Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, April has been designated as the National Poetry Month signifying 30 days to celebrate the artistry that is poetry; however, the beauty in this literary genre seems to be lost on BV students with an overwhelming 55% of students from the poll expressing their dislike.
But this isn’t the case for sophomore Charlotte Minear and freshman Abigail Densing, both of whom still find themselves delving into the rhymes even today.
“It’s just a good way to connect with my feelings, [to] write it down on paper in a way that’s coherent and put together,” Densing said. “It’s a good way to elaborate exactly how I feel, such as an intense feeling of happiness or sadness or love.”
She believes the entire purpose of poetry is to create an outlet for one’s feelings. The intrinsic structure of poetry allows the author to communicate feelings in a way unique to this form of writing.
“If you pick certain words you can put in just a little ‘graph, it makes something go well,” Minear said. “If you’re talking about happiness, you can just pick joyful, kindness and all those words to describe it.”
Due to the complex verses and figurative language, poetry can be difficult to understand and might require a few reads to contemplate and comprehend. This might seem like the biggest downside, but Minear highlights that it shouldn’t discourage others from reading.
“They don’t give it a chance,” she said. “A lot of people don’t really like it as much, but there are people that have a passion for it. [We] should emphasize it more.”
The curriculum in English classes have courses oriented around learning and understanding poetry every year, but the choices for what to learn about are not always well-received.
“I feel like when we do poetry, it’s all about old people I’ve never heard about or topics we’re not interested in,” Densing said.
Densing not only writes poetry but also performs it when participating in speech competitions; this has brought a new perspective to the art.
“It’s a good way to embody the person that’s writing it,” she said. “If the person in the writing is sad, it’s a good way to share emotion. It’s a more creative way of sharing.”
Densing believes this brings about a characteristic that is good for everyone: empathy.
“It is a good trait to have, and honestly, it’s the most important,” she said. “People learning how someone else feels can help get you out of your own bubble and your own mindset to try to bridge out and connect with other people.”
