Topic question: What is all the fuss about poetry?

Poetry is such as broad yet unique topic that has been worked on for centuries by poets such as Shakespeare who spill on their dreams, ambitions and feelings in just a few lines, with such exquisite detail. Poetry allows people to have a voice, often people use poetry to express how they feel, when they are misunderstood. Poetry allows you to put yourself into the poet’s shoes, and have a sense of understanding and sympathy towards them. Poetry is expressive; their intention is to express emotion that is usually hidden within them, often never told and unknown. Poets write believing that they can confide in people by recounting experiences they have overcome throughout their lives. Poetry uses a variety of techniques to make their poetry unique and different from all others, this is done by using metaphors, rhyme, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia and many more. So many topics are emphasized within poetry, this could vary from nature, to beauty, and even love is explored. Throughout history, poetry was used to depict how life was lived back then. In our studies we explore poetry to understand concepts of the past and compare them to our generation where society is changing dramatically, unlike generations ago. Poetry has been a significant part of history, such as the First World War, where troopers themselves, describe in such detail, about the gruesome and horrific times they faced. Now that I have explored Poetry as the deep and profound writing that it is, I am able to understand what all the fuss about poetry is, it’s simply a matter of paragraphs that convey a message, that the poet is unable to do verbally.They express what they feel in words that allow us, to understand the message they are trying to convey. Poetry is such a lovely thing to read and I highly recommend  it to anyone needing uplifting and enlightenment because poetry definitely holds those traits to it's advantage.

My Favorite Poem

How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

This sonnet has a beautiful meaning behind it, love. Elizabeth expresses the many way's she can explain the love she feels towards someone. She finds many ways to love, through passion, freedom, purity, depth and everything nice.I really like this poem because of it's descriptive words, that I can easily relate too.

Poetry can make you laugh, scream or cry

'The Raven' by  Edgar Allan Poe, is a fairly complicated poem that is written about a man who is at home alone, grieving over the loss of his lover, Lenore. Edgar's poem is quite complex and seem's to drag on forever, but the Simpson's version makes it much more entertaining and has a humor to it which I enjoyed.But this poem is not the best I have come across during this assignment therefore I have to rate it a 2/10.

'Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf' by Ronald Dahl, is a humorous rhyme that depicts the story of a vulnerable young girl in a red cape, being tricked by a evil wolf who eats grandma who is awaiting for arrival at her granny flat. Little Red riding hood manages to take out a gun and shoot the wolf, to its death. I really like the way Ronald uses rhyme to make his own version of a classic tale. I rate this poem a 7/10 purely because it's humorous and rhymes.

'The child wife" by Kath Walker, was the first form of poetry published by an aboriginal women.The poem is based on her experience of loving an older man, in which she had no feelings for. She uses a whole lot of emotion that make's you feel a sense of sympathy for Kath. I rate this poem 7/10 because it has a good use of emotion and flows really well.

Poetry Goes to War

'American Idiot' by Green Day
This is a really good song that has a powerful meaning behind it. America is so heavily influenced by media, whereby people believe propaganda and things that are not true. They are easily brainwashed by media, politicians who constantly tell them what they need to do, buy and say. But what Green day is trying to say is that there not falling for it, there not a bunch of "American idiots" and they didn't want others to be gullible and fall for the unjust society. Green day states that people should be given the right to love who they love, believe in who they believe, and do what’s best for themselves.Overall, I rate this poem a 8/10 because I love the message green day are trying to emphasis in their lyrics.

Red Gum, "I was only 19"
This is a very good poem in that it gives us a clear perspective on the hardship's this Red Gum faced when he was 19 and sent to fight during the Vietnam war.He clearly explains all the worries and struggles he faced during this period of time.Red Gum's Poem uses Imagery particularly well, because as a reader I am able to picture myself in his shoes. I rate this poem a 6/10 because of its vivid description of the Vietnam War.

'Dulce et Decorum est' Wilfred Owen
This Poem depicts the sacrifice soldiers made during the war; we often take for granted what these people have sacrificed in order to make Australia a free country. Wilfred uses such good sound and Imagery, using words that are so deep and emotional. I rate this poem an 8/10 because of the use of such good language, sound and Imagery.

