Reading Response: Week 5-1

One of readings this week was ‘Form and Structure,’ and I felt I learnt a lot by reading the chapter and also with the ‘Thermoregulation in Winter Moths’ exercise Professor Ellison carried out. I never really understood the importance of the line breaks in poems before, and in my poems I tried to write in a way that all lines were of the equal length. I particular enjoyed reading Davidson and Fraser’s preliminary inventory of the form and structure of Larkin’s poem ‘Aubade.’ It was interesting to see how much attention had been paid to every sentence in the poem, how the form of the poem was an effort to emphasize particular ideas, and how every line break kept the reader wanting to read more. It made me realize how I need to pay more attention to every line in the poems I write, and also concentrate on the line breaks and end the lines in a way that makes the reader want more. I feel this chapter also emphasizes the thought, time and effort that go into writing a brilliant poem. I’m really enjoying the way the process of writing poetry unfolds in this book.