Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases: "Lottery" by Rasma Haidri (paragraphs 1-5)

1 William Wordsworth's famous definition of poetry as the "sponta­neous overflow of powerful feelings from emotions recollected in tranquility" appears at first to argue against revision.

1 William Wordsworth's famous definition of poetry as the "sponta­neous overflow of powerful feelings from emotions recollected in tranquility" appears at first to argue against revision.

1 William Wordsworth's famous definition of poetry as the "sponta­neous overflow of powerful feelings from emotions recollected in tranquility" appears at first to argue against revision.

Something in the word spontaneous seems antithetical to revision, or so I thought when I first learned about Wordsworth back in college.

Something in the word spontaneous seems antithetical to revision, or so I thought when I first learned about Wordsworth back in college.

At that time, I imagined he meant he lounged dreamily on a divan until, with a gold nib quill, he set about drafting the lines of a poem.

At that time, I imagined he meant he lounged dreamily on a divan until, with a gold nib quill, he set about drafting the lines of a poem.

3 The incident that spurred my poem was a time I took my mother gro­cery shopping, and she unexpectedly asked me to help her buy a lottery ticket.

Now, I could have gone home and told my spouse about what happened and how it made me feel, but this retelling wouldn't have been a poem.

Any word I might insert into the phrase "It made me feel _____" is going to be theoretical, as if we are talking about the emotion.In poetry, we need to recollect the emotion itself.

Any word I might insert into the phrase "It made me feel _____" is going to be theoretical, as if we are talking about the emotion.In poetry, we need to recollect the emotion itself.

5 Sometimes beginning writers feel that to take a poem through many drafts is to apply some sort of censorship to it, to tame its spirited individ­uality and make it conform.They resist revision because they fear editing away the poem's essence.Experience has taught me that revision can be the very means by which I recollect in tranquility.

5 Sometimes beginning writers feel that to take a poem through many drafts is to apply some sort of censorship to it, to tame its spirited individ­uality and make it conform.They resist revision because they fear editing away the poem's essence.Experience has taught me that revision can be the very means by which I recollect in tranquility.

5 Sometimes beginning writers feel that to take a poem through many drafts is to apply some sort of censorship to it, to tame its spirited individ­uality and make it conform.They resist revision because they fear editing away the poem's essence.Experience has taught me that revision can be the very means by which I recollect in tranquility.

5 Sometimes beginning writers feel that to take a poem through many drafts is to apply some sort of censorship to it, to tame its spirited individ­uality and make it conform.They resist revision because they fear editing away the poem's essence.Experience has taught me that revision can be the very means by which I recollect in tranquility.

5 Sometimes beginning writers feel that to take a poem through many drafts is to apply some sort of censorship to it, to tame its spirited individ­uality and make it conform.They resist revision because they fear editing away the poem's essence.Experience has taught me that revision can be the very means by which I recollect in tranquility.

5 Sometimes beginning writers feel that to take a poem through many drafts is to apply some sort of censorship to it, to tame its spirited individ­uality and make it conform.They resist revision because they fear editing away the poem's essence.Experience has taught me that revision can be the very means by which I recollect in tranquility.