Poetry Falls in Love

Analyse"shall I compare thee to a summers day" by Shakespeare.

Sonnet 18, also known as the famous poem " Shall I compare thee to a summer's day" written by Shakespeare is undoubtedly one of the best and most well-known poem of all time. The poem begins with a meaningful metaphor, comparing this special someone to a summer's day. Know, I wonder why he used this to emphasis this person's beauty or flaws,but many things pop into my mind. Summer is a time of happiness, beautiful weather and freedom therefore to prove his point. Shakespeare also mentions " thou out more lovely and more temperate", which adds more description using words such as "lovely" and "temperate", whereby Shakespeare is saying that she is so much better than just a plain old season, she is much more than just that. I really love this poem because Shakespeare is an expert when it comes to poetry, he knows how to use the right words to create the perfect meaning in which we can all understand.I rate this poem 8/10, because of the fact that it's descriptive, well written and very romantic.

Analyse 'I Carry Your Heart With Me' by E.E.Cummings

E.E Cummings poem 'I carry your heart with me" is a poem about love, although I may be a huge romantic this poem did not appeal to me very much, I though it was very bland and required the use of more sound and Imagery to make it more interesting, overall the structure of the poem is well set out, and by the looks of it , Cummings is showing his affection towards someone by carrying her heart wherever he goes.Therefore, I will rate this poem a 3/10 purely because of its good structure, good use of words and significant meaning behind the poem.

Analyse 'Funeral Blues by W.H Auden

W.H Auden's Poem 'funeral blues' is in a perspective of Auden himself after mourning over the sudden loss of his lover. In this poem you can evidently see that he is grieving over the loss, and seems to believe that his world is coming to an end because he cannot manage a future without his lover. Auden strongly believes that without the existence or the presence of this person , he cannot move on and live the life he lived before hand.Overall, I rate this poem 7/10 because it's quite relatable, because when you think of losing someone or worse losing that person that is so significant in your life, you imagine how it's possible to recover from such as loss and it's difficult but you get through it eventually.

Analysis On 'Pretty Hurts' Beyonce

“Pretty hurts” by Beyoncé depicts the pressure girls face in society, whereby young girls are heavily influenced in being people they not. Beyoncé also states that girls are judged on their external look and not what truly in the inside. Beyoncé is trying to send a clear message that there is beauty in imperfection and that society is ruined not you, society is the one that’s misleading girls into being perfect, in which is absolutely insane, because believe it or not, no one’s perfect.” Perfection is a disease of a nation” is in the leading chorus, referring to ‘perfection’ as a disease, which is powerful in that diseases often come incurable, affecting people’s lives and possibly contagious, which all in some way shape or form are relevant to the message of society influencing girls to be perfect. Now, the techniques Beyoncé used in her lyrics were endless but let’s briefly explain a few noted.

Onomatopoeia was shown when she says “shattered mirrors “whereby you can visualize mirrors shattering to represent girls no longer looking in the mirror habitually, to find imperfections, instead they should be showing off their flaws and being themselves. Also, Beyoncé uses the metaphor perfection is a disease of a nation”, “TV says Bigger is better” and “You left a shattered mirror and the shards of a beautiful girl” to emphasis the pressure girls face in society in nowadays. The powerful use of personification was also used, this includes: “Reflection stares right into you” and “Plastic smiles”. Last but not least Imagery was used carefully to create a more vivid picture on what she is trying to convey for example, “blonder hair, flat chest” which gives us a clear picture on what society thinks girls should perceived by.

Poetry through Songs 'Pretty Hurts' Beyonce

Mama said, you're a pretty girl
What's in your head it doesn't matter
Brush your hair, fix your teeth
What you wear is all that matters

Just another stage
Pageant the pain away
This time I'm gonna take the crown
Without falling down, down

Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Tryna fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery

Blonder hair, flat chest
TV says bigger is better
South beach, sugar free
Vogue says

Just another stage
Pageant the pain away
This time I'm gonna take the crown
Without falling down, down, down

Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Tryna fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery Ain't no doctor or therapeutic that can take the pain away
The pain's inside
And nobody frees you from your body
It's the soul that needs surgery
It's my soul that needs surgery
Plastic smiles and denial can only take you so far

And you break when the paper signs you in the dark
You left a shattered mirror
And the shards of a beautiful girl
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Tryna fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery

When you're alone all by yourself
And you're lying in your bed
Reflection stares right into you
Are you happy with yourself
It's just a way to masquerade
The illusion has been shed
Are you happy with yourself
Are you happy with yourself

Yes

Analysis of "She walks in Beauty",describing the use of Imagery and Sound used.

