tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3808227584959676379.post6997264217186282654..comments2023-06-28T07:56:10.910-04:00Comments on In Progress: Another Episode of Poetry CornerPeter H of Lebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03960259139631190172noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3808227584959676379.post-46440086159821751882012-08-03T14:16:44.127-04:002012-08-03T14:16:44.127-04:00"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said,..."When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less."<br />"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."<br />"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."<br />—Through the Looking Glass.James Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871338738388893364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3808227584959676379.post-80246425647812132502012-08-01T10:16:12.718-04:002012-08-01T10:16:12.718-04:00You have asked two questions. Perhaps they were m...You have asked two questions. Perhaps they were meant to be rhetorical. In any event, here are the answers in the order the questions were made.<br /><br />First, why call it a poem? Answer: Because the author did. The German poet Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel said, "A definition of poetry can only determine what poetry should be and not what poetry actually was and is; otherwise the most concise formula would be: Poetry is that which at some time and some place was thus named." Normative thinking is so yesterday.<br /><br />And now to the second: Why did the man leave his pants hanging on the pew? That's clear enough. He didn't want them dirtied and rumpled -- either because they were a nice pair of pants and he wanted to avoid an extra cleaing bill or he didn't want to have to explain away a pair of mussed up pants.Big Mykhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09488250533536442903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3808227584959676379.post-53384347359767420362012-07-31T12:14:46.234-04:002012-07-31T12:14:46.234-04:00Nice, but why is it called a poem? And, why, for t...Nice, but why is it called a poem? And, why, for the love of God, did he put his pants, etc. on the pew?!James Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871338738388893364noreply@blogger.com