Monday, May 13, 2013

#poetry

Twitter limits users to 140 characters or less. This brevity and constraint of form closely mirrors certain forms of poetry—think haiku. Twitter Poetry is a growing field.


Courtesy of NYTimes.com

The Times diagnoses both Twitter (a microblogging platform) and poetry as "both having to do with humanity’s deep and sometimes uncontrollable need to communicate."

An automatic program called Pentametron captures tweets that are iambic.

Shall I comPARE thee TO a SUMmer's DAY?

is a classic iamb by Shakespeare. Pentameter means that it has ten beats. Combine pentameter with the robotic suffix -tron and you have a hilarious, sometimes poignant feed. (Strong language warning if you click through to the Twitter feed.)

For my poetic adaptation, I decided to search for tweets using the #BYU hashtag. This is a way for others to search for tweets by topic. This project was illuminating, because just like creating a poem from scratch, I had to weed out lines I didn't like, think about sound and visual presentation, and tell a story. Enjoy!

High School Senior

I think I'm hosting the after party for Mormon prom tonight, bring money for diet coke and chips. This movie night is about to get rad.

Freshman

Being good looking only gets you a first date.

There I was, walking to class, when the guy next to me pulls out his yo-yo and starts 'walking the dog'.

There is literally a dancing taco on campus right now.

Sophomore

Rapped the Alaska State Song in PLSC class today and won $5!

I can't decide if I like tan skin or shade better.

I JUST MADE A BET THAT I WON'T GET MARRIED IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS OMG WHAT AM I GOING TO WITH MY LIFE, GO TO SCHOOL OR SOMETHING?!?

Junior

Sometimes the chemical engineers try to burn down the Clyde.

Involved in a Sex Crime in Salt Lake City? Call 1-800-755-8998 and ask for Attorney Adam Pomeroy now.

What goes on in the HBLL stays in the HBLL.

Senior

Someone brought their baby to economics, and it's really cute, but shut up.

In case you haven't heard, there was a proposal at the Wall, April 30, and we need your help finding out who it was!

#Poor people get divorced. #Rich people upgrade.

Post-grad

LDS Church to purchase Utah State University, rebrand it BYU-Logan.

This is why I didn't get married at #BYU.

2 comments:

  1. What an interesting and fun analysis. Good job. I loved the way each school year took on its own flavor.

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  2. The end of your poem is very good. It really makes me want to know why the person did not get married at BYU. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? Did he/she find "the one" post-graduation? Keeps me thinking.

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