Click on the link and watch the clip and comment on these poets comments on the purpose of poetry? What do you think?
http://poemsoutloud.net/video/archive/what_is_poetry_for_the-video/
What is Poetry for?
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jenniferroot
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
I think poetry is for us to express ourselves in an artistic way, it’s similar to making a song but without the tune. You can tell a lot by using a few words, because there are hardly any rules in poetry. The same poem might represent differently for different people, it depends on how the reader wants to look at it as. It’s like when someone is writing down their emotions on a piece of paper, a good poetry should be able to let the reader get in to the writer’s head and feel their emotions.
Poetry is like a personal thing or journal where people talk about how they think or feel. There is no correct definition of poetry, it’s just words people use so that they can represent something in a creative way.
Overall, I think it’s just to express the first thing that comes to my mind, and you write it down freely without any concern.
What is poetry for? that is a good question. There is not definate answer to this question. Poetry is a creative style of writing an essay and could be written as a song. Most writer would make a poem to express their feelings. Poetry is just for fun, you can be how creative you want to be and that is why most people tend to choose to write poetry over essays.
According to the webster’s dictionary, a poetry is a piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both speech and song that is nearly always rhythmical, usually metaphorical and often exhibits such formal elements as meter rhyme and stanzaic structure. Poetries are formed in lots of emotions. Sadness and happiness are always included in each poem.
All in all, Poetry is a free style writing, there is no right or wrong to this term. poetry is a creation. A creativity to all man kinds.
What’s poetry? What’s it’s purpose? We have no definite answer for poetry is but another work of literature to express oneself.
To me poetry, is how people places together cleverly chosen words to create something with more than what it means on first read. It could express many ideas and would usually try to encourage you to think more about it’s words and try to understand what it’s trying to say. It does not have any definite form, it could be long, short and even written in a picture. It expresses one’s feelings, thoughts and opinions, sometimes lessons to learn from. It’s like a text book with only a few pages as it urges the students to find out the true meaning by themselves.
Poetry can be interpreted differently by different people, there are no definite TRUE meaning, only the author knows.
What is poetry for? When asked to 10 different poets, they all came up with different responses. There is no clear answer. Each poet has their own purpose for writing poetry, while some might do it to express themselves, others might do it for fun or as a hobby. Poetry can not be defined, it means differently to each individual.
To me, poetry appeals to me as somewhat of a pass time activity, it is a way to express your thoughts without grammatical restrictions.
The purpose of poetry is different for each individual. It is impossible to label poetry as one thing or the other, as made evident in the above video. Despite the fact those interviewed were all poets, each found it difficult to define or express why they choose to write poetry. Their inability to express what they believe poetry is right off the bat proves that this form of art has significantly different purposes and meaning for different people. Each poets’ response varied, however they all shared the similar idea of using poetry as a mean of expressing themselves. Poetry is meant to be interpreted, not defined. The nature of poetry allows poets to tell their story, express themselves, share their ideas and so much more. The creative freedom allows the poet to “modify” or interpret the purpose of poetry in their own unique way to suit what it is they are trying achieve through their poems. Some poets write poetry for themselves as a way of exploring beyond the “surface”, while others may write as a way to share with their audience. The “true” definition of poetry remains undetermined. The purpose of it can be whatever the poet wants it to be.
In my opinion, poetry is a way to record and express different feelings and emotions. It can act as a way of escaping from reality or just as a mean of writing out what you have to say about a certain topic. I feel that even though poetry can be shared with others, poems are written more for the satisfaction of the poet. It provides poets a way of writing out their thoughts and feelings in a creative way, either for themselves or for the enjoyment of others.
Looking at the different reactions of each poets point of view, a lot of the poets were puzzled from just a simple and yet complicated question. Yet, the answer to this question was already answered in the first place. There actually wasn’t a real answer to it. Everyone has a different thought and opinion to the use of poems. Some may enjoy reading/writing poems while some just don’t enjoy it at all. Many people enjoy writing down their emotions or even writing their emotions towards others (love, hate, betrayal).
If someone ever asked me what my definition of poem is and what it is used for, I would have simply answered “my feelings”. When I ever write poems, I try to feel the emotion in the situation and then write whatever I thought of. My way of writing poem’s is just to write down all my feelings. This also helps me gain confidence in some ways.
We may ask ourselves, what is poetry really? Most would reply to this with the simple answer. ‘It is a way to express yourself’. Poetry is in itself limitless, as no boundaries exist for the writer. To put it in words, poetry is much like a essay, yet with less or no rules. Writing poetry will help you express yourself in ways that you might find impossible in other situation. A piece of emotions is a proper definition. Many get lost when trying to describe what a poem is, along with it’s properties, yet many do not realize how simplistic the idea is overall. It puts our thoughts into view for yourself and others to see.
