The essay, “A Retrospect” and “A Few Don’ts” by Ezra Pound showcases a deliberate use of difficult language, enhanced by the inclusion of Latin, Spanish, and Italian. This linguistic complexity might leave readers grappling with the meaning behind Pound’s words. The strategic infusion of these languages raises questions about his intent and the level of exclusivity he seeks to establish in his words.
Pound appears conscious of his pretentiousness, recognizing that he writes for a particular audience. The intricate language he employs suggests an expectation of intellectual sophistication from his readers. This self-awareness contributes to an aura of exclusivity, as Pound assumes his audience possesses the wisdom necessary to unravel the layers of meaning within his text.
His bold assertion that “no one writes much poetry that matters” positions Pound as a discerning arbiter of poetic significance. This claim reinforces his image as a figure who boldly asserts knowledge of what truly constitutes meaningful poetry. Pound thus establishes himself as a literary authority, imparting a sense of confidence in his ability to distinguish between the trivial and the profound in the realm of poetry.
Pound’s perspective on poetry as a product of its time and culture underscores his belief in its specificity. He argues that poetry is not a universal art form but is intricately tied to its historical and cultural context. This stance suggests that Pound sees poetry as a nuanced creation meant for a specific audience one that can appreciate the intricacies of its cultural and temporal roots.
In conclusion, Pound’s use of difficult language, awareness of his pretentious tone, and strong opinions on the significance of poetry collectively paint a picture of a writer who writes with a certain elitism. The inclusion of various languages, the claim about the rarity of meaningful poetry, and the emphasis on poetry as a product of its time all contribute to Pound’s persona as a confident and exclusive voice within the literary landscape.
As we stand near the semester’s conclusion, it’s both a reflective and anticipatory moment. The journey we’ve collectively undertaken in our graduate course has been of intellectual exploration and growth. As we approach the final group project, I am excited by the diverse and imaginative ideas many of you have suggested for the group project.
In these final weeks, the spotlight falls on our final group projects, innovative endeavors that encapsulate not just the knowledge we’ve acquired but the spirit of collaboration and creativity that defines our cohort.
Although I missed class last week, I looked over the workshop brainstorming notes from the previous class. I was excited to see that we all have a connection with the most exciting ideas, the learning outcomes, and how we can make this group project count in a meaningful way that matters most to each of us individually. I recognized the profound connections with the themes we’ve explored in class: Identity, Multiculturalism and multilingualism, AI, Voice, Healing, Trauma and writing, and Pedagogy of the oppressed. These thematic intersections provide a wide-array framework for our project, ensuring that it aligns not only with our collective interests but also a pathway for creating something that resonates on a personal and profound level.
As I consider how we can make this project impactful, I find myself driven by a desire to venture into the creative realm. I envision crafting a project that transcends the typical academic endeavor, a work that involves both academic exploration and personal, creative growth. This project represents an opportunity to generate content worthy of inclusion on my CV, portfolio, or website, serving as a testament to my academic proficiency and ability to engage with thought-provoking themes in a creative manner.
I enjoyed reading through everyone’s final project suggestions. I thought Michael’s idea of creating a curriculum was creative and innovative. It presents an opportunity for us to apply the readings to theoretical concepts we studied throughout the semester in a practical and impactful way. Crafting a curriculum becomes a channel for our understanding of writing pedagogy, theory, and creative expression into a dynamic learning experience.
I also enjoyed Fran’s suggestion of writing a fictional story inspired by a real-life struggle that we have encountered, then giving our story to a classmate who will read it, digest the emotional appeal, and then write a poem that reflects the emotions they had felt while reading it.
The idea of swapping papers and having a classmate respond with a reflective poem introduces an outsider’s perspective. This element of the project encourages a mutual exchange of empathy and understanding. As writers, we often get absorbed in our narratives, and having someone else articulate the emotions they felt while reading our stories can offer new perspectives and illuminate aspects of our struggles that we might not have recognized.
The incorporation of poetry as a response adds a layer of artistic expression. Poetry has a unique ability to distill complex emotions into concise and powerful language. The poems generated through this project will serve not only as reflections of our classmates’ emotional responses but also as creative pieces in their own right, offering a different medium through which to explore and communicate the shared human experience.
