what is poetry

What is poetry?

For thousands of years human beings have been creating, thinking and writing their thoughts in the form of poetry. Why do people write poetry and why do we study poetry?

The answer is that we are alive. To be alive is to be full of emotions, opinions, hopes, dreams and fears. To be human is to have the desire to express one's self in any form we can find. Poems are expressions of what is inside each of us. We all have experiences that can be translated into poems. Poetry is about expression. Poetry expresses the way we feel about a certain subject through imagery and other senses. It helps us deal with our daily life, be it good or bad.

You might ask, "why do people write poems when they can write a story or something else?" Good question. Some people do find it easier to tell stories than write poetry.

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If it were not so, then the libraries would be full of poetry books and have no novels! The fact is that poetry is a form that allows for more specific expression than stories. Stories are written because there is a complete story to tell. In the case of poems, there is a theme that runs throughout the poem from the first word to the last verse. This theme or emotion or recollection is expressed as truthfully and carefully as possible so that the reader can feel the essence of the passion behind it.

Poetry is the most compressed form of literature. Poetry is composed of carefully chosen words expressing great depth of meaning.

Poetry uses specific devices such as connotation, sound, and rhythm to express the appropriate combination of meaning and emotion.

Why do we study poetry?

We study poetry because...