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» Hatrack River Forum » Active Forums » Books, Films, Food and Culture » Are you a poet? or a writer?

   
Author Topic: Are you a poet? or a writer?
Farmgirl
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Poets die younger than writers, study finds

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Poets die young -- younger than novelists, playwrights and other writers, a U.S. researcher said Wednesday.

It could be because poets are tortured and prone to self-destruction, or it could be that poets become famous young, so their early deaths are noticed, said James Kaufman of the Learning Research Institute at California State University at San Bernardino.

..more...

Farmgirl

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Taalcon
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You know, I used to wish I could summon flowery poetry more often in my writing. Now I'm kinda glad I can't.

[ April 22, 2004, 04:13 PM: Message edited by: Taalcon ]

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Ophelia
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"Haven't you got poet or something like that?"
"Now you see the trouble with poet is how do you know it's deceased? Try the priest!"

Yeah, I've listened to too much Sweeney Todd this week. Actually, thoae lyrics just pops into my head whenever I hear the word "poet" anyway, so whatever. Carry on.

[ April 22, 2004, 04:17 PM: Message edited by: Ophelia ]

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UofUlawguy
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Hmm. I tend to like poets who actually did live to a ripe old age. Frost. Milton. Stuff like that. I think you can get a lot of wisdom from old poets.
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Book
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I just read a bunch of Swinburne, so I'm not surprised.

But I'll recite some Monty Python for everyone's pleasure.

Poets are both clean and warm
and most are far above the norm.

Whether here or on the roam
You should have a poet in every home.

[ April 22, 2004, 04:26 PM: Message edited by: Book ]

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TomDavidson
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It's also worth noting that poets make considerably less money. I wonder if they factored for that as a variable.
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Kama
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<-- neither poet nor writer
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Homestarrunner
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It's because they've all written such perfect little poems for their gravestones and are eager to use them.
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ReikoDemosthenes
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hmm...so perhaps that faint and haunting suspicion I'll die young has some validity...and sad to say, yes I have thought about different potentials for an epitaph...
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Ralphie
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I'm more of a lover.
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katharina
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Somehow, I don't think they go gently.
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ReikoDemosthenes
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quote:
Somehow, I don't think they go gently.

you're right...they rage, rage against the dying of the light!

(sorry...felt compelled to...for the record I hated that poem and disagreed with it immensely)

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Megachirops
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Why?
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katharina
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It's an essentially selfish poem, I agree. I still love it.

[ April 22, 2004, 06:50 PM: Message edited by: katharina ]

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ReikoDemosthenes
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I tend to accept death and I've seen what it does to cling to life too strongly and how that destroys people...so a poem encouraging fighting death when it is imminent tends to annoy me
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katharina
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But the poem isn't to the universe, it's to his father...

I think Dorothy Parker may be more of what you're looking for.

[ April 22, 2004, 06:58 PM: Message edited by: katharina ]

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ReikoDemosthenes
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no...it isn't to the universe at all, but it states it in a universal manner...it gives no reason to struggle against death, besides that it is death, implying a universal standard that his father should follow
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katharina
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It's a selfish, desperate plea. The persuasive element is not the absent corresponding reasons, but that the speaker is asking. It is a personal appeal. He isn't playing on reason or fear; he's appealing to love.
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ReikoDemosthenes
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and in his appeal to love he fails to show love for his father...he disregarded what his father may be feeling physically, emotionally, and spiritually and made himself the centre of the universe and all that matters...he is appealing to love without returning it...
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katharina
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Yep. It was a desperate, selfish plea. Kids do that.

Especially if they think they could stay if they just tried hard enough.

[ April 22, 2004, 09:09 PM: Message edited by: katharina ]

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ReikoDemosthenes
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*wanders off muttering something about a hatred of angsty poetry...*
*has made a vow to stop writing angst and to destroy it when I do write it, pre-this thread*

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DEEP DESPAIR
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Lead me away, Death
Take me home
Let me sleep
Let me go.

For there's nothing so frightening
as the dark unknown.

So lead me away, Death.
Take me home.

[Evil Laugh]

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B166ER
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me no write, me live forever
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TomDavidson
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Yeah, I'm sure we'd all remember Dylan Thomas as fondly if he wrote a poem called "Hurry up and die, already."

Perhaps we'd prefer St. Vincent Millay? "I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned."

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Valentine014
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Just because a mention of Edna St. Vincent Millay deserves a quote:
quote:
My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--
It gives a lovely light!

-First Fig
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Hobbes
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Niether. How long do I live now? [Wink]

Hobbes [Smile]

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fallow
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hobbes,

was that a BR ref in your last post?

fallow

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Noemon
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quote:
Yeah, I'm sure we'd all remember Dylan Thomas as fondly if he wrote a poem called "Hurry up and die, already."

[ROFL]

Tom, you've really been cracking me up the past few days.

FarmGirl, you beat me to it! [Cool] I haven't been posting interesting links lately, but when I saw this one I thought it would be worth posting.

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John L
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Maybe it's because poets don't usually make enough money to remain healthy, because writing poetry is a lot less likely to be met with success in life than writing.

And, of course, the ratio of wannabes to real in both fields is about 100 to 1. This means a lot of... well, it means a lot of overdrama.

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