It’s time for another Global Writing Challenge prompt. Our current membership consists of Deb’s World, Suzy Turner, Within a World of My Own, Once Upon a Time, Happily Ever After, Cat’s Wire, Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa, and me. Oof! Guess who picked this month’s prompt? Yep, you guessed it…I did! Why do I do these things? I have no idea what I was thinking! But, you’ll soon see. Please do visit everyone’s blogs. I really think everyone does such an amazing job with the different prompts every month. We get a wide assortment of perspectives, too. As we consider ourselves a global group, if you’d like to join us, please let one of us know. We’d love to have more people from all over the planet! There’s also a link party at the end of this post!
If you’d like to join us, here are the prompts for the coming months:
- October – Birthday
- November – Superstition
A little history…
When I was teaching, we always had to teach a unit on writing poetry. I enjoyed teaching my students how to write haikus, acrostics, and other kinds. I also introduced my kids to cacophonous poems. They use harsh, unpleasant, or jarring sounds. They also usually have a rather chaotic sound to them. I had one student who was just really good at them. He could write one in just a few minutes, and then he’d bring it to me to read. I have to admit they were pretty daggone good! Haikus are seemingly easy, but there’s that whole ethos you’re supposed to embrace. Fourth graders didn’t really get that. They did have fun with acrostics, though. I wonder if any of them write poetry now.
My favorite poems…
You may have thought I was a bit eccentric or even weird. After reading this post, you may be sure of it! I have never really read much poetry, and I think that’s a shame. I need to do more. In fact, I just received a book of poetry, written by one of the docents I know. I have had so many commitments that I haven’t had an opportunity to do so. As a kid, I liked nursery rhymes and read them to my kids and grands. But, to pick up a book of poetry is not really something I would normally do. My two favorite poems are actually books! So, let’s get to it, shall we?
The Odyssey…
When I was in high school, I was introduced to The Odyssey for the first time. I had heard of some of the characters. I mean, who hasn’t heard of Circe and her island of pigs. I even remember watching a black and white movie about her. I’d even heard of Helen of Troy. I was a geeky kid and read all kinds of Greek myths so I was familiar with many of the characters in the poem. What I wasn’t prepared for was how much I would love this book. This is my second book. I read it in high school and college. I’m going to share a few pages so you’ll see the notes I took. I’m still loathe to write in a book…even one I own!
An epic poem…
The Odyssey is an epic poem which is a long “narrative poem in which a heroic protagonist engages in an action of great mythic or historical significance (source).” The hero of our poem is, of course, Odysseus, the Greek form of his name. In a Roman translation, he would have been Ulysses. The long story short is Odysseus is the king of Ithaca and some other islands. Earlier, he’d made a deal with Helen of Troy’s dad. Odysseus was in the running to marry Helen (boy, did he luck out), but he was already in love with her cousin, Penelope. He more or less told Tyndareus, her father, he would always protect her. Other versions of Greek myths say Helen’s father was the god, Zeus. But, I digress. So, when Helen, who has now married Menelaus, is kidnapped by Paris, a Trojan, the…you guessed it…Trojan War breaks out! And, who goes to war? Odysseus, of course!
Long story sorta short…
Now, our man, Odysseus, is quite the trickster or MacGyver of the Greek era! He came up with the idea of the Trojan Horse, the war ends, and Odysseus heads for home. Along the way, he upsets (that’s putting it mildly) Poseidon, the god of the sea, earthquakes, and storms. Poseidon decides not to let Odysseus get home, but Athena, goddess and daughter of Zeus, intervenes. The deal is Poseidon will let Odysseus go home, but it ain’t gonna be easy! Of course, Odysseus encounters various monsters and the like. He’s even offered immortality, but he’s in love with his wife. Oh, this short story is getting long! OK, I’ll speed it up! After all these trials and tribulations, Odysseus makes it home to Ithaca, only to discover there are all these dudes waiting to marry the beautiful Penelope who has her own way of putting that event off. Their son, Telemachus, also plays into the story. Eventually, all is well. Well, it’s not so hot for the suitors! Odysseus kills them all. Their families come prepared to avenge the killings, and Athena intervenes to make sure peace comes to Ithaca. If you’ve seen the movie (which I haven’t), I think there’s a different ending.
Why I love it…
I loved this long poem which doesn’t rhyme at all because it encompassed all these myths I’d read before into one long wonderful place. It’s a monster of a book, but I loved it enough to read it over and over again. In fact, when I was in college, I took a literature class which included The Odyssey! Did you know the song, “Every Breath You Take” by The Police mentions two of the monsters from The Odyssey? Yep…”You consider me the young apprentice / Caught between the Scylla and Charybdis” Now, you’ll have to either google them or read the book! Read the book, please!! I bet there’s even a short version or even a graphic novel for it. But, this version by Robert Fitzgerald is the best…just take my word for it.
But, the one I really love…
The poem that moved me the most and really formed some understanding of Heaven and Hell for me? That poem was The Inferno, the first part of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. The other two parts are The Purgatorio and The Paradiso. I haven’t read either of those. Like The Odyssey, I read this in high school and in college. I have tried to read the other two parts of the Comedy, but I just haven’t made it. I think this is one of those books for which you need to have guidance…someone to explain just exactly what you’re reading.
