Poetry for those that dislike poetry
Written: Aug 27 '06 (Updated Aug 28 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: approaches a variety of emotions and hits them all solidly, easy to read
Cons: a few glaring typos
The Bottom Line: an enjoyable book cover to cover, fun and thoughtful
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| jackiechad's Full Review: Chad S. Sides - Teaching the Wisemen |
Teaching the Wisemen is primarily poetry of varying styles and themes. The author ranges from light and silly to dark and disturbing. His use of standard rhyming couplets, more complicated rhyme schemes taken from the influences of Shakespeare and Homer, and non-rhyming free verse allow the poems to feel like individual works rather than written from a standard template.
Writing a rhyming poem or song is not too difficult. However, many times the rhymes in an average poem feel forced, reused, or completely out of place. This poet treats the written word as an art form crafting creative rhymes that flow naturally as carefully as a sculptor shapes a lump into a recognizable form.
In the more rhythmic poems his meter is carefully measured to the point that it naturally guides the reader. Even those that attempt to break the restraints of meter and rhyme may find themselves unconsciously drawn into the poem’s pace. It is the poem that guides the reader more than the other way around.
The poet releases the reader at other times to interpret pace and accents with individual influences. In these cases the very meaning of a thought can change depending on the context of the reader’s speed, syllable stresses, and tone of voice.
Split into four sections Teaching the Wisemen tells a narrative of the writer’s life and growth as a poet in different ways.
First is laughter. Generally light-hearted and short (some have only one or two lines), many of these are crowd pleasers known to be passed around at parties. With styles akin to Dr. Seuss and limericks they can be silly and sometimes nonsensical, but also sometimes have depth and serious points. Few people in my experience have read An Ode to Prune Juice and not laughed out loud. Eating a Pinecone may leave you scratching your head wondering what that was all about. Stimulus is about being inspired to write a poem from the lack of inspiration to write a poem. Silence is about a band that plays inaudible music. Most of these poems tend to be structured with rhyming couplets but do break away from that on occasion.
Next is love. These are poems to read to your sweetheart. They are primarily structured and well measured rhyming verses. The images are vivid and the allegories sappy but lovely.
The largest section is called Life. This probably has the most fluctuation of the four sections. A few of the early poems like Sweet 16 could almost belong in the laughter portion. Others border on being more appropriate for the Love section although they tend to be less romantic and more inwardly focused.
Respect for a Wonderful Soul is positive and uplifting. Others like Out of Reach and These Feelings Rise Again are full of disappointment though not without a ray of hope. The darkness deepens further into the section with poems about war, homicidal insanity, psychosis, and deep despair. These poems are closer to Poe than the previous Seussian style.
The poet doesn’t allow the darkness to remain constant, however. He comes up for a breath with poems like Distraction, a word painting akin to an artist drawing whatever he or she happens to see at the moment.
The last section is about the Lord. These poems tend to be mildly to deeply religious. Clive is a look at the influences CS Lewis had on the writer. Its references to Narnia and other Lewis works don’t deal with religion specifically but tie together with the effects reading these works had on the writer’s faith.
The Strong Become Weak is taken directly from a Bible story of King David, and other specific biblical references are scattered throughout. Themes include sin, salvation, condemnation, and forgiveness. Despite being religious the poet is rarely preachy. Many of the themes and concepts can be applied to any theistic religion. The writer tends to stay clear of hellfire and brimstone (with exceptions like Forsaken) but focuses on faith as a constructive part of life, and encouragement or challenges directed towards a faith-based person. The section is predominantly positive and hopeful contrasting nicely against the darkness at the end of Life.
The final poem is the most unabashedly evangelical and closes the book with a look at the sacrifice of Jesus Christ with a clear nod to his Godhood.
Perhaps one of the largest accomplishments of the poet is to access the non-poetic. I have heard a surprising number of people comment about how they normally dislike poetry but love this book. I think it speaks to the clarity of the poet and his ability to help the reader visualize the concepts. I would also say the themes are universal enough to have meaning to the everyman.
Another helpful element is the introduction to each of the four sections as well as to the entire book. We get a glimpse of the inspirations and meanings tied to many of the poems. Shell, for example, takes on a much clearer meaning with the knowledge that it is a look at specific events during a particular war. Perhaps readers that spend more time with poetry could attach more personal interpretations, but the explanation helps the readers who do not want to spend time studying each and every line enjoy it as well.
I think this is a terrific collection of poetry for almost anyone. It’s fun and it’s thoughtful, and you don’t have to be a scholar to enjoy it, though there is enough classical influence as well as Biblical and mythological allusions that lovers of poetry have something into which they can sink their teeth. Readers with a specific aversion to religion and specifically Christianity may find it hard to relate to the final group of poems and the occasional allusion throughout the rest of the book, but many of the comical and life-centered poems are suitable for any reader.
Recommended:
Yes
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jackiechad
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Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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