– blog entry one (week 4) –
Poetry. At first glance it may just seem like random words thrown onto a page, yet it is so much more than that. But when asked to define what i thought poetry was at the beginning of this term i was lost for words and confused. How could such a well known art form be so hard to define?
As a class, we came up with ideas that we thought would help define exactly what poetry was. In the end, my group came up with the following definition of poetry:
“Poetry is a well thought out piece of text which provokes emotions that either narrates, describes, argues or defines something.”
Although this definition is accurate and of high quality, i couldn’t help but feel like we were missing something important. So, i did some research into how famous poets have described poetry and the outcome was quite amazing. Some used their own emotional and physical reactions to the written words to define poetry, such as Emily Dickinson who said:
“If I read a book [and] it makes my whole body so cold no fire ever can warm me I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only way I know it. Is there any other way?”
Others described the literal form of writing poetry, such as Carl Sandburg who said:
“Poetry is a projection across silence of cadences arranged to break that silence with definite intentions of echoes, syllables, wave lengths.”
While there were so many different ways of describing it, i found a common factor that was in most definitions. That poetry is able to evoke all different types of feelings within the reader, using the same words. It is able to be interpreted in so many different ways, you could read a poem and feel emotions of hope whilst another person could read the exact same poem and have a completely different emotional reaction. Some common emotions portrayed in poetry include love, jealously, grief, fear and hope.
A poem that i really enjoyed analysing was ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou. It portrays multiple themes that the reader can interpret differently depending on how they read the poem. One of these themes includes the importance of self-respect and confidence, whilst another shows the resiliency, strength and beauty that the black communities continue to show, through hundreds of years of oppression and discrimination. In a time when racial tensions are at a high, Angelou’s poem is still just as relevant as it was in 1978, serving as a reminder to us all that through the collective pain and inequality still we rise. This poem can be seen as a kind of anthem or a beacon of hope for the oppressed. As a member of the black community, Maya was able to personally relate to the struggles they were going through based on her childhood and early adult experiences. Like many others, she was faced with difficulties and hardship, but this poem shows the story of how she was able to rise above these things, and gives hope to others to do so as well.
Poetry is a way to express your emotions and connect with others. Maya Angelou expertly showcased this with her poem ‘Still I Rise.’ However, there are so many other important aspects to poetry that i haven’t written about. So, i strongly suggest that you have a read of some poems and do some research of your own so that you can see for yourself exactly how mesmerising the art of poetry is.
To read Maya Angelou’s beautifully written poem, ‘Still I Rise’, click the link below 🙂
xo Letissia
Aspire English Poetry Blog 