This past summer, I finally sat myself down and watched Pulp Fiction. Given the film’s incredible fame and quotability, I went into my viewing full of high expectations. I felt like I deserved a stamp of achievement: “Congrats! You are experiencing a cornerstone of American culture!” But when the screen turned to black, I walked away more confused than impressed (which I know, is heresy). It is the quintessential Tarantino flick— graphic violence and language, a nonlinear storyline, Uma Thurman, and a killer soundtrack to boot.
But couldn’t any movie have those qualities? What makes this particular one so great? Why is this film so enduring and iconic, when other films of equally good merit are not as much so? Who ultimately is the authority on any form of artistic production, be it a film, a novel, a painting, or a poem?
When I sat down to write this article, I found myself going through the same line of questioning. What is it that makes a great poem great? I think at the end of the day, a poem is just a poem and a film is just a film, and whether or not it’s good depends on subjectivity.
As an English major, I myself have read my fair share of poetry, much of which I have enjoyed. I could compile a pretty long list of poems that I think are phenomenal. But the five that I have chosen to me represent a combination of excellent writing, profound significance, and a certain uniqueness in their style. I suppose if I were to provide a common thread for these poems, it would be emotion. I am deeply touched by poems that reflect upon universal experiences sexuality, death, racial issues, ephemerality, etc. in a subtle and perhaps to some, “simplistic” way. I think that they masterfully and efficiently tap into the shared experience of humanity.
5) “The Flea” by John Donne
When we think about older poetry, we tend to put it on this lofty pedestal. At face value, this poem reads that way— an intimidating old poem. But what’s humorous about this poem is that while it is written in old English, it is an essence a very bizarre, prolonged pick-up line.
It chronicles the seductive advances of a man to a woman by means of a flea. Yes, a flea. It employs a strangely clever, erotic logic, such as “It sucked me first, and now sucks thee,/And in this flea our two bloods mingled be;/Thou know’st that this cannot be said/A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead.” What he’s saying is that because the two of them have both been bitten by the same flea, and because their blood is mixed together within the flea, that they might as well copulate.
I recommend this poem to people who are intimated by old English. It has some heavy language, but the underlying meaning really does portray the society of older times as similar to that of the modern day. Those feelings of sexuality and sexual desire were not below the writings or emotions of people at this time, which often tends to happen when thinking of older eras.
4) “Break, Break, Break” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
“And the stately ships go on/ To their haven under the hill; /But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand, /And the sound of a voice that is still!”
This poem will always have a strange sentimental value to me because it was one of the first poems I had ever seriously read and analyzed in my life, and I read it at a time when I needed a way to verbalize a death that had moved me. The author, Alfred, Lord Tennyson was a beloved poet in England during his tenure, and he won Queen Victoria’s heart with his epic poem, In Memoriam A.H.H.
I recommend this poem for its length, accessibility, and elegance — and it’s ability to capture a feeling that’s often quite difficult to understand. I also suggest reading Tennyson’s other work! His canon is not one to miss.
3) “Repetition” by Phil Kaye
I was exposed to spoken word poetry for the first time in high school, and I find it’s a brilliant way to combine written and verbal communication/performance. I was also fortunate enough in high school to see Phil Kaye himself perform his original spoken-word poem called: “Repetition.” It’s safe to say that it blew me away. On top of being extremely well-written, Kaye delivers the poem as if he is telling a story about his childhood. It comes across to the audience as a stylized narrative from his life. I recommend this poem to people who are not as inclined to read poetry, but are still interested in the art form, and are perhaps looking for a different poetic medium. He has a video of him performing it on Youtube which I highly recommend watching.
2) “Chameleon” by Rudi Francisco.
This poem is also a spoken-word one, and although I have never seen Rudi Francisco perform in person (I regret to admit), I began reading more of his work after watching Phil Kaye’s performance. I really like this poem because Francisco starts with an event that happened in his life (meeting a chameleon that shares his first name), and manages to extend his experience into deeper themes (race, gender, etc.). I recommend this poem because I think that Francisco’s writing style is very fresh and unique. I also highly suggest some of his other poems.
1) “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
I have studied this poem for multiple English classes, and every time I read it I am struck by the beauty and profundity with which Bysshe Shelley writes. This poem finds a strange comfort in the knowledge that human life is ephemeral. All the things that humans seek — clout, fame, wealth — will eventually fade with the fullness of time, no matter how important they seem in the moment. The final line: “the lone and level sands stretch far away,” so powerfully captures this aforementioned meaning. I recommend this poem to those who are feeling anxious or stressed about something. When considered through the vastness of the “lone and level sands” that are time and space, all the mundane worries of everyday life seem so much smaller.