blog #4

Blog #4 Hamill and Forche

Sam Hamill and Carolyn Forch are both poets who write poetry of witness. Poetry of witness is poetry in which the author makes vulnerable his emotions and feelings as a witness of an event or circumstance. The reader is a guest as a second-hand witness of the author’s experience. Although Hamill and Forche are both poets. Outside of that they are very different in their approach. Hamill is more personal-minded, while Forche is more global minded. Forche is very difficult for me to understand. After reading and re-reading her article, I still don’t have a good grasp on what she is saying. Perhaps it is because I am not very politically minded.

I agree with Forche that we live in a country where we are safe from war on our soil, we have free choice, and we are not censored. Our society is anesthetized to these ills and it is easy to not fully understand the struggles on a global level. I understand how she feels the need to be a witness to open our eyes.

Hamill is easier to understand so I find him to be more engaging than Forche. Hamill uses poetry as a tool to deal with his abuse. Writing about his experiences is his personal release that he invites us to be a witness to. I like how he teaches others to do this also. I do not agree on his view of spanking leading to abuse. His perspective is extreme. I believe children need clear boundaries. When they cross those boundaries in a willful, defiant way, sometimes a spanking is the clearest communication that their action is not acceptable. When a consequence has been put in place in advance, the child chooses the consequence. Follow thru on the parent’s part can then lead to healthy respect. Hamill is passionate in his stand on many issues. I Believe this is what makes him a good writer, although I don’t