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Poetry Is Doomed #21: The 2009 Inauguration Poem
Criticism of Elizabeth Alexander’s inaugural poem by other poets runs the risk of seeming ungrateful or like poet-hating. There are many people who would argue that at least she got the shot, that it is essentially better than nothing.
I am not one of those people.
On the Monday night episode of The Daily Show, host Jon Stewart was making fun of just about every aspect of that day’s historic inauguration, at some point asking the question: “How do you clear 2.5 million people off the Washington mall?” He then proceeded to play a clip of poet Elizabeth Alexander reading her inaugural poem intercut with footage of people leaving the area in the hundreds. Accepting that the footage may have been intercut from later moments in the ceremony for comic effect and not actual reaction shots, it’s a devastating criticism.
Criticism of Elizabeth Alexander’s inaugural poem by other poets runs the risk of seeming ungrateful or like poet-hating. There are many people who would argue that at least she got the shot, that it is essentially better than nothing. After all, the event does not require a poet take part in the proceedings. If even one person – just one! – seeks out poetry in their daily life it will have been for the common good.
I do not labor under this philosophy, not in video games, not in bad horror movies, and not in poetry that is to be delivered to the world and considered historic. The problem with “just one” kind of math is that it discounts the process and focuses only on the effect; it does not consider that perhaps the means by which “just one” was discovered (or saved) could have discovered or saved more than one – maybe dozens or hundreds or thousands – if the means were reconsidered. “Just one” is the math of hopelessness and poor excuses, of pandering to victimhood.
If poetry were at the cultural level of other art forms that aren’t whisked into over-generalized marginalization by too-few or even solitary examples, I wouldn’t feel so strongly about this point; I could focus solely on the poet and poem and not feel personally slighted, safe in the knowledge that in five minutes another poem will wash across the television screen and they’ll understand that what is true of one poem is not true of all poems. As it stands, poetry isn’t music or film or theater or dance or books, so every effort at the level of say, a worldwide inauguration, owes poetry at large some part of its mission. The poet has some responsibility to represent the occasion but poetry as well. Alexander’s poem did not accomplish this. Understand, I am not charging that every gig a poet may do has to pay tithes to the great god of Poetry. But this isn’t exactly a high school visit.
= = = = =
This topic is going to require some ground rules moving forward:
Let us discount that millions of people tuned out of the inauguration after Obama’s speech. It is irrelevant and, more importantly, unfair to the subject. People didn’t largely tune out or leave because a poem was about to be read, but because Obama was done speaking. As far as most people are concerned, that’s the end of the day. This is not her fault.
Let us also discount having to follow Obama’s speech. It wasn’t exactly a surprise or anything, and even if it was, it was too late to change the poem anyway. Also, it does no disservice to the man to deliver a rousing, compelling poem after his equally rousing and compelling speech. If anything it would have been an honorable thing to do. This is also irrelevant.
Let us also discount any notion that a word-for-word, line-by-line criticism of Alexander’s poem largely being committed by critics who haven’t read any poetry since high school as unfair. While it is generally accepted that everyone may be permitted an opinion (even if it is ignorant and grossly uninformed) all opinions should not be held to be equally compelling, relevant or important. I’d much rather hear a movie review from Roger Ebert than my five year-old niece, even if she will do it with mashed potatoes in her hair, which I find adorable. Half of the people giving Alexander a hard time now hadn’t even heard of her prior to being picked for the job.
If public speaking remains people’s number one fear, then you can imagine how difficult it is to speak to an entire planet for three minutes. Yet, let us not give her a pass because she might have been nervous or worried about coming off odd. If George W. Bush can do it for eight years, she can do it for four minutes.
Let those of us who wish to extol her virtues not give her a pass because the job was daunting. If you recognize the challenge of reading before a billion people and then accept it, it is understood that you will be providing the employer with your best effort. Is reading a poem – any poem - to an audience that size a tough job? Absolutely. Is it harder if you have to follow Obama? Sure (though less because his speech was so phenomenal than because once he’s spoken, no one’s listening anyway). Is it an impossible task? No. If she had been the first poet to ever do this you could advance that theory. As she is not, you absolutely cannot. The other three before her pulled it off. One of them – Frost – imploded and still managed to be considered a class act at the end of the day. People who think she did okay or was merely “in service to the poem” with that performance clearly haven’t heard her perform before. She is actually quite engaging, has a voice, and it sounds human.
= = = = =
Taking off my Everyman hat and putting on my Poet hat:
Sometimes you have to take one for the team. In this instance, that means not treating a poem you’re going to read to the largest audience ever to hear a poem to a writing exercise. She should have sweated over that poem, or made us believe she did.
