"Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat."
The quote suggests that poetry, in the words of Andrew Motion, is a powerful means of engaging with life. It implies an intense, passionate, and direct approach to living through language, using poetic expression to grasp life's essence or essential moments deeply. The phrase "by the throat" indicates a grip on life that is firm and immediate, underscoring the transformative impact poetry can have on its readers and writers alike.
"A poem can be a map, but it isn't a road."
This quote suggests that a poem serves as a representation or guide (a "map"), providing insights, emotions, or imagery for the reader. However, unlike a road, it doesn't dictate a specific path to follow in real life. Instead, a poem invites readers to traverse the terrain of their own thoughts and emotions, encouraging interpretation and personal reflection.
"The function of poetry is to represent the ineffable."
Andrew Motion's quote emphasizes that one purpose of poetry is to convey or express something intangible, indescribable, or beyond ordinary language - often referred to as 'the ineffable.' This could be emotions, experiences, or concepts that are difficult or impossible to explain directly but can be evoked and hinted at through the use of poetic language and imagery. Essentially, poetry serves as a means to articulate the mysterious, complex, and profound aspects of human existence.
"Poetry should surprise us, or it's not poetry."
This quote by Andrew Motion emphasizes the importance of novelty and freshness in poetry. He suggests that true poetry should provoke a sense of wonder or amazement in the reader, offering an unexpected perspective or insight. In other words, great poetry challenges our perceptions and stimulates our imagination, setting it apart from ordinary language.
"I think every poem is a little act of faith."
This quote by Andrew Motion suggests that every poem is an act of trust or belief, not just in the creative process, but also in the power of words to evoke emotions, tell stories, and make connections between people and ideas. It implies that a poem, in its essence, carries an intangible yet profound meaning, which may be interpreted differently by each reader, much like faith in its ability to inspire hope or provoke thought. Furthermore, it underscores the idea that poetry is an exploration of the human experience and emotions, often pushing boundaries and challenging our understanding of the world.
Those who say we should dismantle the role of Poet Laureate altogether, the trick they miss is that being called this thing, with the weight of tradition behind it, and with the association of the Royal family, does allow you to have conversations and to open doors, and wallets, for the good of poetry in a way that nothing else would allow.
- Andrew Motion
When Keats says: 'Axioms in philosophy are not axioms until they are proved upon our pulses', what he means is that we don't necessarily believe what a poem is saying if it comes out and tells us in an absolutely head-on, in-your-face way; we only believe it to be true if we feel it to be true.
- Andrew Motion
While also, importantly, not wanting to dumb it down or pretend the days of 'difficult' poetry are over, because we live in a pluralist culture and there's room for 'difficult' poetry alongside rap and everything else. And poetry won't be for everyone, but everyone should have the choice.
- Andrew Motion
I've always thought that the balance between the side of my mind that knows what it is doing and the side that really hasn't got a clue has to be carefully maintained because if you write too knowingly then you get chilly, and if you write too unknowingly you write bollocks that nobody else can understand.
- Andrew Motion
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