Changing of Time: Understanding Heidegger
For us mortals, time is divided by major events and changes. The life, death, and resurrection of Christ became the dividing line from the "day of the gods." In such times as Heidegger is speaking of the gods and the god have fled. Such major events come with changes in thought, practices, philosophy, etc. So what do poets have to do with the changing of time? Poets are the seekers of the divine trail left by the gods. Their art is a harkening to the past and a search for what the future has in store. As we have read so far, poets often seek answers to the metaphysical questions of existence, knowledge, and so on. Poets seek to enlighten those around them.
One of the questions written on the page I took an interest to is "How can the poet write about something concealed, even to know and say it is concealed?" Perhaps this is where the "fugitive god" comes into play. To many modernists God became a non-entity, a remnant of a forgotten time. Poets by definition, as hinted here with Heidegger, are the conduit through which God still shows influence on the world. Through language and art God speaks to the deepest parts of Being. So my big question is not what a poet's purpose is. My question is why poets seem to be the chosen messengers of time and change.
P.S. I commented on Tobias and Noah's posts.
One of the questions written on the page I took an interest to is "How can the poet write about something concealed, even to know and say it is concealed?" Perhaps this is where the "fugitive god" comes into play. To many modernists God became a non-entity, a remnant of a forgotten time. Poets by definition, as hinted here with Heidegger, are the conduit through which God still shows influence on the world. Through language and art God speaks to the deepest parts of Being. So my big question is not what a poet's purpose is. My question is why poets seem to be the chosen messengers of time and change.
P.S. I commented on Tobias and Noah's posts.
Why are poets the “chosen messengers?” People listen to poets as they listen to orators. Words have tremendous power over the minds of men, whether they be spoken or written. We’ve seen what MLK and Hitler both did with just the right words and how decidedly they moved their home nations, for good or for evil. You’ve never seen a group of people look at a painting or listen to an orchestra and have the same reaction. Art does touch the deepest part of man’s heart, but linguistic arts go a step farther. They can control man’s heart.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Will but I'll also take it one step further--are not poets considered modern day prophets in the sense that people look to them for hope and future? Maybe not poets in the classical definition like Eliot, but even in songwriters.
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