The Hatred of Poetry by Ben Lerner

Author:Ben Lerner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Published: 2016-06-07T04:00:00+00:00

For many decades American poetry has been a private activity, written by few people and read by few people, lacking the language, rhythm, emotion, and thought that could move large numbers of people in large public settings.

Is it too late

I find the ambiguity of “for many decades” telling; was there a poet in, say, the fifties who could have—through the power of his or her “language, rhythm, emotion, and thought”—moved a diverse crowd assembled on the Mall? Or is Packer longing for MLK’s oratory, in which case why pick on poetry? And does “move” here just mean move emotionally, or does it mean move to something—a greater sense of civic identity or responsibility, a specific action? While Packer suggests that Derek Walcott “might have pulled it off” (how, I’m not sure) he’s dubious about Elizabeth Alexander, whom Obama selected to compose the poem. Packer, having taken a look at Alexander’s website, says:

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