Firstly, lets get a brief overview on what Sound and Imagery is in a few paragraphs.

Imagery means using figurative language to represent certain objects, actions and ideas that appeal to our natural senses. Imagery often plays with our mind, whereby words are expressive and give us a clear picture of what the author is trying to depict in our heads.Imagery requires the use of Similes, metaphors,alliteration, personification and onomatopoeia in order for us to appeal to our physical senses.

Sound devices are used by poets in order to convey and emphasis the meaning of poetry through the skillful use of techniques, such as sound itself. A poets main aim is to have a blend of both sound and imagery in their poetry in order to create an emotional response from the reader.The most common forms of sound devices are Rhythm, Assonance, Alliteration and Onomatopoeia.

How is this shown in the Poem "she walks in beauty" by Lord Byron?

In the first stanza of this poem,we are presented with a metaphor "she walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies", whereby Lord  creates a vivid image of the dark night sky with twinkling stars scattered beautifully around the sky, which represents the skillful use of imagery in order for us to mentally picture what Lord has described. Imagery was also used in the form of alliteration, quite often in the poem these include “cloudless climes”, “starry skies,”and “day denies" which all in someway shape or form appeal to our senses in order for us to imagine and mentally picture what Lord is trying to convey. Another form of imagery used by Lord was personification, an example would be" smiles that win" in line 15, that
perceptibly describes the women's smile that Lord is trying to express through the use of fine imagery.Sound devices were also used in various stanza's of the poem, whereby Lord describes his feelings for this unknown lady in his descriptive words such as pure, soft, beauty, sweet and serenity.

Poem from Dead Poets Society

George Gordon Byron, Lord Byron. 1788–1824
600. "She walks in Beauty"

SHE walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies 

And all that 's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

Thus mellow'd to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impair'd the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o'er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent!

What is Rhyme, Alliteration, Assonance and Onomatopoeia?

What is Rhyme? 

Rhymes are types of poems which have a repetition of the same sounds or words in a sentence which makes the poem particularly interesting and captivating.

Example: I had a cat who wore a funky hat.  He looked cool but felt like a complete fool.

What is Alliteration? 

Alliteration is the repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of a sentence or words in the sentence.

Example:"Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and weary"

What is Assonance? 

Assonance is a literary device , whereby vowel sounds (A,E,I,O,U) are repeated to create a rhyme within sentences of phrases. Assonance is known as the building blocks of a verse and is used to increase tension on a certain subject to simply add more depth/ detail

Example: “Poetry is old, ancient, goes back far. It is among the oldest of living things. So old it is that no man knows how and why the first poems came.” (Carl Sandburg’s Early Moon)

What is Onomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeia is defined as a word that, imitates natural sounds of something. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing being described, for example: "The boy looked up to the sky and suddenly heard the roaring sound of thunder in the distance''.The reader is drawn into sounds like these because they are descriptive and play with peoples thoughts and emotions.

Example:“The moan of doves in immemorial elms,And murmuring of innumerable bees…”(‘Come Down, O Maid’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson)

Preludes By T. S. Eliot

‘Preludes’ composed by T.S Eliot was assumed to be written around 1910-1911. The poem consists of 54 lines and describes the scenery of a poor, old city in a winter’s evening. The observer explains in such detail taking notice of the atmosphere and appearance of the area. It’s quite hard to see if Eliot is the observer himself or if he is writing on behalf of someone else. I like the way Eliot has used Imagery, by using a series of descriptive images. Eliot also has incorporated metaphors such as “the day is bunt out’ and ‘Images in a woman’s mind flicker on her ceiling like flames’ which take word’s out of context to give the story a more powerful meaning. Personification was used when Eliot say’s ‘a street and a morning has conscience’, this allows us readers to think deeply about the message Eliot is trying to convey. Lastly, Similes were included, example ‘The worlds revolve like old women hunting for fuel.’

