ANSWERS: 8
  • There is no guide to writing an epic poem. I can only give you one piece of advice, and that is; write from your heart. Find something you are really passionate about and write about it. This is really the only way you could do it, there are no steps to follow. It just has to be something that means something to you. Maybe this will give you some inspiration : IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. One of my favourite poems, written by an army major with first hand experience of the horrors of WW1. Seeing this he was able to write a masterpiece of a poem that is good enough to bring grown men to tears.
  • Take any of the following films/books: * Star Wars * Raiders of the lost Ark * Wizard of Oz * Lord of the Rings * The Magnificent Seven * The Old Man and the Sea Then re-write the story in rhyming couplets. You could also use any story that follows similar "epic" structures (typically involving a journey, an adversary whose powers are seemingly unbeatable, a final confrontation in a high place or distant land, and a return or homecoming to a satisfactory conclusion). If you want to make up your own plot, use the same basic structure as any James Bond film (including the bit when the hero is captured and seemingly at the mercy of the adversary. This also features in all the stories named above in one form or another).
  • Start with a story and write it as a poem. But there are "rules" (which Alexander Pope made lots of fun of in an essay on Epic Poetry) hoewever I'd maybe concentrate less on the "epic" and just write a story in verse. Good modern long poems are Canto General by Pablo Neruda (though it's not a story as such), Fredy Neptune by Les Murray, Gaudete by Ted Hughes, Derek Walcot's last few books...
  • What constitutes an epic poem? Epic poetry can be seen as the first of the poetic generas, the grandfather of the art, whose circumambience of existance would give birth to all other aspects of poetry. They usually concern an event or series of events, & seen thro the eyes of one or two main 'heroes,' from Virgil's Aeneas to Wordworth's himself inThe Prelude. Through them & other carachters the entire glut of human emotion should be experienced & played out. In his 'Discourse de la Posie Dramatique,' Denis Diderot said, "Poetry wants something enormous, barbarous, savage." It is only with epic poetry that this ideal is realised. The Epic sits on a lofty pinnacle of poetry, observing every facet of humanity & encompassing every genera of poetic utterance, from the love lyric to the dramatic battle scene. If one was to put all the world's epics on a bookcase... & they would only need a couple of small shelves... you would find so much human existance in so little a space. Over the centuries many 'devices' have been recognized as carachteristic of epic poetry. One of the first rules of epic is to plunge In Mens Rea, that is half way through the story, the earlier parts being told in flashbacks.The Invocation is a prayer to the muse by the poet, requesting her assitance in the composition of the poem. The Epic Simile is a grand descriptive device, concerning some event from history, usually beginning, 'As when..." There are lists of kings, catalogues of warriors & their equipment, battle scenes, descriptions of heroes, grand geographical sweeps, speeches & soliloquoys, literary allusions, morality, unity of action-time-place, the proper treatment of historical sources, verisimilitude, brave deeds & grand speeches, religion, descriptions of natural scenes, & words both new & ressurected. There should also be a strong 'immortal' influence, where the actions of the gods & monsters influence those of the mortal, from the Cyclops of Homer to the 'books' of Wordsworth. In many epics a trip to the underworld also occurs, & other encounters with supernatural agents. But it’s main purpose is to elucidate the ways & actions of man. Most of all, an epic should capture the moment, the spirit of an age, something to record a nations zeitgeist for its future citizens to reflect on &, if it is good enough, inspire. i hope this helps x damo
  • Poetry!
  • It has to come from the heart and it doesnt have to rhyme!
  • i love so many styles of poetry i dont even know where to begin. when i write ~ i just do it ~ it flows out of me. if you are interested in learning how to write poetry, i would pick up a book of collected works of various poets to get a sense of what you like. there are also many literary books that will help you analyze/dissect poetry structure and meaning. prose might be easier to start out with ~ it usually lacks the formal structure of meter or rhyme that is often found in poetry. i would start by just putting pen to paper (or typing). consider it an exercise of free association. visualization helps. just let your spirit move you and muse about life.
  • Either be reincarnated centuries ago since for some reason ever crap is considered great..be very wealthy and have great publicity agents to say how awesome you are. Lastly waste 5 years writing and make an epic piece of trash.

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