Poetry is a fascinating form of writing/literature that has been existent for over 4,000 years. It is the art of making individual words that mean nothing into groups of words that mean something. In fact, the oldest copy of poetry to be recorded is the poem, “Epic of Gilgamesh.” It was written in Sumer, now the modern-day country of Iraq, in 2,000 B.C. This poem has greatly influenced what poetry is like today, and will continue to do so in the future.
Poetry lovers will be happy to hear that April is National Poetry Month. As a matter of fact, this year’s poetry month will be its 20th anniversary. National Poetry Month was created in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. Some activities incorporated in Poetry Month are “poem in your pocket day,” along with being involved in a poetry club, and reading poems at an “open-mic.” To expand on “poem in your pocket day,” people who celebrate this day, which is honored on April 21st, carry a piece of poetry in their pocket the whole day. Additional ways to get involved in National Poetry Month can be found at poets.org.
To celebrate National Poetry Month, we asked four LNE English teachers to share their views on poetry. To start off, Ms. Goforth stated, “it’s hard to pick just one favorite poet.” However, her favorite at the moment is Edgar Allan Poe. As a matter of fact, she even named her dog Annabel Lee, which is the title of one of Poe’s poems. Even though her favorite poet is Edgar Allan Poe, her favorite poem is “Invictus,” written by Ernest Henley. She has loved writing poetry for awhile now, and has actually had some of her poetry published in the past. She has her students analyze, memorize and recite these poems in the classroom, which is a great way to incorporate poetry into her teaching through her exceptional knowledge and personal experience.
Mr. Reda, a second year English teacher at Northeast said that poetry is absolutely awesome. He loves many poets including: Anne Septon, Mary Oliver, Langston Hughes, and Frank O’Hara. His favorite piece of poetry is entitled, “Stopping By Woods,” by Robert Frost. He used to read and even write poetry in the past, but does not do it as much anymore. He incorporates poetry into his own classes by analyzing poems to find literary devices, writing poetry with the students, and simply reading poems.
To continue, Mr. Shelly said that his favorite piece of poetry is “Zombie-Destroying Abuelita,” written by Jonathan Mendoza and Melissa Lozada-Oliva. His favorite poet is Sarah key because of her ability to accurately incorporate literary devices in her poems to help paint a clear picture in readers’ heads. He generally uses poetry in the classroom to add emotion and/or perspective that other texts may not provide.
Furthermore, Mrs. Russell’s favorite piece of poetry is “Phenomenal Women,” by Maya Angelou, who is also her favorite poet. In relation to writing poetry, her favorite form to write in is “ekphrasis.” She said that in the classroom she primarily focuses on analyzing poetry and picking out the different aspects of the poems, along with writing poetry on a daily basis. But she is always searching for new and interesting ideas and ways to write poetry to keep students engaged in class.
Poetry is something that should receive more recognition from the general public. Without poetry, many other forms of writing may not be existent today. Throughout National Poetry Month, it will be important to challenge oneself to engage in more poetry each and every day. This may include simply reading, writing, and even memorizing poetry to share with family and friends. It is suggested to do this in order to pay homage to the significant art of poetry and what is has provided for the millions of people around the world.