“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race and the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, law, business, engineering — these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life, but poetry, beauty, romance, love — these are what we stay alive for.” - John Keating, Dead Poets Society
Poetry had been around from almost the start of human existence, with the first poem dating back to 1800BC. Poetry may seem like just a set of words strung together in a clever and unique way, however with that way of thinking, how has poetry survived so long. There is clearly more to poetry than just the words, so why have we read poetry for so long, and why should we continue to read poetry?
To begin, Poetry is able to evoke emotions that make them entertaining. Even though many other forms of media such as movies and paintings are able to evoke emotion, Poetry is able to do so in a way that no other medium can. Through the skillful use of words, poets are able to evoke just about any emotion such as anger, melancholy or happiness. Take, for example, this famous poem from Ella Wheeler Wilcox -
Solitude
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
This poem, perhaps most famous for the first 2 lines — “Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone” encompasses the fact that your mood, affects the community attracted, and that we go through sadness alone. This poem is not necessarily the best or most interesting way to describe the sadness, however, it describes the feeling of sadness in a way that no movie or story ever could. In a study done by a researcher in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, female german speakers listened to a collection of poetry read aloud. The study showed that ‘Every person claimed to have felt chills at some point during the process, and about 40 percent showed visible goosebumps … Their neurological responses, however, seemed to be unique to poetry: Scans taken during the study showed that listening to the poems activated parts of participants’ brains that, as other studies have shown, are not activated when listening to music or watching films’ (Delistraty, Cody — ). Poetry is just another medium that evokes emotions that make Movies, TV, and Books entertaining.
In addition, Poetry has lots of historical significance. Poetry has been used throughout history as a way of memorising, commemorating, and even protesting. We can learn a lot about the history of the world through poems that have been written at the time. Poems such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest poems in existence are some of the only surviving things to teach about what happened at the time, further on you have Shakespeare’s sonnets, some of the most famous poems of all time, that shaped our use of literature. Even further on you have poets such as Maya Angelou that used poetry as a form of empowerment and protest against the racism in America at the time — take for example her poem Still I rise
Still I rise
Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
This poem is an empowering poem, written around the late 1970s when racism was still rampant in America. These poems are very famous and were the inspiration towards the African Americans at the time who were discriminated against. ‘Poetry is one of the oldest literary art forms…Poems that exist from ancient civilizations include fiction, historical accounts, love songs and instructions about how to perform everyday activities. The history of poetry is long and multifaceted as every culture used — and continues to employ — the literary form as a means of expression.’ (Huang Ann). Poetry has been used in almost every culture throughout history and will continue to be used, and hence we can learn a lot about history, through reading the poems written at the time.
Finally, Poetry strengthens our brains. Poetry has been shown, to increase our cognitive function, as well as improve our memory and encourage our self-reflection. By reading complicated, hard to understand poetry, we are able to exercise our brains and improve our problem solving as well as critical thinking. ‘ Poetry stretches the meaning and sounds of words, pushing at the boundaries of language. And scans reveal that in trying to process all of those linguistic acrobatics, our brain function peaks, which strengthens our overall cognitive health.’ (Elevate) Reading poetry not only is entertaining but also strengthens our thinking capacity
In conclusion, we have and should continue to read poetry, as it evokes emotion, Teaches us about history, and strengthens our brain.
Sources:
Delistraty, C. (2017). This Is What Happens to Your Brain When You Read Poetry. [online] The Cut. Available at: https://www.thecut.com/2017/05/this-is-what-happens-to-your-brain-when-you-read-poetry.html [Accessed 28 Oct. 2019].
Medium. (2018). Poetry Lights Up the Brain. [online] Available at: https://blog.elevateapp.com/poetry-lights-up-the-brain-71376800bce4 [Accessed 29 Oct. 2019].
Huang, A. (2015). Poetry throughout History | Ann Huang, Poet & Experimental Filmmaker. [online] Ann Yu Huang | Poet & Writer. Available at: http://www.annhuang.com/blog/2015/12/15/significant-uses-of-poetry-throughout-history/ [Accessed 28 Oct. 2019].
Poetry Foundation. (2019). Poetry Foundation. [online] Available at: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/ [Accessed 28 Oct. 2019].
