Tag Archives: rhetoric

Women Irritated the Painter. Oh Dear

Posted on June 2, 2022 by JMN

John Elderfield, who curated the last big de Kooning survey for the Museum of Modern Art, said that originally the Woman series upset different people in different ways… Some were dismayed by the vulgar treatment of the female form… Elderfield’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged journalism, language, painting, rhetoric, style | 5 Comments

Cry the Belovèd Reader

Posted on May 10, 2022 by JMN

“Mandible Wishbone Solvent” by Asiya Wadud (Poetry, March 2022). Pass 3 of 3. Previous comment: https://ethicaldative.com/2022/04/25/mandible-wishbone-solvent-pass-1-of-3/https://ethicaldative.com/2022/05/01/mandible-wishbone-solvent-pass-2-of-3/ You. Be. Here. It’s an affirming imperative to exist, or be situate, in the speaker’s space-time. It’s addressed to “tilt” — twice “tender” now … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology, Commentary | Tagged grammar, language, lexicon, personal, poetry, reading, rhetoric, syntax, translation | 1 Comment

‘Mandible Wishbone Solvent’ — Pass 2 of 3

Posted on May 1, 2022 by JMN

Mandible Wishbone Solvent” by Asiya Wadud (Poetry, March 2022). [Previously commented text: https://ethicaldative.com/2022/04/25/mandible-wishbone-solvent-pass-1-of-3/ ] what vaunted green excess enclosed in each skimmed year then the years / vanquished any fuchsia sky / the excess leaking forward filmed aqua / filled … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology, Commentary | Tagged grammar, language, lexicon, personal, poetry, reading, rhetoric, style, syntax, translation | Leave a comment

‘Mandible Wishbone Solvent’ — Pass 1 of 3

Posted on April 25, 2022 by JMN

“Mandible Wishbone Solvent,” by Asiya Wadud (Poetry, March 2022) roped in incremental ghost tens / future tens clairvoyant tens home tens // blue slips beneath the exposed wing / tilt then seam then an angle spent all inside / the … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology, Commentary | Tagged grammar, language, lexicon, personal, poetry, reading, rhetoric, style, syntax, translation | 4 Comments

‘Smidgins’: Afterthought

Posted on April 17, 2022 by JMN

A “smidgin” is an imprecise, tiny amount of something, a modest dollop. As a poem title, the jocular word is self-effacing but also coyly assertive, like a humble-brag. I got dirt under my nails the other day with Rae Armantrout’s … Continue reading →

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How Poetry Feels About Itself

Posted on April 12, 2022 by JMN

Rae Armantrout’s poem “Smidgins” fulfills an imperative of lyric, which is “Don’t be gassy.” Also another imperative, which is “Talk in riddles.” My crumpled, wrinkled / blurt / of flesh. // “Let’s face it,” / it says. * … Ravaged … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology, Commentary, Quotations | Tagged grammar, language, lexicon, personal, poetry, reading, rhetoric, style, syntax, writing | 4 Comments

On ‘Love Letter to a Dead Body’

Posted on April 2, 2022 by JMN

I’m intrigued by the tension in Jake Skeet’s [sic] poem: Its title juxtaposes love with death, and its rhythms press against the nettle-like images. The first stanza’s images are scarred and rough with “burr and sage,” “bottles” and the “cirrhosis … Continue reading →

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Whomever, Whoever … Whatever

Posted on March 31, 2022 by JMN

A bilateral agreement such as the one proposed between China and Solomon Islands undermines that sentiment and shows a limited appreciation for security of the region as a whole by whomever was the leaked draft’s initial author. (Mihai Sora, theguardian.com, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged grammar, journalism, language, rhetoric, style, translation, writing | 2 Comments

How I Do Reading, Sadly

Posted on March 23, 2022 by JMN

It seems when I encounter a poem I start an argument with it; I approach it as a provocation. Why is it written this way? What is it trying to tell me? What should I feel or think after reading … Continue reading →

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Not Everything Is a Sonnet, Damn It

Posted on March 20, 2022 by JMN

“I get pretty impatient with people who consider any fourteen-line poem to be a sonnet. The turns of thought are crucial, as is the number of turns.” (Carl Phillips, interviewed by David Baker, http://www.kenyonreview.org) The interview inspiring these illustrations is … Continue reading →

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