Poems have form. They have a theme, a plot, characters, and are full of metaphors, similes, and other figures of speech. A poem can have literal meaning, or an implied meaning. The subject and tone of the poem is the emotional atmosphere, or poet’s feelings and attitudes. Irony, which is sarcasm or dark humor is common. Stay alert for symbols, images, and other elements of interpretation. Comprehension and reaction from the reader is what makes reading poetry fun and entertaining. Poetry covers many countries and eras including: Sumeria, Hebrew, Egyptian, Greek, Chinese, Italian, and English. We have poetry going back 50 centuries. To read older poetry, it is good to have an encyclopedia, a dictionary, a good mythology book, and a book of biographies, in order to understand where the poets are coming from. The language can be a challenge, as the words may be obsolete or changed into a different form or meaning in today’s lingo.
Challenge: Pick one poet. Research and write a little biographical history about them. Be sure to include one or two short poems that they have written.
Karen Hein Poetry 