One reason…
The poem exists on two planes. There’s the literal where Dante descends into Hell because he’s gotten off track. His life isn’t going the way it should. Now, I ask you…is that your first thought? Descend into Hell to figure out how to get back onto the right track? It’s definitely not mine. The other is allegorical. Most of the characters you meet in The Inferno are people with whom Dante has either had dealings with, knows the family, or knows the history. He has definite feelings about all the people he meets in Hell, some good, some bad, some downright awful. The punishments and circles Dante assigns to different people in this book are informed by the times in which he lived. He was a White Guelph and was exiled by the Black Guelphs (sometimes spelled Guelf). It’s a really convoluted story. You can read more about it here. While it’s too much to go into in this post, just know it played a huge role in who Dante assigned to Hell in the first place and where he put them.
The structure…
One of things I love about this poem/book is its structure. It’s divided into 33 cantos. A canto is a large section of an epic poem. The Inferno also includes an introductory canto for the entire Comedy. The remaining books each have 33 cantos. When you add all the cantos together, you get 100. One hundred was considered perfection and completion. Another thing about the 33 cantos…that’s the age Jesus was when he died. Dante was a devout Catholic so that makes sense. There are three books because of the Holy Trinity. Another interesting factoid about three regarding The Inferno is that Dante invented terza rima, a three-line rhyming structure. My version is by John Ciardi. He writes introductory paragraphs for each canto as well as footnoting certain words and phrases which appear at the end of the canto. That helps a lot in understanding. There is rhyming to this poem, but it sometimes feels a bit forced as Ciardi was translating from the Italian (specifically the Tuscan/Early Italian) language.
The circles of Hell…
As I said, the poem is divided into 33 cantos. Along the way, we encounter Virgil who becomes Dante’s guide. He gives Dante the rules and rebukes him at certain points in the book. As the pair make their way toward the entrance to Hell, the demons refuse them entrance. A mighty angel comes stomping down, snarks at the demons, and opens the gates to Hell. I may have that a bit wrong because I haven’t read it in a bit. Hell is a mess because when Jesus descended, all…well…all hell broke loose! I can just see all this in my mind’s eye. Virgil informs Dante how the Underworld is structured. It’s comprised of nine concentric circles. Think of a cone, and that’s how Dante’s Hell looks. Each circle gets smaller and smaller until we reach a lake of ice which encircles Satan. Each circle represents specific sins and their punishments. The first circle is Limbo. This is where Virgil is. He’s there because Jesus hadn’t been born yet. This is where the unbaptized pagans and virtuous non-believers “live.” You can find more information about each circle here. There’s even a cool graphic!
Why it’s my favorite…
Why do I love this poem/book? First of all, you get the famous (or is it infamous) line: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” I also like the idea of there being different degrees of sin and punishment. Hopefully, I won’t have to abandon hope! The imagery is intense for me, and I’d love to see a film adaptation of the book. I’m pretty sure there is at least one if not more. Now, I need to get busy and read the second and third books. You’re probably wondering why this whole thing is called a comedy, right? Well, according to the medieval literary rules, anything that started in terror and ended in joy was a comedy.
Huge announcement…
It’s almost time!! I’m so excited! Alicia Keys and her husband, Swizz Beats (AKA Kasseem Dean), have a massive art exhibition that’s going around the country. And, they’ve selected the Indianapolis Museum of Art as one of the places to receive the exhibition! The exhibition, Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, will be on the fourth floor and opens on September 19th! Unfortunately, I’ll be out of town! I’ll have just returned from my women’s retreat on the one day the Deans will be at the museum. I thought about going, but I know I will be soooo tired! Anyway, if you’re in Indianapolis anytime through February 28, 2027, you might want to visit! You might even meet me!
Wrap it up, Marsha!
I am so bad at picking topics or pieces of art! I should think long and hard about them before I select them. But, I’m kinda an off the cuff person in case you couldn’t tell! As I was pondering this prompt of mine, I kept thinking about poetry and the different kinds. Then, I remembered these two epic poems. And, when I say they’re epic, I mean it in both ways. They are epic as a form of literature. But, they’re also epic as in so daggone fabulous! Those colorful books on the bottom shelf of my sole bookcase? They’re the same set my parents bought us, and I snitched when I got married. Somewhere along the way, I must have donated that set. Then, back when Nigel was still working, a fellow he worked with had books he wanted to get rid of. And, he had this set. There should be ten books, but there are only nine. Of course, the one that’s missing is the Greek and Roman Myths one! Unfortunately, my copy of The Inferno was so torn up, I had to get rid of it. I also had two copies of it so I’m not entirely sure what happened to one of them. I may have loaned it to someone. So, can we talk? Are you a lover of poetry. Tell me about your favorite poem. Have you seen the movie, “The Odyssey” as well as read the book? How do they compare? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as soon as possible.
Thank you!
I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, subscribing or emailing! It truly means so much to me! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.
What others are saying…
Suzy “writes about the time she accidentally became a published poet, despite never really considering herself a poetry person!”
Cat “thinks she doesn’t have a poetic bone in her body … or does she?”
Sally “shares some of her favorite American poets and poems.”
Amy “uses poetry for fun with friends and family. Her grandmother has a published book of poems and her mom wrote a Christmas poem each year for her cards.”
Leslie writes, “This month’s prompt threw Leslie for a loop
Stop by her blog for more of the scoop”
Debbie writes, “Debbie looks back at posts from 2016 where she made poems using online magnetic tiles – it was part of a craze she went through! Who knew it would prove useful 10 years later? “
And, now, it’s your turn!
If you’d like to link up your posts about poetry, you may link up here or at any of the other blogs!