How thin and sharp is the moon tonight!
How thin and sharp and ghostly white
Is the slim curved crook of the moon tonight!
Langston Hughes
It’s interesting I ended up picking the same poet this week that I did last week. But I felt that this poem represented what I wished to say for this time: that length does not make a poem good or bad. Hughes only needs three lines to express his feelings about a crescent moon being visible in the sky. A poem could be several volumes long and still manage to not mean much of anything. In literature, there is a tendency towards length being the equivalent of higher quality. But even a short piece can be excellent if the writer accomplishes his or her goals for the work. Having picked more lengthy poems in the past, I felt I needed a short, high quality poem this time around.
I completely agree. Somtimes all it takes to get a point across is a few strong and meaningfull lines. Hughes got his point across quite clearly and concisely. He is one of my favorite poets. Yes, there is much more that could be said about a crescent moon- its beauty, its mystery, etc. but all that Hughes wanted to say was how “thin and sharp” it was, how much it stood out and how beautiful and yet almost non-existent it looked with its color “ghostly white.”
Good choice, and I love how you brought in a serious matter of length being a huge consideration of quality into your blog.
Comment by worldofwords18 — October 26, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
I also agree that this poem is full of detail for a poem of such little lines. It is quick and to the point and I think that is what all you need. I think the poem is perfect the way it is. I think that if Hughes added more detail it would break away from the meaning of winter; dark and mysterious. It makes me think of someone wandering through a dark and lonely field during the winter and only seeing the birghtness of the moon in the sky; it is both comforting and terrifying.
Comment by volleyball14 — October 27, 2008 @ 12:47 am
Quality over quanity, this poem fits that saying perfectly. I really like how simple it is but yet still seems mysterious. I really like your post as well because it really doesnt matter how long a poem is just as long as it is good.
Comment by farfromfalling — October 28, 2008 @ 10:24 pm
good job
Comment by poetryprof — November 4, 2008 @ 11:10 pm