After reading Alastair Reid’s “Mandala: Dilemma” I think he intended to inspire people. The poem consist of one line that is circular in shape and it reads “The pen is mightier than the”. Although the poem is simple in nature it kind of forces the reader into a deeper form of thinking. Part of the reason it forces the reader into a deeper form of thinking is because the poem is open ended. Meaning it allows the reader to finish the poem in a way that would make it more relatable to them.
I think Reid chose not to use a “traditional” approach to this poem for several reasons: One reason being that whenever you write something in a non-traditional manner, it is more likely to catch the reader’s attention. Typically as a result how most people have been trained to read, our eyes are more likely to pick up on something that is not written in a “traditional” fashion. The one line of the poem is written in the form of a circle. I think the circle is symbolic of a repetitive cycle. Meaning that no matter what the circumstance is “The Pen is mightier than the”.
When reading this poem the reader needs to bring an understanding of the adage “The pen is mightier than the sword.”, which has become a common slogan for those who are pacifist. In my opinion this is a poem of peace. Some might not even consider it a poem. They may consider it to be a random sentence fragment.
I think this is a poem of inspiration and enlightenment. It reassures the reader just how powerful the pen is. The world can be changed just as much with stroke of a pen as it can with the pull of a trigger. The impression that I got from the poem is that Reid want people to realize this point which is also one of the reasons why he wrote the poem in a circular fashion.
The simplicity but effectiveness of this poem is what I would like to hold on to and possibly use in some of my work. When writing poetry and reading poetry, I think the reader sometime has this idea in their mind about what a poem should look like. They probably think the poem should be certain number of lines, and have a certain rhythm to it. With experimental writing you can blow up any and all preconceived notations about writing…that’s what makes it so appealing.
The idea that you can break out of the “traditional” box and write however you chose but still maintain the ability to form a concise and coherent idea or image is amazing. Not only is it a challenge for the writer to come up with new and creative ways of writing, but it also challenges the reader to analyze and absorb information in non-conventional ways. Experimental writing is proof that it doesn’t matter how the message is written, as long as the message is a message of value it will always spark the brain.
I really enjoy that you called this an "open ended question" when the form of the piece is a closed circle. I feel the reader can insert his or her own ending to the sentence. Do you think Reid is asking if the pen is mightier than the pen? Does this mean that some pieces of work are more important than others?
ReplyDelete-Hayley Nattinger
I loved that you pointed out how simplicity does not necessarily denote simple. There may be few words, but there is a lot going on in this poem, which as you point out, some people might not even consider a poem.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you brought up the words enlightened and insiprational when discussing this poem, since the word mandala is a religious piece of art. I thought of the poem the same way Hayley did, with the poem being cyclical.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that depending on where you start reading the poem the words change some what. You have to read it a few times to find the "real words". However if you read the poem and allow your brain to construct whatever words it pleases you end up with many variations of what the poem says. I think this is part of why the pen is mighty. Letters in any fashion or form can construct more than just one statement or word.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned that, "no matter what the circumstance, 'the pen is mightier than the...'" This made me think about, not only how the poem was open-ended, but about how it was repetitive.
ReplyDeleteThe pen is mightier than...
versus
The pen is mightier than the pen (is mightier than the pen...)
This made me think about the idea of finding and creating writing that is more powerful than previous writing. It seems to suggest the idea of imbuing writing with more and more power (perhaps through new mediums - animated writing?). The pen is mighty, but the next pen may be even mightier.