2008 Woodie Awards
Art Smart on appreciating, understanding poetry
Susan Pruitt
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: Fine Arts
Poetry is typically used to evoke feeling by expanding the literal meaning of words through a myriad of literary techniques.
Although poetry may not be for everyone, poetry is art, and art should be appreciated. In order to learn to appreciate art, you must first attempt to understand it.
Poetry as a literary form dates from the third century C.E. and has been used in the past to aid memorization and chronicle historic events.
Poetry later developed into a mode of expression. For centuries, people have struggled with defining the distinctive characteristics of poetry and evaluating its relative worth, thus creating the realm of "poetics."
Aristotle constructed one of the earliest definitions of poetry that included the genres of the epic, the comic and the tragic.
In his "Poetics," Aristotle explored elements of poetry including language, rhythm and action. These values resonated through several centuries until poetry was redefined during the 20th century.
Despite controversies over its definition, poetry maintains a few defining characteristics, including rhythm and meter, rhyme, form and diction.
Rhythm and meter refer to the sound and pattern that results from a line or verse of poetry. Rhyme concerns the repetition of sounds which often forms a rhyme scheme, or pattern of repetition observed in the stanzas of a poem.
The poetic form refers to the visual presentation of the words, through the use of lines and stanzas. Poetic diction refers to the use of language to imply meaning within the poem.
Poetry has also developed many forms and genres over the centuries. The most notable forms include the sonnet which is typically associated with Shakespeare and the ode, such as Wordsworth's "Intimations of Immortality."
Poetic genres are used to classify poetry based on their literary characteristics, style and subject.
Genres include narrative poetry, such as Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart;" epic poetry, including Homer's "Illiad" and "Odyssey;" dramatic poetry; satirical poetry, which delivers insults in the form of verse; lyrical poetry, like the sonnet; and prose poetry.
This deeper understanding of the many types of poetry can help those who wish to appreciate it.
As with all art forms, different people will appreciate poetry for different reasons.
Aficionados who value technique in a work will see the poem as a beauty of construction by feeling its rhythm, distinguishing its rhyme scheme, recognizing its form and identifying its diction.
Others may identify with the subject matter or the poem's ability to evoke emotion. For those who succeed in this endeavor, the poem takes on new meaning.
Although poetry may not be for everyone, poetry is art, and art should be appreciated. In order to learn to appreciate art, you must first attempt to understand it.
Poetry as a literary form dates from the third century C.E. and has been used in the past to aid memorization and chronicle historic events.
Poetry later developed into a mode of expression. For centuries, people have struggled with defining the distinctive characteristics of poetry and evaluating its relative worth, thus creating the realm of "poetics."
Aristotle constructed one of the earliest definitions of poetry that included the genres of the epic, the comic and the tragic.
In his "Poetics," Aristotle explored elements of poetry including language, rhythm and action. These values resonated through several centuries until poetry was redefined during the 20th century.
Despite controversies over its definition, poetry maintains a few defining characteristics, including rhythm and meter, rhyme, form and diction.
Rhythm and meter refer to the sound and pattern that results from a line or verse of poetry. Rhyme concerns the repetition of sounds which often forms a rhyme scheme, or pattern of repetition observed in the stanzas of a poem.
The poetic form refers to the visual presentation of the words, through the use of lines and stanzas. Poetic diction refers to the use of language to imply meaning within the poem.
Poetry has also developed many forms and genres over the centuries. The most notable forms include the sonnet which is typically associated with Shakespeare and the ode, such as Wordsworth's "Intimations of Immortality."
Poetic genres are used to classify poetry based on their literary characteristics, style and subject.
Genres include narrative poetry, such as Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart;" epic poetry, including Homer's "Illiad" and "Odyssey;" dramatic poetry; satirical poetry, which delivers insults in the form of verse; lyrical poetry, like the sonnet; and prose poetry.
This deeper understanding of the many types of poetry can help those who wish to appreciate it.
As with all art forms, different people will appreciate poetry for different reasons.
Aficionados who value technique in a work will see the poem as a beauty of construction by feeling its rhythm, distinguishing its rhyme scheme, recognizing its form and identifying its diction.
Others may identify with the subject matter or the poem's ability to evoke emotion. For those who succeed in this endeavor, the poem takes on new meaning.
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