Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | ||||||||
"A Coney Island of the Mind: 15" ["Constantly Risking Absurdity"] is a poem by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, published in his collection "A Coney Island of the Mind" in 1958. The poem is a tribute to the daring and precarious nature of the artistic process, and celebrates the risks that poets and other artists take in order to create something new and original. Explanation: The poem begins with a description of a circus tightrope walker, who is constantly risking his life in order to perform his art. The speaker notes the bravery and audacity of the tightrope walker, and suggests that poets and other artists are engaged in a similar act of daring when they attempt to create something new. As the poem progresses, the speaker reflects on the challenges and dangers that poets face in their attempts to create something original. The speaker notes the vulnerability of the poet, who risks ridicule and rejection in order to express something deeply personal and meaningful. Despite these challenges, however, the speaker suggests that the risk is worth it, and that the poet's willingness to take these risks is what makes their work valuable and important. Poetic Elements:
Conclusion: "A Coney Island of the Mind: 15" is a powerful and evocative tribute to the daring and precarious nature of the artistic process. The poem celebrates the bravery and audacity of artists, and emphasizes the risks that they take in order to create something new and original. Despite the challenges and dangers that artists face, however, the poem suggests that the rewards of artistic creation are worth the risk, and that the willingness to take these risks is what makes their work valuable and important. Poem Snippet: "Constantly risking absurdity and death whenever he performs above the heads of his audience the poet like an acrobat climbs on rime to a high wire of his own making" Copyright (c) 2024 PoetryExplorer | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ANCIENT HISTORY, UNDYING LOVE by MICHAEL S. HARPER ENVY OF OTHER PEOPLE'S POEMS by ROBERT HASS THE NINETEENTH CENTURY AS A SONG by ROBERT HASS THE FATALIST: TIME IS FILLED by LYN HEJINIAN OXOTA: A SHORT RUSSIAN NOVEL: CHAPTER 192 by LYN HEJINIAN LET ME TELL YOU WHAT A POEM BRINGS by JUAN FELIPE HERRERA JUNE JOURNALS 6/25/88 by JUAN FELIPE HERRERA FOLLOW ROZEWICZ by JUAN FELIPE HERRERA HAVING INTENDED TO MERELY PICK ON AN OIL COMPANY, THE POEM GOES AWRY by HICOK. BOB |
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