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Poetry Poetry has changed tremendously since the 19 th century however, when we read our contemporaries, 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 todays 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 that strikes you, the material can be easily retained in your mind, and you will not be the same again. In my opinion, poetry is almost impossible to define. Only one who experiences poetry is able to begin to define it, because it can mean a different thing to each person.
My favorite definition of poetry was given by Matthew Arnold when he said: "Poetry is simply the most beautiful, impressive, and wisely effective mode of saying things. " Many famous writer have given their definition of what they view poetry to be, and in my opinion every single one of their definitions makes more and more sense as I continue broaden my sense of knowledge about poems. In my conviction, the use of a metaphor is essential to poetry and to its nature. This is because poetry brings things together that really belong together, but seem not to be. Poetry does this because it is true to life and in our life we always experience the presence of opposing forces.
Therefore, once again poetry helps us understand the reality of our lives. As Percy Bysshe Shelley admits, A poem is the very image of life expressed in its eternal truth. It is an eternal truth that can offer wisdom for hundreds of years after the poems birth. Even though poetry is very hard to interpret and understand, I feel as though more children should be introduced to poetry, and certainly exposed to its importance earlier in life. Studying the deeper meaning of poetry has been a challenge and an adventure. It has brought my mind to contemplate things to which I have never attached a value, such as my personal connection with nature.
I agree with Shelley, that poetry awakens and enlarges the mind itself by rendering it the receptacle of a thousand un apprehended combinations of thought. It causes one to explore their inner self, by forming their own views on the various meanings within a poem. 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 is what poetry is all about.
As expressed above, poems can be interpreted many ways. The way one interprets a poem can depend on the amount of reasoning they put into it. The way I have learned to look at a poem is that it has two levels of meaning. The surface level, which includes the subject and event or simply what's going on in the poem, and the deep meaning or hidden meaning which includes the interpretation. The key to understanding the true meaning of most poetry is interpretation. Confusing the two levels of meaning, the student settles for the notion that a poem can mean anything.
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. What makes one poem better than another, entirely depends on what interests the reader. My personal favorite type of poems are those which contain rhyme.
I see the pleasure of rhythm like the pleasure of dancing to music. Poems with rhythm in them put me in a good mood and make reading poetry fun for me. I also enjoy reading poetry with alliteration, consonance, and assonance. These three literature devices add an exciting sound to literature and make the experience of reading the poem more exciting for the reader.
An ideal poet becomes intimate with the nature of humanity, and its timeless characteristics. In this way, the poet should surround himself in a divine sort of wisdom. To explore the wisdom and symbolic message of poetry has become an exciting journey for me. The relevance of poetry is undeniable. In my opinion poetry is immortal. It is one of the most flexible and fluent ways of expressing human emotion and clearly helps us understand the reality of our lives.
It alters and enlarges our minds, our connections with each other, past and present, and our understanding of our own feelings. Word Count: 1102
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Research essay sample on Eternal Truth True Meaning
