Outward Bound & Cluster+ Icon
These two poems are similar in the sense that they change the context of a word by changing its physical appearance. In Cluster and Icon we can see two words being created through with the combination of the middle letters. Outward bound is a morphing of letters into a statement. The letters trickle down the page and turn into a whole. There are words and statements in the trickle down but they are hard to see.

The differences are the relationships between the words used. "Concentration and Constellation." "Black and Block." "There is no frigate like a book." There is no direct correlation between Concentration and constellation besides the number of letters and the letters they share. The same could be said for black and block. The sounds they share are also similar. A frigate is a warship, so the statement means there is no warship like a book. Knowledge being power and power deriving from books. So if you going to wage war you need knowledge.

What do you think the person(s) who composed this piece hoped reader/viewers would think or feel or do in response?

What I felt was confusion with the frigate poem. I had trouble understanding what exactly was going on. I had to read it multiple time to understand it as a whole. The trickling down shows how weak letters are apart but when they are whole they have a meaning. In the outward bound piece I just felt mathematically perplexed. I would have never thought of creating a word of that form.

Why do you think the composer(s) of this piece chose not to use a “traditional” approach to putting the piece together?

For the frigate piece I think it was to show the power of the letters and how the produce that power. The second one I am not able to figure out. Maybe it is just to show the beauty and relationship of words within themselves.

What does a reader/viewer need to bring to this piece in order to make a meaningful relationship with it or to read it with some understanding?

Just an open mind. If you keep your mind closed you would not see what is in front of you.

In what contexts does this piece do its work?

Both pieces show a different aspect about how words and letters create beauty. We typically do not view a word as beautiful or as a piece of art. We simply see it as a tool to answer a question of convey knowledge.

What about this piece would you like to hold onto in your own

I like the trickle down I think I may use that on my next piece.