238 contemporary poetry
Is indeterminacy a compelling factor in writing the self in
contemporary poetry?
Explore how contemporary poets play with constructions of
subjectivity in their work.
How do poetic forms aid or hinder the representation of subjec-
tivity in recent poetry?Chapter 2: Politics and Poetics
What do you consider Adorno meant by his statement ‘to write
poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric’? And how have contempo-
rary poets responded to his statement?
W. H. Auden famously stated that ‘poetry makes nothing
happen’. Do you agree?
How political is the poetry from 1980 s Northern Ireland?
It has been suggested that language for the poet is always politi-
cal. Do you agree?
What do you understand by poetry acting as ‘witness’?
Examine the use of reportage in recent poetry.
Consider the role served by allegory in representing the political
in contemporary poetry.
How does poetry represent the perspective of the exile?
Compare two contemporary poets’ different approaches to com-
posing anti-war poems.
Why do contemporary poets often use challenging forms to
make a political statement?Chapter 3: Performance and the Poem
Consider the importance of Charles Olson’s ‘Projective Verse’
to ideas of performance in the work of recent poets.
Compare the way two poets present a poetic ‘voice’.
How does poetry perform a countercultural critique?
Examine how contemporary poetry uses jazz compositional
techniques as a method for poetic writing.
What do you understand by the term ‘dub poetry’?
Consider the relationship between Olson’s ideas of ‘open form’
and an oral poetry.