[Lecture Two] Poems I Like—and Why
by Dr. Leonard Peikoff
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Course summary: In this two-lecture series, Dr. Leonard Peikoff discusses the value of poetry as an esthetic enhancement to one’s life. He uses examples from some of his favorite poetry—read aloud in the lecture—to demonstrate how to analyze and understand great poems. Peikoff also discusses the nature of poetry and provides a definition. Read more »
In this lecture: In this lecture, Dr. Peikoff continues his analysis of poetry and focuses on some of his favorite erotic and love poetry.
Q&A Guide
Below is a list of questions from the audience taken from this lecture, along with (approximate) time stamps.
| 58:25 | Miss Rand said that her other name for Objectivism was “a philosophy for living on earth.” In the extreme future, when mankind basically possesses the entire universe and we run out of the finite material, what would philosophy be in these extreme dates? |
| 59:59 | I once heard an Objectivist who knew something about art criticize a poem by saying that it was “just verse.” Is there such a distinction… |
| 1:00:47 | Have you considered song lyrics as poetry and, if so, do you have any favorites? |
| 1:01:17 | I was just curious about the name of the erotic poem that you edited out of today’s speech. |
| 1:02:29 | You said that you were not going to read that poem (“Rizpah”) because of your emotional response to it and you feared you’d cry. You’ve mentioned comments about tears of joy on your radio show and I wondered: Do you think that the tearful and sobbing response to something of great value is an expression of the present culture, and would that response have been found in Ancient Greece? |
| 1:05:52 | Did Bill Clinton win in Yugoslavia? |
| 1:12:19 | In a society like Yugoslavia, how do you promote a change and does Objectivism have any role in making a difference? |
| 1:14:44 | Is there any Republican candidate you would support for the presidency? |
| 1:20:35 | What was the title of the Percy Bysshe Shelley poem you read? |
| 1:21:01 | You said if you had to vote in New York that you’d vote for Hillary. But can you make it clear to everyone that they don’t need to vote? |
| 1:21:44 | Which is worse between Al Gore and George W. Bush? |
| 1:24:32 | My concern was that the Republicans have the House and, if Bush got in, they may make abortion illegal… |
| 1:25:23 | After this discussion, it seems somehow appropriate to ask you to read the poem about vodka that you mentioned. |