This project aligns with the goals of our writing and theory course by integrating theoretical concepts into a practical, creative context. This idea is a meaningful and holistic exploration of personal narratives and creative expression. It has the potential to deepen the understanding of ourselves, and the powerful connection between writing, theory, and the human experience.
I’m open to exploring any additional final project ideas that may arise, and I’m excited about working on this group project with all of you!
In this week’s pathfinding session we are exploring Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated art within the realm of poetry and AI image generators, such as DALL-E and Midjourney.
The article assigned for this week, How Will AI Image Generators Affect Artists?, discusses the controversy surrounding the use of AI-generated art, particularly in the context of the Colorado State Fair’s art competition, where the winning entry was created by the AI app called Midjourney. While some technology enthusiasts applauded the achievement, many artists were critical and concerned about the implications of this technology. One of the main issues raised was that the databases of these image generators are largely built off existing images from artists, both dead and alive, which raises questions about fair use and the potential replacement of human artists. This proves that although AI generators can produce images, the ideas come from those of a human artist. I mentioned in my blog post a couple of weeks back that:
While AI has an impact on creative work, it will not replace human writers and artists. Instead, the impact is somewhere in the middle, where AI can aid and complement human creativity but never be able to replicate the personal and interpersonal nature of human communication.
Similarly, the other article assigned, Can AI Write Authentic Poetry?, expresses similar concerns about AI generators like Chat-GPT. The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) has prompted discussions on its impact on art and creativity, particularly in poetry generation. Although poetry may not seem significant in comparison to AI’s broader effects on society, it serves as an early indication of AI’s challenge to human creativity. Despite computers generating poetry since the 1960s, the recent advancements in AI have led to more sophisticated programs utilizing mathematical discipline, statistics, and deep learning. However, its ability to generate aesthetically pleasing and compelling poetry is still limited. As we experimented with Chat-GPT generating poems a couple of weeks ago, we concluded that while AI can generate vast amounts of material, it has yet to fully grasp the human voice, intent, and meaningful experiences that human poets bring to their work.
“I’ve only slept comfortably with the worst person in my arms”
That quote was started by a friend of mine, I added the rest. It was said as a snarky remark. To you, it might seem like I’m being an ass but he hollered with laughter, and my smirk quickly became a chuckle and a then full on laughter. Once the laughter subside, I quickly realized the potential of this quote ad franticly wrote it down, exclaiming “I’m absolutely using that in my next poem”.
unknowingly, we had collaborated, we connected, we (me) got inspired…organically. Gero mentions authors hitting writers blocks, and using AI to get the creativity flowing. Which (if I wasn’t such a hater of Ai) would sounds great, having someone(thing) to get you out of those ruts on your time. I cant remember all the times I’ve reached out to my writing peers and have been met with silence due to our conflicting schedules. However, I believe it could not replicate that beautiful quote that was created off a whim. You couldn’t write an algorithm that could replicate our banter. Sure there’s a pattern in my words, & phrases but can that encapsulate me. What I am, how I act, my idiosyncrasies. I found an article about Idiosyncratic Expression but the way it was cemented into my brain was through Good will hunting. When Robin Williams character Sean Maguire is talking about his dead wife farting herself awake. (minute 1:30 if you don’t want yo watch the whole scene).
I think about writing and AI a lot cause well that’s my interest, my creative outlet, and the storm clouds are forming over it. But in the Age of AI they spoke about self driving long haul trucks. Human drivers can legally only drive 11 hours without stopping, so having a self driving 18 wheeler sounds phenomenal. Imagine your amazon package never being late regardless if its coming from NYC or LA. my only response to this is…. have you seen the tesla self driving accidents? Here is one and hey look here another and some statistics (Don’t want to read the long winded government report? here’s a Forbes article). Now imagine a giant Truck on an interstate, malfunctioning. I work for DHL in the receiving department, a bulk of my work depends on these trucks arriving on time and let me tell you, a small flurry of snow sets them back hours.
An exaggerated image? yes. does my point still stand? I’d like to think so.
The official class site for Dr. Mia Zamora's Spring 2023 "Networked Narratives" course.