As seen in the clip, the poets themselves were intrigued when the question was introduced to them. It further develops the idea that poems are indefinable, as limits to not exist. A poem is what you it to be. As previously stated, she described a poem as being definition-less. It is simply there, and exists, for the sole reason of speaking your thoughts.
What do I think poetry is for? I think poetry is for many things. I’m not sure why poetry was even created, but today it can be used to convey messages, thoughts, emotions, etc to others without stating it clearly and simply. It can be used to make people think, be used to give others ideas and opinions, and create stories and create images. There are so many uses of poetry that it’s hard to think of everything. I think that it is used for whatever people want to use it for. They can use it to greet friends. People can use it to entertain others, to entertain themselves, to publish simply for profit, or maybe to publish to spread the writer’s opinions and feelings on a topic.
I think that poetry is something that cannot be defined. The meaning of poetry is different for each person, and it also represents different things. I think poetry is a way to express yourself. A good poem uses a small amount of words to understand someone. When you read a poem, it is like crawling into the author’s mind, and understanding it. Good poems give you the want to change something, whether it is about yourself, or about someone else. When I read a good piece of poetry, it is like I’m riding on a roller coaster. It tells a story full of deep meanings, it makes you experience an array of emotions. To put it into a few words, I think poetry is “like life itself, it makes us cry, it makes us smile, but most of all, it is something that can never be explained.”
In the video, one poet said that poetry is “change”. I agree with this, as poetry has no real form. It is always moving, and it always moves you. It’s purpose may differ to everyone, but it always has a reason to be there.
The stunned silence of the poets when they were approached with the question tells that there are lots of ways to define poetry and its usage. The beauty of poetry is that there are no restrictions to it and the messages/ ideas that you can express in your poem is endless and unlimited. Poetry is also a common language that everyone knows and is able to speak. Poetry is not restricted to a certain amount of people. a professional poet is allowed to write poems to express him/herself and so are kids that are 3 years old. There is no definite answer to this question, some say poetry is for recreation, some say it’s used to express your feelings and creativity. The interpretation of poetry really depends on how you view poetry and you personal opinion. My interpretation of the usage of poetry is that it is used as a formal way to express yourself and share your ideas with others.
What is poetry for? Poetry is some kind of a creative writing that you express different emotions and expressions that you have. Deeply, it simply means that poetries represents a message and it often appears in every single poem . People tends to write poetries to share, using vibrant words describing their feelings . Poetries aren’t only for people to be amazed of. They can also be written as a song for people to enjoy.
Poetries cane be display as an art piece, to allow people to admire. And art piece could even be like a poem. They have similar connections within two of them. They both have a message in it with creative way to present. Yet, one thing about poets is that they are very different to essays and novels. People tends to choose poetries over stories is because poetries give people a nice impression and they give people less pressure as they can release their feelings in a certain way
I think all the comment the poets made were right, they didn’t know how to answer at first because it was a simple question and they know the answer. Yet, they cannot express it in words. I agree with most of the comments,however one poet said that poem is to see how many layers they have in them, and I must agree and disagree at the same time. I think poem is something that makes you really think, however it can also be simple and carefree. A 7 year old can write a poem thinking it’s nothing but words, while adult may interoperate as something that is really deep and meaningful.
Poetry is something that cannot be defined in just one way, everybody will have different interpretations and that’s just it. Poetry is a style of writing that allows both the author and the reader to explore themselves, its a style of writing that connects peoples. When the author writes poetry he or she is writing in hopes that other people can relate to it, in hopes that something is going through the same thing as themselves. Poetry is like a medicine it helps relief just a bit of the pain, it gives you hope and helps you see the light at the end of a tunnel. There are so many definition of poetry and there is never a fixed one, it’s something that helps people explore how many layers they have in them, like one of the poet said. Poem is used to express feelings, it’s like music but without the melody, it’s like secret being told with the words rearranged. There so many ways that poetry can be interoperated, but I think the reason why poetry is really written is so that the author can tell someone their secrets or life story. So that the reader can relate to it, gain hope from it and learn from it.
Poetry is another form of expressing one’s feelings, ideas or perspectives on topics without being overly detailed and boring. I think poetry is just another artistic way to express one’s feelings, if they can’t express well in other types of art. Some people like to convey their emotions or ideas through writing poems using literary devices such as metaphors, similes, rhyming and etc.
