In my preparation for this essay I thought that there was going to be very little that I would learn about the elements of poetry. This is not because I am an expert and have nothing new to learn, but rather the opposite. I have never really spent the time to break down and appreciate poetry. One of the reasons I think that I haven’t spent the time on poetry is due to my reading habits. I usually read to gather information and poetry is on the other end of the spectrum. Fredrick Gruber sums this up, “Poetry tends to give general truths while history gives particular facts.” (Gruber) Having said all of this though, I did see a couple of things that I could apply to my own writing. I will first start off with some elements of poetry that I don’t see myself applying. First I will talk about rhyming. This is one of the first things people think about when they think about poetry. The old “Roses are red Violets are blue” verse is a perfect example of what comes to mind. Rhyming can add some feel to a poem and allow people to anticipate next lines, but it is not required. There was a time when rhyming was considered an integral part of a poem, but poetry has evolved. One person who helped this evolution was Emily Dickinson. “Sometimes she scarcely rhymed at all. And although there was a precedent for this practice. . . the music of her verse was new enough to seem revolutionary.” (Wolff 186) Dickinson did use rhyme, but she showed that it was not required. Song lyrics are many people’s only connection to poetry today. Lyrics, as we all know, make great use of rhyme. Looking forward in my writings I do not see myself using rhyme very much in my writings. Poets also have alliteration and assonance at their disposal. I have known about a... ... middle of paper ... ...mpact form is amazing. How poets must see the written language is intriguing. Unlike many modern song lyrics that only worry about rhyme and rhythm, a true poet can take these elements and inject meaning into it. The imagery they can conjure up while maintaining a very specific style is their talent. I think that I can take the idea of choosing the right words to put meaning into my writing. Works Cited Charters, Ann, Samuel Charters. Literature and its Writers. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2007. Print. Frost, Robert. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”. 1923. Web. 1 Dec 2009. Gruber, Fredrick Charles. “A concept of poetry: a critical analysis of poetry as a basis for educational experience”. University of Pennsylvania. 1934. Print. Wolf, Cynthia Griffin. “Emily Dickinson”. De Capo Press. 1988. Print.
Poetry is its own solid object” (Bad Poem, Great Song). To some, the dilemma is cut and dry, songs just can’t be poetry.
Bibliography:.. Works Cited Meyer, M., Ed., (1999). Bedford Introduction to Literature, 5th Ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin.
Poetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities; it is solely used to evoke emotive feelings in the reader in which to convey a message or story. This form of literature has a long history dating back thousands of years and is considered a literacy art form as it uses forms and conventions to evoke differentiating interpretations of words, though the use of poetic devices. Devices such as assonance, figurative language, alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhythm are sometimes used to achieve a musical and memorable aspect to the poem. Poems are usually written based on the past experiences of the poet and are greatly influenced by the writer’s morals values and beliefs. Poetry regularly demonstrates and emphasises on the
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1989.
The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms. Ed. M. Strand & E. Boland. New York: Norton 2001
One of the greatest gems of whom America can be proud to say he is one of us, E E Cummings was one of the top poets of his time and even presently. He was a man who had his own style that would bring in-depth cognition to his writing. One of Cummings most renowned poems “in Just” is one such writing that showcases his style and cunning intellect. When analyzed it becomes very clear how many elements Cummings can use in just a few lines; some key principles he uses is musical devices, imagery, patterns, and allusion.
This part of the poem shows that rhythm makes poems more interesting and fun to read. When poems rhyme it makes it easier for the reader to picture what is going on and
When reading or listening to poetry, the main objective for me is to feel moved. Happiness, longing, sadness are some of the feelings that can be achieved just by listening to others’ words. It is within these words that creates another world, or separates us from our own. Words all have a certain kind of attachment to them, so if used properly an author can stimulate a reader beyond belief.
Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia, eds. An Introduction to Poetry. 13th ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 21. Print.
Belasco, Susan, and Linck Johnson, eds. The Bedford Anthology of American Literature. Vol. 1, 2nd Ed., Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. 1190-1203. Print.
I believe that songs can be considered a form of modern day poetry as they often effectively use poetic techniques such as repetition, imagery, contrasting themes, effective word choice and climaxes. The two songs that I have discussed clearly possess and demonstrate these qualities and how effective they are.
The Bedford Introduction to Literature 4th ed. of the book. Boston: St. Louis St. Martin’s Press, 1996. 883-89.
Poetry is the everlasting method of literature, and is used to portray emotions and stories in a much more in depth and descriptive style, as explained by Sir Joshua Reynolds, ‘Poetry operates by raising our curiosity, engaging the mind by degrees to take an interest in the event, keeping that event suspended, and surprising at last with an unexpected catastrophe.’