It is a truth universally acknowledged that no one really likes poetry. The reasons are sound: poetry is hard to comprehend, it’s elitist, it’s kinda emo, and no one really tells you why it’s important, just that it is. Poetry isn’t taught well either, since we recycle the same darn Robert Frost poem over and over, and don’t explain how poems read differently than books. As a result, most people end up feeling ashamed that they didn’t understand the poem and, as a natural response, resolve to hate it. When “I got to the end and I didn’t get it” is the number one response from most students - isn’t that a sign that we need to change things?
I used to despite poetry in the same way people hate sushi - declaring it loudly and without concern for what other people thought. My teachers praised its complexity and nuanced meaning while I just stared uncomprehendingly at the words, willing them to try and talk to me. It wasn’t until college, when I had a truly wonderful Professor who taught us how to read poetry correctly, that I truly started to understand, and worse, like it. She said, “A poem is like a wounded animal. It’s wary of you, and it takes time for you to gain its trust. Only when you’ve spent a solid couple of minutes cooing at it will it dare to lick your hand.” A weird analogy to use, yes? But it’s true! Of all the “tips” to reading poetry that she taught me, these three are the most helpful.
1. Words Matter
Unlike books, where you can whip through a sentence in a mere second, poetry takes a lot longer to understand because each word has been carefully chosen for a reason. Because the writer has less space to express themselves, they have to really choose their words wisely, which means every word in a poem matters. As a result, poems should be read slowly and repeatedly in order for students to really gain a healthy understanding.
2. Everyone Reads Poetry Differently
Oftentimes, poems tackle extremely complex ideas and images, leading everyone to gain something different from the overall message. There is no “right” way to interpret a poem, since everyone’s experience with it is different, and so there is never one concrete answer to what a poem means. Especially if you don’t understand a poem, that doesn’t reflect on your intelligence, but rather your empathic abilities. Rebeca Roach states that “In order to “do” poetry, we must remain open, vulnerable, and willing” to interpret and to feel.
3. Poems Use Images
When you’re reading a story, there might be a line like this: She wiped at her eyes, smearing her makeup and trying hard to smile through the pain
But in a poem, to convey the same feeling, it might look more like this: Grimacing through black streaks of protection, she tries
Both sentences convey that this woman is upset and trying to be brave, but the poem describes a specific image of her makeup, not her action, which conveys just as much as the sentence. Paying attention to word choice, being open to interpretation, and focusing on specific images can make reading poetry a lot less painful as you’re reaching your hand out for understanding.
Links:
The 32 Most Iconic Poems in the English Language
A Library Poem, by yours truly:
Liber
I am old made new
with the same text,
just in different formations
made with a bumpy
spine and inkiness
spilling into minds
thick and thin,
worn and crisp,
immobile and flexible.
I can break your
ignorance and shatter
your hate
or pry open your heart
with a simple line
of dialogue
spill me and I flutter
drop me and I slam
burn me and you admit
in my power to unite
peoples. my three fates are:
collect dust, become dust,
or be dusted.
References:
Roach, Rebecca. “Six Reasons Why People Hate Poetry.” Medium, Trubadour, 16 Apr. 2017, https://medium.com/trubadour-for-poems/6-reasons-why-people-hate-poetry-6155a24be599
Staff, Harriet. “The Troublesome Debate Around Poetry’s ‘Inherent’ Elitism.” Poetry Foundation, 2015, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet-books/2015/10/the-troublesome-debate-around-poetrys-inherent-elitism
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