Power Punctuation, YEAH!!!!

I really liked the examples they provided in this article, it was nice to see almost every example that Solomon offered. For us literary scholars, who are chained and shackled to the restraints of academia, we (I use the term loosely) have a fear of slipping loose of those chains. I grant you, that fear is rightly founded because how many of us have seen the accursed red ink adorning the sad pages of a slighted essay? Well I have, it sucks. Of course we are better off for it. I make no sad excuses to say that the mean n' scary teachers were in the wrong, but did they have to use so many exclamations points behind a furiously underlined 'PUNCT.'!?
However, I feel that Solomon missed an important point in his article, one that exploits the power of punctuation, and that is poetry. Not all poets use punctuation to express their words, but when it is used it changes the poem entirely. Here are a few clever poems by Raj Arumugam
1 ‘
Punctuation

one must wonder
if the word “Punctuation”
is a relative of “Punctured’; 
for, as you must have noticed, 
a prose passage
with no punctuation
is as good as punctured…
poetry is cunning; 
she uses punctuation as she wishes
and still remains pregnant
with meaning, if you know what I mean
2..
the definitive full stop
Say 'Hello'
to the Full Stop
before it shuts you down

Say 'Hello'
to
the American period
the definitive full stop that says: 'That’s it, folks! '
in other words
it says: 'Enough! ' 'That’s it! '
' I’m done! ' ' I’m finished! '
But some people never get that, do they? 
they just keep going on; 
but now I’ll take my cue
and say no more.
FULL STOP.
PERIOD.
3! ! ! 
exciting poem with exclamation marks! ! ! 

Oh noble exclamation mark! 
I expel! I exclaim! 
Oh most excitable exclamation mark! 


Oh, to see you
sends blood racing
in my veins! 
Oh, I love you
once! 
twice! ! 
and I love you thrice! ! ! ! 
- oh, was that four times? ? ? ? 
Oh, be not jealous
I brought in your
distant relative
the crooked and deformed question mark
for I not only love you
! 
! ! 
! ! ! 
! ! ! ! –
but I love you forever, most excitable exclamation mark! ! ! ! 
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! .......and forever! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ..............

Oh noble exclamation mark! 
I expel! I exclaim! 
Oh most excitable exclamation mark! 

These are fun little poems that point out some of what Solomon talked of in his article but here I will show you a poem by William Carlos Williams, first without punctuation, and then the original with:

Libertad Igualdad Fraternidad 

You sullen pig of a man
you force me into the mud
with your stinking ashcart

Brother
if we were rich
we'd stick our chests out
and hold our heads high

It is dreams that have destroyed us

There is no more pride
in horses or in rein holding
We sit hunched together brooding
our fate

Well
all things turn bitter in the end
whether you choose the right or
the left way
and
dreams are not a bad thing 

William Carlos Williams

And now with the normal punctuation, mind you it helps to read the poem out loud, first try it with the first amended version, and now with the second original version:

"Libertad! Igualdad! Fraternidad!"

You sullen pig of a man
you force me into the mud
with your stinking ash-cart!

Brother!
--if we were rich
we'd stick our chests out
and hold our heads high!

It is dreams that have destroyed us.

There is no more pride
in horses or in rein holding.
We sit hunched together brooding
our fate.

Well--
all things turn bitter in the end
whether you choose the right or
the left way
and--
dreams are not a bad thing. 

William Carlos Williams

I hope this a relatable parable for you guys, it was the first thing that popped into my mind when reading this article and I felt compelled to share. Thanks for reading!