A lot of people may have different or other thoughts about what poetry is, but I’m pretty sure we all view it as a way to express one’s emotions/thoughts/ideas/perspectives using carefully chosen words and crafted phrases. Poets and musicians obviously use poetry in their lines of work, but they both do use special words to express their feelings in quite cryptic ways.
Therefore, there is no definite reason to what poetry is for, but like I said it’s a way for people to express themselves through carefully chosen words and crafted phrases.
So, what exactly is poetry? Poetry is actually a very broad term, and doesn’t have a single specific meaning, making it very hard to define. My personal interpretation of the word “poetry” means free-styled writing, with less grammar and language restrictions. I also believe it is structured differently, as there are no paragraphs or sentences, as opposed to usual writing. Different types of poetry would also include rhyming, repetition of a line or word, or even being written as sung music.
Now to answer the question, what is it used for? Poetry can be used for a variety of things and tasks. We see poetry in our daily lives without noticing it, because it appears so frequently and commonly. Examples of that are in music, literature, posters, advertisements, or even on some pieces of clothing. Poetry can be an effective way to express oneself, and to tell a story with a bigger variety of meaning, or a more broad way of interpreting something.
I think that there are a lot of definitions to poetry. It means differently to everyone. The responses that the people gave in the video were all different. I think that the reason that there isn’t a definite meaning of poetry is because a person created a poetry and has its own meaning and expression, the other people such as audience might not get what it truly means. There are a lot of depth in poetry and sometimes it is extremely hard to understand. Some poems are very straight forward, but some are impossible to understand. You might have to read a poem a thousand times and still not comprehend what it means until you personally speak with the author.
When the person ask what is poetry for, they struggle for a while and think of the answer. Some people thinks that poetry is full of unknown, full of questions, other thinks its to experiencing human emotions. One said that it is for itself and I totally agree with it because I think that you write a poem to express how you feel or the atmosphere or any other reason, it is for yourself and only you will understand it completely.
The poets use a lot of meaning full words that they use to express how they feel but there will be chances that when readers read your poem and doesn’t get what the word the poets use is there. A poem is definitely for yourself.
Poetry means something different for everyone. Like many other topics in life, there is no right or wrong answer. Some think of it as “change,” or to “experience a full range of human emotions,” and this proves that poetry takes a special role in our lives, whether it be powerful or just a minor subject that we don’t care much for.
As we’re living in the 21st century, music is definitely a must for me. I cannot imagine living life without music, and one of my favorite genre is rap. Obviously, there are meaningless raps about sex, drugs, and partying, but there are the deepest most legit and relevant raps at the same time. Eminem and Nicki Minaj are two of my favorite rappers because I can actually relate to their raps,
“I fly with the stars in the skies,
I am no longer trying to survive
I believe that life is a prize
But to live doesn’t mean you’re alive”
is a very powerful line that caught my attention the first time I listened to Moment 4 Life by Nicki.
Another way to look at poetry is to see it as a quick story that has a insightful meaning behind it. Like any piece of artwork, each individual will have a completely different interpretation. Poems help us reflect upon our wrongs, and life in general.
What is poetry for?
Poems may look like a simple little song, however, this video proves how much more there is to poetry. Poetry is such a widespread topic; there are so many perspectives on poetry that it can be anything you want it to be. The ideas are endless, poems are seen in every different dimension and I find that all the different perspectives on poetry links into creativity and creativity helps bring us alive and hope. Creativity is also what made the human race develop so quickly because from ideas and beliefs, it drives us to keep thinking and working to create a something bigger and better. Moreover, poems also lead to sharing emotions and realization because sometimes, emotions are hard to understand. Therefore, when people share their poems and their feelings, others can relate to it and understand themselves a better. I feel like poems are very important in our lives and can be seen in all different perspectives.
In my opinion, all of the poets who answered were right, excluding the man who didn’t have an answer. I feel that they were all shocked at first by the question because they knew what it was, but they didn’t have words to express their own personal definition of it. They were all kind of stuttering trying to find the right words. I believe that for them, and many other people in the world, poetry is more than just writing. It’s a way of expressing one’s feelings and it can be very personal.
Personally, I think that poetry is a way of writing that can be different for every person. It has no definite structure and everyone can write it. To me, poetry is for the poet. The poet writes the poem because he or she wants to or needs to. It’s an escape to another place for poets. Although it’s for the poet, it can also be for others. However, I believe that poetry is a deeper style of writing and there is more hidden meanings than the average piece of writing.
