CHAPTER ONE
“WHAT IS POETRY”
GENRE IS DEFINED AS A KIND OR TYPE OF LITERATURE.
POETRY IS ONE OF THE SIX TYPES OF GENRE.
THE OTHERS ARE SHORT STORY, DRAMA, NOVEL, NOVELLA,
AND NON-FICTION.
POETRY IS DEFINED AS WHEN AN AUTHOR TRIES TO GET HIS
POINT ACROSS USING AS FEW WORDS AS POSSIBLE.
THIS DEFINITION FITS MOST POEMS.
THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS WHEN YOU HAVE AN EPIC POEM.
MOST POEMS ARE PUNCTUATED IN QUOTATION MARKS.
HOWEVER, AN EPIC POEM IS EITHER ITALICIZED OR
UNDERLINED.
POETRY IS AS UNIVERSAL AS LANGUAGE AND ALMOST AS
OLD.
IN ALL AGES AND IN ALL COUNTRIES, POETRY HAS BEEN
WRITTEN, READ, OR LISTENED TO BY ALL KINDS AND
CONDITIONS OF PEOPLE.
MOST OF THE TIME LANGUAGE IS USED TO COMMUNICATE
INFORMATION.
POETRY IS THE ONLY GENRE THAT IS NOT PRIMARILY
CONCERNED WITH COMMUNICATING INFORMATION.
POETRY EXISTS TO BRING US A SENSE AND A PERCEPTION OF
LIFE, TO WIDEN AND SHARPEN OUR CONTACTS WITH
EXISTENCE. IN OTHER WORDS, POETRY IS CONCERNED WITH
EXPERIENCE.
NEVER ASSUME THAT EACH POEM YOU READ WILL BE
BEAUTIFUL OR HAVE A MORAL.
POEMS TO BE READ IN THIS CHAPTER:
“CATCH” BY ROBERT FRANCIS
“THE EAGLE” BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON
“WINTER” BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
“DULCE ET DECORUM EST” BY WILFRED OWEN
“SPRING” BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
“THE WHIPPING” BY ROBERT HAYDEN
“BALLAD OF BIRMINGHAM” BY DUDLEY RANDALL
“THE PASTURE” BY ROBERT FROST
“THE SECRETARY CHANT” BY MARGE PIERCY
“DOG’S DEATH” BY JOHN UPDIKE
“OH, OH” BY WILLIAM HATHAWAY
“l)a” by e.e. cummings