Science and Poetry

In poetry, science is usually used as a way to compare someone's beauty or something that is beyond "normal" explanation. Rarely, if ever, however, have I seen them compared to each other. In the essay "Farder to Reache" by Albert Goldbarth, this is done. My first pull to this essay was because I saw the name "Kepler." Having taken Astronomy classes last year, I was familiar with the name, and was, of course, like any other nerd, excited to see what the author had to say. It could go without saying that the essay was not exactly what I expected.

The essay began with an interesting way to think of Kepler's mind. It said, "We might say his skull contained the sky of the 16th and early 17th centuries, held it in place like a planetarium dome." To me, that was an awesome way to say just how much Kepler knew about the night sky of his time and how much he observed it. After this, I expected the author to talk about the stars and planets and how things have changed. Instead, he switched to talking about the poetry of Whitman. First, this was a weird connection, but it still made sense. The reason Glodbarth made this connection was because Kepler would talk about how he didn't like thinking about the universe being endless, making it possible to float forever, much like the poetry of Whitman, who uses free verse. The connection between Astronomy and Poetry like this was, well, quite exciting for me. Before, there had always seemed to be a rather distinct difference between the two, with the exception of poetry using Astronomy to compare someone, of course. But this essay connected the two in a way that showed how the two subjects are similar, how famous people from each area are similar. It was almost impossible for my inner-nerd to control herself with such excitement.

This essay gave me a new way to look at two very different subjects and see how they are not really all that different. It even ended with the author saying that he could be hanging out with Kepler and Whitman on a dark night, just chilling and drinking some beers, looking at the sky. The connection between the ideas of the two men and bringing them together in a "real life" sense made it a good vision. And, because of all of this and my inner-nerd, this Goldbarth essay was definitely my favorite.