Poetry is something simple, something small on the outside, but as you read it, rushes of feelings and images will come to mind, make it mean so much more. Poetry is like an art piece, it is very expressive in a way that it is silent. Poetry is a way to let your mind flow and to spill all the words out just like an artist can with a piece of paper and a paintbrush. I also think that poetry is very mysterious, it may look innocent and beautiful from the few short lines of words, but it may be a load of emotions and secrets calling out to the readers.
From the video, one said that poetry is for ‘change’ and ‘witness’, I think that is very true because poetry is very moving and you won’t know it until you witness the situation, the idea of the poem. ‘It is for itself, it is to be’ as one said, I believe that poetry don’t have a purpose because it is very free and opened. It is like a person itself, just being them.
Poetry doesn’t have a reason, it is something that is just meant to be the way it comes out to be. It is a way where people can be their true selves when they have troubles, to write down the secrets they wish to spill, to express their emotions, to tell their story. It is sometimes looked passed by because of how insignificant it seems, but as we all should know, little things can make great impact.
In the clip a variety of poets were all questioned “what is poetry for.” All of them seemed to have some difficulty trying to answer the question. The simple yet challenging question brought up many different definitions. They explained it by saying it is a great way to express yourself as well as to allow you to dig deep and understand something. What I found most interesting was that even the poets themselves had to think carefully and search for an answer, as the question simply stunned them. Due to the fact that in many ways there is no accurate or indefinite definition for poetry.
Poetry in my opinion is undefined, there is no right or wrong and there are very few rules that one must follow. In a sense poetry is the simple idea of expressing one self in the form of linked words. The words in a poem connect to express the overall idea the poet is trying to convey. Each word within a poem conveys the poems overall meaning, essentially trying to allow the reader to look deeper into the subject. Through poetry we are capable of understanding different point of views as well as admire the poets creative skills with the language. Moreover, a poem can be abstract and require much reading to understand, however within each poem is a meaning in which the poet is trying to describe or illustrate. More importantly as stated in the clip, poetry allows us to explore the many depths in every subject, ultimately allowing us to attempt to truly understand something. All in all, poetry is not a defined form of writing but instead a simple form of writing where one is creative and digs deep into a topic and explores the wide range of emotions.
To me, Poetry is a form of art by using words to create. Poetry is just like painting, sketching, playing an instrument or even writing a song. It has close to no limits to writing a poem. It is similar to painting with words. Poetry is personal and has a different meaning to everyone, some might use it to express feelings, others might use it to tell a story. Poetry equals freedom.
Poetry is an idea and poetry is personal, it can be interpreted differently by people. There is no correct answer to what poetry is since everyone poet has its own reason to write a poem and that is what poetry means to them.
Poetry is something that can’t be defined, it can mean something different for everyone. Just like those Poets who were asked the question, “What is Poetry?” didn’t know nor could they answer the question. Because Poetry isn’t something specific, it’s like a free writing/art form to express ourselves, it could be about anything. Poetry can be written just for fun, or for a reason, it could be about anything the Poet wants to write about. I agree with one of the Poets in the video that said, “to experience a full range of human emotions.” Because it’s true, poems are usually about feelings and emotions, whether they are your own or of other people. So overall, there is no definite definition for Poetry, but what i think Poetry is, is that it’s something to express emotions and feelings or to tell a story. It’s an art form used for expression.
What is poetry for? I think the poets’ stunned silence at the simplistic, yet complex nature of this question in the beginning was truly the answer to this question. It’s indefinable. Poetry, like any other art form, represents different things to different people. Some like to write poetry to express themselves, to get their emotions that they’re too afraid to say verbally down onto paper. Others write poetry as a getaway from reality. Perhaps some people write poetry because they like how the words look and sound when stringed together. The possibilities and variety are endless.
Cole Swenson’s response “It is for itself. It is to be”, is probably the closest to what I had in mind. Everyone views everything in a distinct manner, but all artists, no matter if they are poets, writers, musicians… have one purpose in mind: to create. Poets write poetry to write poetry. They may do it to “experience a full range of human emotions”, or to “recgonize how many layers they’re made of and how much depth they have”, but in the end, they’re all writing poetry to create; to create something out of nothing that connects and relates to the audience, allowing them to believe that they are not alone, and that there are others that feel just the same way they do.
All in all, there really is no definite answer to this question, merely interpretations of what could be the answer. This is my interpretation: Poetry is for creating and sharing one’s creations with others, from one’s closest family member to a complete stranger on the other side of the world. With meaningful words in verses, poetry is for hoping to touch someone else’s life and move them in some way, no matter how small.