Poetry
When we learn to read poems, we acquire a pleasure and a resource we never loose. Poetry records and embodies centuries of human thought and emotion, preserving for us the minds of people who lived before us, who were like and unlike us, against whom we can measure our common humanity and our historical difference. Poetry has changed tremendously since the 19th century however, when we read our contempories, I feel that they illuminate a world we share. With all of these transformation in literature, poets from one hundred years ago wrote about topics which are still relevant in today's modern world. It is remarkable that their written words can tell us more about our present, than they did about our past. Is it just an illusion that our world is evolving, or do these great poets have the power to see into the future?When we read poetry something changes inside us that stays changed forever. To read poetry we must observe, measure, and judge the people and the properties of our universe - inside and outside. Poems can be anywhere: in a literature book, a magazine, or even on a popsicle stick. One never realizes how much poetry we see each day and the immense impact that it has on our lives. Once you read a piece of poetry
The reason why I enjoy reading poetry more than other forms of literature is because the purpose of poetry is not primarily to convey information. When I read a poem I feel it requires a special type of reading, different from a newspaper article that you read quickly for the facts. I have to read a poem many times to get my full interpretation of the meaning. Think of it somewhat like listening to your favorite song. You don't listen to your favorite rock group to get the latest news. You listen to be transported by the music, to experience the emotion of the lyric, to be entertained. It's the same with poems. You read them to get back your emotional experience. Your interpretation may change each time you read the poem, and the strong opinions of others can also play a tremendous role. One of the most interesting things about poetry is that each poem can mean different things to every individual. The only person who knows the true meaning of a poem is the actual poet themselves. Poetry gives the reader a chance to contemplate the meaning, and to form their own point of view. I am often intrigued by poems which have more than one meaning, and are written with that sole purpose in mind. A perfect example of this is Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz". This poem can be taken from two point of views. One is that the father is physically beating the son, while the mother is watching with fear for her child. The other outlook is that they were just dancing around and having fun. The fact that the author is purposely making the story unclear makes the poem even more interesting. The author is giving the reader a chance to open up their mind and to think for themselves. In my perspective, this i
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Approximate Word count = 1155
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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