Breeana Meadows

Mr. Newman
English 101: Rhetoric
1 December 2014
Where art thou, Poetry?
Ah, yes it is time to discuss why poetry is a thing. From William Shakespeare to that
sonnet from freshman year that made everyone question why poetry even exists, the questions
that come into perspective are; has poetry lost its relevancy? Does poetry matter? Although many
people have different views on the topic at hand, it can be established that the only time poetry is
used, is academically. Some might even say that soon poetry will be a thing of the past,
obliterated into extinction. Is there a way to save this beautifully written language? Due to
poetrys lack of necessity in everyday life, the boundary line between what is taught and what is
learned is irrationally blurred. Because poetry is either easily cherished or misunderstood in a
persons life, it should become more prevalent in the educational system and society in order for
people to understand that it has a beneficial impact emotionally and academically.
What do you mean we have to understand what the poem is saying? Throughout the
years, poetry has been analyzed firsthand through the educational system. From interpreting
William Shakespeares poetic phenomenon to learning how to use textual evidence to support
the argument being made. But once school is complete, is poetry left behind and forgotten?
William Logan, author of Madame X, argues that, When it is once taken seriously in schools,
poetry will be loved again as many anthropic readers love it now. In order for poetry to
become relevant and influential in society, educators need to take the time to showcase the

benefits of poetry. What are those benefits? Since poetry is often known for giving mixed
signals, once one can identify what the poet is saying, then they can easily understand the deeper,
emotional aspect of the poem. Patrick Rosal, author of Boneshepherds, supports William
Logans argument by stating, Poetry and science are kin; they share a series of principal labors.
Those are 1.) Observation and attention 2.) Reflection and memory 3.)Description 4.)
Imagination 5.) Re-seeing and discovery. Both disciplines cultivate curiosity and interrogation.
Although poetry is known for helping readers understand the tone of the passage, it is can easily
tie into other areas of study due to the complexity of this literary magnificence. Not only is
poetry influential in more than one areas of study, since they often share similar aspects of
specialties, it is often claimed to hidden in the world, but in reality it has always been right in
front of our eyes.
Is there, like, people who actually believe that poetry is cool? Poetry fanatics, educators,
and books lovers alike pride themselves in broadening the range of literary elements
incorporated in their areas of specialties. Poetry is used to express emotions, thoughts and
feelings that can connect with a person to a point that it fuels the need to feel something and
escape their inner demons. Sandra Beasley, author of I Was the Jukebox, argues that, Poems
can inspire and spur action: something as the right metaphor can shift a readers understanding.
Because poetry can easily relate to its readers, sometimes a simple sentence can make a person
feel as if someone understands them, that someone understands what they are going through
when no one else can. As Patrick Rosal, author of Boneshepherds, so bluntly says that, Not
enough is about how everyday people are moved by poems. We as a society focus on what is
popular in our world; the fame, the fortune, yet no one showcases the talented others who
connect emotionally and spiritually with their readers and influence their lives in the process.

Rosal brings up an important point that part of the problem is our assessment of poetry is about
awards, publications and appointments. Instead of highlighting exceptional poets and their hard
works of literary genius, society wants to follow the trends that are popular in the world, of who
is popular in the world. But since poetry seems to be a dreaded topic of discussion nowadays, we
need an inspirational view on poetry in order bring back what was once popular in the past.
Why is poetry even a thing anymore, like, seriously? Others counter that poetry is no
longer needed due to the expansion of modern day slang and what the English language has
come to be. This belief is based off the thought that poetry will soon die off with only a small
portion left for it to be remembered. But where would our world be without it? Our language
originated from poetry, evolving as future generations manipulated it to be what it is today.
David Biespiel, author of Charming Gardeners, counters that belief by stating that, Every
society weve ever known has had poetry, and should that poetry suddenly disappears in the
morning, someone, somewhere, will reinvent it by evening. Since poetry is such an inspiration
to people who take the time to relate with it, if it were to ever evaporate into thin air, people
would easily recreate this beautifully written language. Sandra Beasley, author of I Was the
Jukebox, agrees with Biespiel by stating that, History suggest that, in every generation, certain
poets bear the philosophical burdens of their time. Poetry will always be used to express the
burdens that develop in life, that no matter what hardship a person is going through, there is
always a poem out there, somewhere that was created by a person who went through the exact
same thing. Besides even Beasley states that, Great poets have died for their work and,
unfortunately, continue to be prosecuted. No matter what generation it is, poetry will always be
remember. It will reign high in the literary world and someone, somewhere will always be there
to remind the world why poetry exists.

The thing that people dont understand about poetry is that it is a simple escape from the
bottled up emotions that are left hidden in the dark crevices of our mind. It is an expressive use
of writing that follows patterns and guidelines yet creates a difficult nature that some view as an
exciting challenge. Yes, it may never be a thing for an individual, in fact some people view
poetry as a horror, but the beauty of the emotions conveyed through a simple few sentence poem,
is beautiful. A poem can summarize the emotions running through the body and mind, which is
what poets live for, to impact a readers life and connect with them in the only way they can;
through poetry. As for relevance, poetry does not need to be relevant, it needs to be good
(Logan.)

Works Citied
Beasley, Sandra. Earning Our Laurel Leaves. New York Times: Room for Debate. New York
Times Company, 18 July 2014. Web. 13 November 2014.
Biespiel, David. Poems Hold the Mysteries of the Present, Dreams of the Future. New York
Times:Room for Debate. New York Times Company, 21 July 2014. Web. 13 November
2014.
Logan, William. Poetry Requires an Education of the Senses. New York Times: Room for
Debate. New York Times Company, 18 July 2014. Web. 13 November 2014.
Rosal, Patrick. Poetry Is Hospitable to Strangeness and Surprise. New York Times: Room for
Debate. New York Times Company, 18 July 2014. Web. 13 November 2014.