What is Poetry
•literature in metrical form
•any communication resembling poetry in beauty or the evocation of feeling
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
•Poetry (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. It consists largely of oral or literary works in which language is used in a manner that is felt by its user and audience to differ from ordinary prose.
These are web definitions of the word “poetry†and here are some other facts on poetry:
•Poetry often uses particular forms and conventions to expand the literal meaning of the words, or to evoke emotional or sensual responses.
•Poetry's use of ambiguity, symbolism, irony and other stylistic elements of poetic diction often leave a poem open to multiple interpretations.
Poetry is a way to express yourself and to display your feelings. This article will be on “what is poetry?†A frequently asked question by many P&Q members; however, many people don’t take the time to look into it. This article will explain what poetry is and will talk about forms of poetry as well.
What is poetry? Poetry is a way to express yourself, a way to display your feelings, and a device used to express your creative side. Certain forms of poetry are used for different kinds of expression, for example an “acrostic†poem, a poem in which the initial letters or initial and final letters, of each line spell out a word. Taking a word that expresses your mode and giving other words to go with it, for example:
Suffering
Afraid
Distress
Then there are rhyming poems which are usually more humorous and funny, however they can still be sad, dark poems. Then there are “limericks.†A Limerick is a rhymed humorous or nonsense poem of five lines which originated in Limerick, Ireland.
The Limerick has a set rhyme scheme of: a-a-b-b-a with a syllable structure of: 9-9-6-6-9. Another common form of poetry is the “haiku.†A haiku (also called nature or seasonal haiku) is an unrhymed Japanese verse consisting of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables (5, 7, 5) or 17 syllables in all. Haiku is usually written in the present tense and focuses on nature (seasons).
Now that we’ve reviewed some of the more popular forms of poetry, let’s look at what poetry is. As I’ve said before, poetry is a way to express yourself. Poetry gives you many ways to express it like some of the forms of poetry we’ve mentioned. The web definitions, however do not give more information on the word poetry. They give the simple definitions that explain what it is, but they leave out a lot. Poetry is a powerful device and the meaning of it is varied between different people. Many meanings however focus on the “way to express yourself†theme. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of poetry.
Poetry Magic says, “Poetry definitions are difficult, as is aesthetics generally. What is distinctive and important tends to evade the qualified language in which we attempt to cover all considerations. Perhaps we could say that poetry was a responsible attempt to understand the world in human terms through literary composition.†Shadow Poetry says, “Poetry really has no one set definition. Shadow Poetry defines poetry as the art of writing thoughts, ideas, and dreams into imaginative language which can contain verse, pause, meter, repetition, and rhyme.
In my opinion, poetry is not only a way of expressing your emotions, fears, and dreams; it is the best way of expressing yourself.
Other people have given their opinions and here are a few of them:
Daenerys Stormborn - Literature in metrical form. In other words: Bundling words together as we see fit.
Gary Jurechka - Poetry is the mirror of the soul. It is art, beauty, expression, self-therapy, meaning, emotion. It is whatever you want it to be.
Ddavidd - Poetry is when the imagination, feeling, language and inspiration intersect in the mind, soul and heart of a talent.
These are the opinions of fellow P&Q members. Here are some reasons why people write poetry. The purpose for writing poetry is connected to the meaning of poetry. Here are some of are some of their opinions:
mistake is all I can be [remembe - I write poetry because it’s the one way to release anger and frustration. It’s my way of showing the world the true me without showing them my soul or the reasons behind my anger.
Gary Jurechka - My favorite response to this question is:
Because I cannot NOT write.
Writing has always been a form of self therapy, an expression of emotions too intense to keep inside, an expression of thoughts, feelings, and meanings. Sometimes it is simply purging-a cleansing, sometimes I learn something about myself or others or life in general. Sometimes it is merely the noble expression of art. Also for the fun and freedom of it. Mainly it was something that was mine. A release, a passion, a peace.
I look back over my poems and am reminded of things I'd learned but forgotten, how I felt at certain times, etc.
Sometimes I can see who I was then, who I am now, and perhaps a hint of where I'm going.
And though I write mainly for myself it has helped keep my sanity many times, lol) and always have (though some pieces are distinctly for others-and I have found sometimes the more personal you are sometimes the more universal the piece is striking a chord in others). It is a great writer, and sometimes the goal of the writer, to touch the hearts and minds of others.
There are many reasons. As you write, and each piece, sometimes the reasons and the poems change over time. Sometimes not.
The reason I write poetry is to release my anger, sadness, and fears. But if you look at my and their opinions, you’ll notice we talk about the same thing, to release our feelings. I chose these two opinions because they have the best answer to the question “Why do you Write Poetry?â€
So in conclusion, people write poetry as a tool to release emotions. It’s the best way to release emotions because it’s totally flexible. It has limitless possibilities and many different forms of poetry to use to express yourself. We write poetry to keep ourselves stable, keep ourselves in control and release our feelings. Poetry is the easiest, simplest, and most common way to release are feelings and has been used for hundreds of years.
So take some time out of your day to think of why you write poetry. To think of what it is, your opinion on it. Your opinion influences you to write poetry and to not stop. If you lose that inspiration your poems aren’t at their peak of efficiency. You lose the power that you use to write your poems and you stop writing. You just need to take time out of the day to ask yourselves, “Why do I write Poetry?†and “What is poetry to me?â€
