There is always certain small things which inspire a great deal of thought processes,and one such incident occured recently in our interactive classes of Literature when one of my friends posed an interesting stand on judging one of my recent poems... With all due respect and regard to my friend's intelligent observation I write this piece,as a reply to his question...The question that I was posed with was about the authenticity of one of my poems,when I had not experienced the content I had written about,here the theme being "war"..My friend argued that I had never been in a war,so how can I write about it in a first person perspective...
Before I venture into answering the questions posed by my friend,I shall first discuss what experience and poetry, or rather Art in general mean in my perspective...
What is Art and Poetry?
Art in its highest sense is something which forms a voice for the human soul,unshrouded,unmuffled..One of its most accomplished diaspora,the Poetry,is the voice of the soul... Sweet as it may sound,the depth and the nature of poetry goes way beneath the mere overt vanity of its structure and symbols and figures and rhythm...Poetry gives an individual the scope of delving into oneself,exploring those unearthed chapters of human thoughts,which lay hidden beneath the burdens of social and psychological idiosyncracies... Poetry has been more than those few lines,which we recite in groups when we are 10,read aloud when we are 15, read silently when we are 25, and quote when we are 50...Poetry in its essence carries the answers for everything in life... Because,the questions created in our life,have answers, more than often, in our hearts,and this art,is a key to unlock those answers...
Now,an interesting question arises,as to what are the elements that go into it?
By elements,I don't envisage the vocabulary and linguistics, as the answer; but by elements I look into much more humane concepts,which go into it,and come out bursting in colours flowing from our heart,to our mind,into our ink and onto our paper as a poetic piece...Elements unique to man... Elements like opinions,judgements,morals,emotions and most importantly,summing up all,ideas...Language is construction of Poetry,these elements are conception of Poetry...
What is Experience?
Seeing is believing... When you go through, is when you feel and empathise... And those two 'injustices' done upon you,altering your persona every second of your life are always grossly grouped under the tag of Experience....Experience,is what brings out expression... An authentic expression...Expression which can stir the hearts and touch the minds of those thinking few... Experience is what keeps the elements of our identity together,the thought,the word and the action... And it often creates memories,which last and guide us further... Experience has become synonymous with empathy in this world,where the latter has become a depleted and a rather endangered phenomenon,remaining in existence mostly only coupled with experience...Experience is the meaningful group all the words that are typed,backspaced,ad-libbed,emboldened,italicised,deleted,and constantly rewritten into a Text document on a white paper called your Identity...
The Answer
I opine of the perspective that experience is a tool,which we can utilise,when it is available... But depending solely on it for gaining our understanding and comprehension; for our judgements,for our perceptions, about the sea of knowledge and topics which cover them is plainly impossible and more importantly incomplete and is naive indeed... Experience in itself,is an excellent,and universally,acknowledged teacher,often acclaimed to be the finest in the profession; but waiting for this experience is what I find to be the most imprudent thing to do when it comes to creativity... For often in the wait,you lose the waited...Experience,can not always be available,and sometimes asking for it serves to negate the very purpose and cause you might be willing to address...As in the aforementioned case of war,for example,waiting for experience is one of the most foolish things to do,which as I said will negate the purpose...Experience,when it comes by circumstance and accident,is welcome... But it is not advised to go looking for it,when you deal with the themes like war...Well,I must allude to one more elemental ingredient of poetry,for answering his question... The element being sensitivity...If a soldier suffers,but can't or doesn't write about his suffering,and I can empathize with his feelings,and I can voice them for him,then I feel it to be my duty,my responsibility,to voice it... And sensitizing with the soldier may not have brought out the exact emotions of the soldier in my poetry,but,if not achieve such duplication,I would at least try to align my poem and its emotional appeal in congruency with his perception...I wrote the poem in a first person perspective,not because I was the soldier there,and not even because I was impersonating the soldier who opened his heart unto me,but rather because,I saw a movie,wherein through that movie,I thought I heard a soldier describing his horrors, most explicitly...One doesn't need to have a first hand experience,to describe others suffering,as long as one has the heart to listen to it,and the empathy to understand his brother's suffering...This again brings me back to the idea,I intend to emphasise through this piece...Someone who does, need not write,and likewise someone who writes, need not necessarily have done it...It is imperative that a reader know this...
Purpose of Literature
In literature of any form,it is always the expression of idea and the purpose it intends to meet with,that matters in the end,more than the form given to it or the character you as an writer adorn...The very purpose of writing about war is to bring out its horrors,heroics,deaths and destruction,by which,the writer intends to warn and impede the reader from asking for it...Literature can't rely solely upon experience,for when it does that,it becomes reduced to being merely an instrument for depiction and description; quite departing from its purpose in its highest forms,which is,expression...Expression goes beyond mere depiction...
Now,movies,songs and so many other forms of literature talk of war and war-related themes... And every person who might have been involved in those forms of story telling might not have been involved in the story itself,if and when it happened,but it is hoped and expected that the viewer,the listener,the reader,or in general,the appreciator,appreciate the theme,the story,the message... The message should serve the purpose,the purpose of acquainting the audience with the subject... Acquanting and gaining the sympathy,if not,empathy from the audience...
In a manner of conclusion all I can say is that Poetry,in its didactic essence is for senstizing to issues... And how you do it is immaterial. If it is that Chance provides you with experience,so be it... Or if you find yourself capable enough to sensitize,find your aggreeability,thus... As in the end,thoughts remain,voices are what make history,and let not your voices be constrained by an improbable wait for an accidental benefactor called experience...Give your thoughts,the voice they deserve...
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