What is personification?

Personification is when you describe non-living objects so that they have human like qualities. The non-living object is portrayed in such as way that we tend to believe they have the ability to act like human beings.

"Hey, diddle, diddle,"
BY MOTHER GOOSE

Hey, diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Personification is shown when mother goose concludes her silly poem with ‘ the dish ran away with the spoon’ in which we all know is completely fictional, but Mother goose use’s it to imply a message to a junior audience. The personification used is to emphasise mother Goose’s crazy yet silly ideas. The audience intended find cows that jump over the moon, dogs that laugh and dishes running away from spoons somewhat amusing.

What is a Simile?

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two very different things, to make things seem more vivid and appealing. Words such as 'Like' or 'As' are used indirectly to portray certain meanings. A simile is similar to a metaphor whereby they are both forms of comparing, but a simile allows the two ideas to be fairly unique, whereas metaphors need to imply it's message specifically in its story.

“Twinkle, twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky.” 

This is a simile poem, because it’s referring to the stars as a diamond. Remember a simile use's words such as ‘like’ to compare one thing with another, in this case it’s a star in reference to a diamond which is shiny like a star in the night sky.

What is a metaphor?

A Metaphor is a figure of speech that is used to imply a hidden comparison between two things or  objects that share similar qualities and characteristics. Thus, Metaphors are used to portray a place, person or thing even though it’s not entirely factual. Metaphor in poetry is often used to mask the authors emotions and feelings which is communicated in its comparison’s of life, seasons, people, objects etc.

Shakespeare's Sonnet " Shall I compare thee to a summer's day".

William Shakespeare's sonnet 18, also known as “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day, uses a metaphor in its first line, describing his love towards an unknown person. He compares her to a summer's day which tend's to be anything but perfect, as you face extreme heat and summer doesn't last forever, it eventually ends and it becomes Autumn . But what he is trying to portray is that she is so much better than summer, She has an internal beauty that never fades, which is evidently shown in his enduring poetry. Shakespeare has written this to depict his love for her.

A poem that is significant to me...

Though they have passed away into the world we do not know,

they will always be etched in our memories with all love we can show.
It is difficult for us to bear the fact that they are no more here.
We will always be grateful for life, even through death and tears.
~ John Stan

*This poem was chosen because it is the most relatable poem at the present time, I have recently lost a very significant person in my life and I mourn everyday for her passing and I thought that maybe a poem like this could help me overcome my stage of denial, but it seems almost impossible to believe it's reality and no matter what I do nothing can change the circumstances. This quote mentions the deceased person leaving this world into an unknown place which we believe is heaven, reminiscing the good times and showing our love, understanding and coming to terms with such as loss and being grateful for the life were given, no matter what we face.

Quote from a poet's perceptive on poetry

"One demands two things of a poem. Firstly, it must be a well-made verbal object that does honour to the language in which it is written. Secondly, it must say something significant about a reality common to us all, but perceived from a unique perspective. What the poet says has never been said before, but, once he has said it, his readers recognize its validity for themselves."
Poetry Quote by W. H. Auden

This quote basically sum's up my own definition of poetry, what it say's is that poetry must be written in such way that it shall not disappoint the English, therefore must be properly done with the use of creative language, emotive words and expression in its text.This text also states that poetry contains a message, that is hidden, yet common to our present or past experiences. W.H Auden also say's that poetry is a poets way of expressing their feelings on paper, and having the ability to confide in the reader so that they agree with your view. W.H Auden also states in the last sentence that people who read poetry recognize the validity for themselves, which in translation means they come to terms with accepting themselves for who they truly are, though the messages being told.

Below there is a photo of W.H Auden, who was a Anglo-American poet ,born in England 1907. He was regarded as one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century.

What is Poetry?

Poetry consists of a number of verses that define the writers imagination, emotional and intellectual experience of the past or present, compelling beliefs and their own point of view on life or death. The main aim of poetry is to captivate the readers attention by using a series of techniques that make you the reader sympathise, enlightened, intrigued, depressed and/ or frustrated. Poetry uses the following techniques : Alliteration, Assonance, Metaphor, Rhyme and Onomatopoeia, just to name a few.