Rilke Letters To A Young Poet Analysis

In Rainer Maria Rilke’s “Letters to a Young Poet,” the author advises Kappus, the young poet, on how to write poetry. By writing the letter in educative and inspirational tones, Mr. Rilke aims to help Kappus improve his poetic prowess. In his letters, Rilke gives guidance in the form of commands. He tells the young poet to “go into himself” several times. Rilke also begs the young poet dig “into the very depths of [his] heart,” instead of seeking acceptance and expecting rewards for his work. Rainer Rilke explicitly instructs Kappus on which types of poems to write. He tries to make Kappus take a strategic distance from love poems by commanding Kappus to “not write love poems.” Moreover, Rilke teaches Kappus that he must use the “things” around him to master the art of creating poetry: “dreams,” “desires,” and “objects.” Rilke also instructs the young poet to “turn [his] attention” to his childhood memories to construct poems. Rilke’s dictations delineate the resemblances between his tone and an instructor’s tone.
Rainer Maria Rilke’s vernacular when giving advice produces meaning by concentrating on the importance of the individual. For instance, Rilke advises Kappus to, “Dig into [himself] for a deep answer,” and Rilke claims
In the letter, Rilke illustrates the techniques a new writer should apply to survive in the field of poetry. He utilizes imperative sentences in his letters to highlight rules a poet must follow to write quality poetry, which makes the letter more persuasive. The dynamic language applied in Rilke’s letters expresses that poets should only write when they get the impulse to do so from within. According to the author, works of literature will turn out banal if poets attempt to write without their sense of impulsivity. Thus, Rilke’s letter is a useful instruction manual for Kappus because of the specific word choices and tones observable throughout the