constantly risking absurdity
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A Powerpoint presentation for schoolsTRANSCRIPT
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Constantly Risking Absurdity
By
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
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Constantly risking absurdityand death
whenever he performs above the heads
of his audiencethe poet like the acrobat
climbs on rime to a high wire of his own makingand balancing eyebeams
above a sea of facespaces his way
to the other side of dayperforming entrechats
and sleight-of-foot tricks
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and other high theatrics
and all without mistaking
any thing
for what it may not be
for he’s the super realist
who must perforce perceive
taut truth
before the taking of each stance or step
in his supposed advance
towards that still higher perch
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where Beauty stands and waits
with gravity
to start her death-defying leap
and he
a little charliechaplinman
who may or may not catch
her fair eternal form
spreadeagled in the empty air
of existence
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Constantly risking absurdityand death
Absurdity – making a fool of himself
Death – falling to the ground
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Whenever he performs above the heads
of his audience
On the high wire in a circus tent
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the poet like the acrobatclimbs on rime
to a high wire of his own making
Simile – poet like acrobat
Uses idea of poetic techniques being compared to the high wire the poet walks on
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and balancing eyebeams above a sea of faces
Above the people watching. Look at image of eye”beams” and balancing – keeps idea of acrobat. Also “sea” of faces – height above people, general populace, danger?
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paces his wayto the other side of day
Paces – slow
Other side of day
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performing entrechatsand sleight-of-foot tricks
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and other high theatricsand all without mistaking
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any thing for what it may not be
• Reality
• Super-realist
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for he’s the super realistwho must perforce perceive
• Super = above
• Super = very good
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taut truthbefore the taking of each stance or step
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in his supposed advancetowards that still higher perch
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where Beauty stands and waitswith gravityto start her death-defying leap
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and hea little charliechaplinman
who may or may not catch
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her fair eternal formspreadeagled in the empty airof existence
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The Metaphor
• The poet as the acrobat
• Look at how this metaphor is extended and sustained.
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Constantly risking absurdityand death
The poet constantly runs the risk of being seen as foolish and the death of his career as a poet.
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Whenever he performs above the heads
of his audience
He performs by writing / reading poetry – poets are traditionally thought of as being high-minded – thinking intellectuals – therefore above the heads of his audience.
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the poet like the acrobatclimbs on rime
to a high wire of his own making
The poet uses rime (or poetic technique) where the acrobat uses a high wire.
Look at “of his own making” – the poet creates his own high wire.
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and balancing eyebeams above a sea of faces
Extending the idea of the high wire – eyebeams (the eyes of his readers)
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paces his wayto the other side of day
Day?
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performing entrechatsand sleight-of-foot tricks
Entrechats – ballet – jumping and changing feet
Sleight-of-foot – instead of sleight of hand
In other words : poetic techniques
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and other high theatricsand all without mistaking
Continues idea of poetic techniques
No mistaking
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any thing for what it may not be
Note two words – any thing not anything
Ie. Any object
Ie is very clear
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for he’s the super realistwho must perforce perceive
Super realist – very good realist / above the real (surreal?)
Because of this ability he is forced to see
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taut truthbefore the taking of each stance or step
Truth – it is taut because it is hard
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in his supposed advancetowards that still higher perch
Where is the poet advancing?
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where Beauty stands and waitswith gravityto start her death-defying leap
The acrobat moves towards the beautiful woman, the poet moves towards truth and beauty. Keats said “beauty is truth, truth beauty” in “Ode on a Grecian Urn” – he didn’t mean that truth is beautiful to look at, or that beautiful things tell the truth. He meant that the truth can be a thing of beauty to discover. For the poet, the ultimate search is for true beauty of form and content in a poem.
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and hea little charliechaplinman
who may or may not catch
Charlie Chaplin was a comical figure – made many films – little man in suit, bowler hat and stick – in the spot light. The poet is under the spotlight and is often seen as something a little strange by ordinary men.
He may or may not achieve his aim towards truth and beauty
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her fair eternal formspreadeagled in the empty airof existence
Beauty
Spreadeagled – vulnerable
Empty air of existence – poet’s identify the emptiness of life
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Form of the poem
The poem can be divided into 3 parts :Part 1 Lines 1 – 18 The poet compared to the
acrobat
Part 2 Lines 19 – 27The higher aspirations of
the poet
Part 3 Lines 28 – 33Will the poet / acrobat succeed?
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Rhyme
Is there a fixed rhyme scheme? What rhymes do we see?
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The shape of the poem
Like an acrobat walking along a high wire
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Alliteration
The repetition of consonants to create effect:
What is its effect?
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Assonance
The repetition of vowels to create effect: What is its effect?
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Is writing poetry as risky as being an acrobat?
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.
Recognized as one of the most influential and important poets of the Beat movement, Lawrence Ferlinghetti was born in Yonkers, New York on March 24, 1919. Shortly after his birth, Ferlinghetti's mother was committed to an asylum for the insane and the young boy was sent to France to be raised by a female relative.
It wasn't until his return to America, at the age of five, that this future poet learned to speak English. Ferlinghetti also began writing poetry during his years at boarding school in the late 1920's.
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The term "the beat generation" was first used by John Clellon Holmes in a 1952 article, This Is The Beat Generation, about the young people of his time for the New York Times Magazine. Recalling a conversation with Jack Kerouac in 1948, Holmes had asked Kerouac to think of a way to describe the unique qualities of his generation; Kerouac came up with the term 'Beat Generation' on the spot. The term "beat" bears connotations of down-beat, worn out, down-and-out, drop-out and beatitude.
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The beat poets and writers developed their own slang and highly idiosyncratic style. Their convictions and attitudes were unconventional, provocative, anti-intellectual, anti-hierarchical and anti-middle-class. They were influenced by jazz, by Zen Buddhism and by American Indian and Mexican Peyote cults, and their Bohemian lifestyle was popularly associated with drugs, 'free' sex, drink and permissive living in general. It was in some respects anarchic and provoked considerable hostility.