"Lighthead"- Multicultural Lit
In Terrance Hayes’ modern poetry collection, “Lighthead”, Hayes describes modern day situations while suspending traditional, poetic style, form, meter, and rhyme scheme. Before I even opened Hayes’ book, I had already formed a negative opinion toward modern poetry. Like any other English major, I have mostly studied traditional poetry which adheres greatly to formal style, form, meter, and rhyme scheme. These things combined with multiple allusions to classic epics and other works of literature have always helped me to interpret the words the author has written. When it comes to modern poetic works, the conventional style is no longer there and without even a rhyme scheme to rely on, I feel as though I’m able to gain less insight into the actual meaning of the poem itself. After reading Hayes’ poetry, I have noticed he has a particular style of his own. While that style is not similar to traditional poetic works, I feel it helps to get Hayes’ point across in a different way. Hayes’ relies heavily on the use of imagery throughout many of his lyrical poems in order to bring the reader into the situation he is describing. For example, In Hayes’ “A Plate of Bones”, Hayes describes riding to church with his uncle with “a school of fish corpses” in the back of the car. Hayes writes:
The sick-eyed gap-mouthed bass, the kingfish without
kingdom, the silver-thin silver fish- each dead and
seperate in a cool bucket. Gilded and shapely as a
necktied Sunday morning, the fish. Sit upright, he said,
and I sat right up, riding shotgun looking hard at the
From what Hayes has written in these lines, it is easy for the reader to imagine being in the same situation as Hayes. As a reader, one brings his/her own experiences into the poem. In my case, I have ridden to church with my grandparents numerous times (all be it not with a bucket of fish in the car). I think being able to personally identify with certain aspects of the poem by drawing from past experiences aides more in interpretation as opposed to sifting through multitudes of allusions and their subsequent footnotes.
Also, I have found, through reading Hayes’ poems, it is not so much the meaning of every individual word which is important, but rather how those words are placed in order to create a certain image or bring a particular emotion or sound to the poem. After reading countless, traditional poems over my last 4 years as an English major, my brain is wired to read the poem only in order to understand the message which the author has creatively hidden within the words he has chosen. This is why I struggled so much with reading Hayes’ poetry at first. Surely every word must have some sort of crucial, symbolic meaning which will help me understand the author’s message. UNTRUE! Terrance Hayes’ poetry has taught me that it is not necessary to understand every word in order to appreciate or enjoy the poem. Rather, it is more important to pay attention to the flow of those words along with the images they create and the feelings/ memories they inspire.
Is it necessary to understand every word of a poem in order to appreciate or interpret the author’s writing?
How does Hayes’ use of the pecha kucha style affect the interpretation of some of his poems?
Answer: No, it is not necessary to understand every word a poet has decided to include in a passage of lyrical poetry.A reader can appreciate or interpret a given poem without fully understanding what every weird means. I believe this is due in part to the poet's writing style. Take Hayes for example, he employs a different writing style meant to engage the reader in a given, relatable situation. In his collection of poetry entitled, " Lighthead", Hayes draws the reader to the poetry by combining words solely for the rhythm they create or the emotion they inspire. Therefore, it is not necessary to understand every word in a poem, but rather focus on the reason those words where grouped together and how the reader can relate them.
Thesis: Readers are able to interpret and appreciate a given poem without entirely understanding every word. This is due to the writer's style by inspiring a relatable situation or inspiring a certain emotion by grouping words in a line.
In Terrance Hayes', "Lighthead", the way in which words are grouped within a certain poem can be a very important tool in interpreting and appreciating a chosen poem. Certain groupings of words will always inspire a certain emotion or remind the reader of a situation he/she has experienced. Due to the writer's style, it is not necessary for the reader to understand every word Hayes' has grouped in a certain line. Instead, Readers are able to interpret and appreciate a given poem without entirely understanding every word. This is due to the writer's style by inspiring a relatable situation or inspiring a certain emotion by grouping words in a line.
