a poem about the first snow fall. Personally, when I see this picture I think about life and hope.
ReplyDeleteThis photo seems like a simple image to some but to a poet it is more than just an image. Poets are able to gather anything and everything that is around them and use it for their work, turning it into their own. A simple picture can go a long way for a poet. When a non poet sees a picture of a bee on a dying flower they merely just think of it as a bee on a dying flower whereas a poet would turn that picture into words of beauty. They would describe how that bee was feeling that very moment that they discovered that their friend was beginning to wither away right before their own eyes. This photo screams new bright life when there is suppose to be death.
ReplyDelete