Responding to Waldrop - Zach

Each member of my group will be focusing on one thesis and respond to it. I chose thesis 3 which is ‘The Function of poetry is to waste excess energy.’ Her thesis is based on George Bataille’s main tenet of ‘general economy’ that any kind of art form is a glorious way to waste excess energy.

The principle is that living organisms receive more energy than they need to maintain life. This leaves excess energy which can be used for growth (whether this be the growth of the organisms itself or its surroundings). There can be multiple ways of wasting excess energy which include death, wars and unemployment. But wasting energy by creating art form is considered to be the most glorious way.
Waldrop herself has doubts about this social function, as she does not feel like or even consider Bataille’s ideals when she writes. She thinks she’s much too close to the actual event to notice something that is on a grander scale.

I personally agree and disagree with Waldrop’s thesis. I think there are 2 types of poets; one of them uses poetry as an outlet and the other one as a mean to express themselves. The first kind of poets use poetry as a method to waste excess energy and the second type uses it to ‘find themselves’.

Waldrop’s thesis uses Bataille’s generalization that all art form is a glorious way to waste excess energy. By simple deduction, as poetry is a form of art, so it is also a glorious way to waste energy. There are different levels of art form in my opinion, there are physically challenging and mentally challenging. Waldrop gave examples like pyramids and cathedrals as other evidences but these projects are much more strenuous than writing a poem. By generalizing art form as one object, Bataille forgot that poetry only requires one’s mind to be formed.

Some could argue that mentally creating something could be counted as using energy. This is true, however, energy can never fully disappears, it just transforms into another form of energy. In poetry’s case, the excess energy from the poets is now embedded in the poems and would pass on to the readers by changing their emotions.
Waldrop had the correct idea when she proposed both sides of the argument. Poetry is an art form which some would use as an outlet for their excess energy/emotion. However, this is not always true, the word waste seems to imply that the product, which is poetry, has no use or purpose in reality. This takes away from the real function of poetry, which is to transfer the poet’s emotions to the readers through the powerful use of words. In conclusion, Waldrop’s thesis ‘The function of poetry is to waste excess energy” have no certain answers as both sides of the arguments make complete sense.