While typing this I was asked by my boss, “What did you think of the inauguration poet?” I smiled, minimized this essay, and asked her what she thought. She said “I’m no expert, but I didn’t like it. The poem was okay but her performance was boring.” I told her that, while there are many instances in which one would derive a greater pleasure from a poem by having an appreciation beforehand, this is not one of them. An inauguration should strive to connect, not with pandering language and a voice striving to be everything by being nothing. It should sing as the day sings, should speak to people and not merely about them. If it doesn’t largely connect with its intended audience then the poem or the poet has failed. In this instance I’m chalking it up to both.
A series of thoughts overcame me while listening to the poem, but only two of them bear directly on the matter before us here. The first thought was that the poem was what I suggested it would be in my December column (PID #19): not her best, but the one that would make sure she goes down in the books. Mission accomplished.
The second thought was a theory, and only a theory. In an attempt to explain why she composed such an underwhelming poem for such an overwhelming occasion, I considered that she thought about the enormity of the day, thought the task of capturing the day impossible, and opted to not even try; to bunt instead of swinging for the bleachers. Only she knows the answer, and with a question like that? It’s better for everyone if it stays that way. But man, what I wouldn’t give to have her whisper it to me while no one was looking. The overall thrust of this column virtually guarantees that the only thing she’d ever whisper to me would likely be unprintable, but you get the idea. I’d have whispered back, “It wasn’t impossible. You should have gone for it.”
I wanted very much for her go into this event swinging, to craft a poem with the heart and voice that is hers and hers alone, to make the world recognize not only the moment, but her moment, and poetry’s moment. It remains her moment, of course. No critic can take away the accomplishment of having been asked to begin with. Her book sales have blown up, and I’m happy for her on that count. She’s an awesome poet who deserved wider recognition. I’m not sure what her newfound audience will make of “Venus Hottentot (1825)”, but at least they’ll see what she’s really about. It may not be apparent here, but I am a big fan of Alexander’s work and once more encourage any and everyone to investigate her earlier work.
Now even moreso.
Submitted by Anonymous on Sunday, January 25, 2009 (06:07:42) (1625 reads)
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| "Features: Poetry Is Doomed #21: The 2009 Inauguration Poem" | Login/Create an Account | 14 comments |
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Re: Poetry Is Doomed #21: The 2009 Inauguration Poem
(Score: 1 )
by Tony on Sunday, January 25, 2009 (07:38:38) |
Well, you've done it again, Woods...made any reference to the Inaugural poem I might have made in my column irrelevant, by saying everything I would have said far better than I would have. Bravo.
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Re: Poetry Is Doomed #21: The 2009 Inauguration Poem
(Score: 1 )
by AndyAnderson on Sunday, January 25, 2009 (14:03:34) |
I agree completely with all of this. The saddest thing for me, however, is the very fact that she will be judged on this poem for a LONG time regardless of her past work, which is excellent in many respects. I don't know what she was thinking in writing and reciting this particular poem, but I'd just love to be in on that discussion.
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Re: Poetry Is Doomed #21: The 2009 Inauguration Poem
(Score: 1 )
by ScottWoods on Sunday, January 25, 2009 (21:55:36) |
Another fine swipe by the blowhards:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=786z7xv1ywA
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Re: Poetry Is Doomed #21: The 2009 Inauguration Poem
by Anonymous on Monday, January 26, 2009 (11:11:36) |
Well put as usual. What I said to the roomful of break room viewers after her poem: "Dang, she needs a few slams under her belt, that performance sucked! She should come to WritersBlock!" Everyone around me just blinked in silence and went back to work.
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Re: Poetry Is Doomed #21: The 2009 Inauguration Poem
by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 (12:34:13) |
How much would you have given to have seen Patricia Smith up there? Or Gayle Danley? Or Patricia Johnson?
There is no joy in poetville for Black Female Poet, Mighty Black Female Poet has struck out.
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Re: Poetry Is Doomed #21: The 2009 Inauguration Poem
(Score: 1 )
by looky on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 (18:58:49) |
come on you guys.
that poem was crap... (sorry. i just remember my reaction to it was something like "Is she being serious?"
what was it about!!`!`!!`!`! ???
i mean.... other then the flowers and the bees and happyland alltogether...
I think, that she won´t be critized for it for the rest of her life.
i think people will just forget about it. I would have, if i hadnt read this post.... 
i doubt it will go down in history...
just my opinion though.
nothing worth while...
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