Quotation
Quote by W. H. Auden
My only duty as a poet is to defend the use of language.
Explore the idea
Understanding this quote
The speaker defines poetry’s sole responsibility as defending language itself. This means treating the use of words as something worth protecting and upholding, rather than naming any separate duty for the poet.
Source & trust
About this quotation
- Source
- The Guardian
- Format
- Official Statement
Explore the idea
Topics
Join the community
Keep meaningful words close.
Save quotes, follow people and topics, join conversations, and publish words of your own.
“I am scared to write non-comedic material because I fear it will come across as melodramatic.”
“When I write it’s usually an interior process with a lot of changes happening at breakneck speed in my head.”
“Cinema has a language of its own.”
Read quote“The editing has got to be in the writing.”
“I want to be called a writer before anything else, before an actor, before a comedian.”
“Writing in another language is humbling.”
“I'm a very literary person, not so much a cinematographic person. I don't really like cinema very much.”
“Characters must be allowed to write their own scripts.”
“I am interested in all serious readers because only they can provide a bridge to the author.”
“The poet should remain as a cell of good living in a corrupt society.”
The Orchard of Unsent Letters
A retired postal sorter finds a box of letters that were never meant to be delivered—and builds a safer way for people to begin speaking.
Read Story