Poem Case

Describe each author's beliefs about the role of the poet in society. Support your interpretations with specific evidence from the poems.

Betting on the Muse circles around the aging aspect of life. It describes how every individual's spark eventually fades. Every great athlete ages with time, and is slowly forgotten. However Charles Bukowski believes that a writer's legacy remains prevalent till the day he dies. His work is responsible for providing the audience with an insight to the reality of life. It is their poems and stories that live on for an eternity and never lose their magic. Generally, it is the writers, philosophers and poets who are capable of looking at life from a nonpartisan perspective. Therefore, it is justifiable that a poet uses his work to enlighten human-kind, and shed light on even the darkest facets of society.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti speaks about the great risk that lies in writing, and being a poet. The entire poem can be considered an extended metaphor, since it deliberately compares a poet to an acrobat. This poem seems to be a statement about the poet's composition process. It suggests that the poet uses complex language, imagery, and a state of heightened consciousness where he can perceive truth and beauty, and continue to unleash it on the audience. The use of "sleigh-of-foot tricks" and "high theatrics" as a comparison clearly support the idea that a poet's work is meant to captivate and entertain those reading it.

Support the choice of title for each of the poems. Be sure to provide evidence from each poem to support your reasoning.

"Betting on the Muse" seems like a suitable title for Bukowski's poem. A muse is a person who serves as an artist's inspiration. However with respect to the poem, I believe that the muse is the poet himself. Since writers possess the ability to enamor thousands with their works, and continuously inspire the masses, it is only logical to suspect that Bukowski is making a statement about himself and his profession in this particular poem.

The majority of the poem highlights how easily a person can be forgotten. How even the most successful and renowned baseball player can silently pass away in a dilapidated hotel room signifies that nobody truly has much notability in society. However, as the poem