The Power of Poetry Terence This is Stupid Stuff, by A.E. Housman compelling work of poetry that addresses mainly the theme of the power of poetry and why we should read poetry. Many sections in this poem portray this theme, but one line that shows it best is the section in which Terence, the person whose perspective the poem is being told through, explains that you need to read little bit of poetry so you will be prepared when hard times come to you. Another section that portrays this theme of the power of poetry and why we should read poetry is the section in which Housman is talking about the fact that, when you get drunk, the world seems great and you are happy, but the happiness is temporary, but poetry helps you permanently. A third section that portrays this theme of the power of poetry and why we should read poetry is the section in which Terence is talking about King Mithridates, and that he built up an immunity to the world's poisons by eating little bits of the poison so when others tried to assassinate him, he was immune. Terence suggests that poetry can be like little bits of poison, so when the bad times come, you will be ready. Terence This is Stupid Stuff, by A.E. Housman is about the theme of the power of poetry and why we should read poetry. One section that portrays the theme of the power of poetry and why we should read poetry is the section in which Terence explains that you need to read little bit of poetry so you will be prepared when hard times come to you. Terence’s friends ask him to read a poem, but when he reads a very sad poem, they point out that he is fine, so he shouldn’t read poetry. Terence responds by telling them that even if you aren’t sad, you should still read poetry because it will prepare you for times when you are sad or are in bad times because you will be able to see what struggles people have been through and can relate to them. This is shown in the quote, “”. This section shows that Housman thinks that people should read poetry even when they are not sad because it feels like you have that you can relate to. He also says that it helps when you can experience what someone else has experienced because you don’t feel lonely when you are sad. A few other sections
A less theoretical definition of poetry is, “putting the best words in the best possible order.” A poet may incorporate the theory as follows. The poet may astutely choose words possibly with a double meaning in order to indirectly convey a message, evoke emotions, or to slander. Then, the poet may unconventionally place such words and phrases perhaps out of expected order for the sake of creating a “word picture,” emphasizing the speaker’s feelings, or offering tangibility to the poem. By implementing this idea onto poetic works, the poet will have auspiciously written a superb poem. This theory may be applied to a few of Catullus’s poems specifically “Carmen 5”, “Carmen 8”, and “Carmen 85.” Catullus’s meticulous choice of words and arrangement highlight the central focus of the poem, obliquely criticize traditional Roman law, manipulate the audience’s attitude, transmit the speaker’s emotions, paint “word pictures,” and offer symbolic meaning consequently producing a successful poem.
Poems consist of a variation of different techniques in order to convey a message or idea to readers. Wilfred Owen, Thomas Hardy, Adrienne Rich, Bruce Dawe and Robert Browning are great poets who explore these issues, conveying their emotions, which influences a perception of an issue. In each of their poems they express the hidden message of hope, along with their main message. They use similar techniques to express their ideas, which illustrates their purpose to the reader.
“Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.” A.E. Housman grew up in a small town in Worcestershire, London. His childhood ended at the age of twelfth because his mother passed away. Then he went to this University where he fell into a dark love and made him depressed. He worked really hard and got a job as a professor at the University College in London. Although he does all of his teaching and helping scholars he is most known for his poetry. His poems display deep feelings and are emotionless. His poems usually affected the reader like a shiver down the spine or a punch in the stomach. I am going to be talking about three messages from the poem “To an Athlete Dying Young” by A.E. Housman.
Poetry is an art that has been passed down from generation to generation; it acts as a way to express emotion or to show a message to readers. In 2017, it is not as popular as it was in the past as many believe it is a common art left behind in the new era of technology. Although many students may call it it to be boring or something they are not interested in, it does have some relevance in today's world. Poetry can show the reader true emotional perspective, just by reading a single stanza. Today, most people are afraid to show what they are feeling. If just a few words on paper allow an individual to be free, then yes, in 2017 poetry is still relevant. Secondly, formulating poetry requires specific mental skills; skills in showing complex thoughts, using poetic devices, and many more literary techniques. This knowledge is something every student can benefit and grow from as an individual. Some may call it old school, but the benefits of learning poetry will remain relevant for a very long time.
Billy Collins uses dark rooms, oceans, hives, color slides and mouse mazes to describe his poem “Introduction to Poetry”, but also a way to analyze poetry in general. Growing up, students are advised by teachers how to analyze poetry. The speaker of Introduction to Poetry, Billy Collins, attempts to guide the readers by teaching them a unique and appropriate way to analyze poetry. The use of personification and imagery, by the author, gives the readers a new perspective to interpret and find the significance in poetry. In this particular poem, the speaker does not want the reader to listen to the teachers of the reader’s past, “tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a
A.E. Housman’s “Terence, this is stupid stuff” is a poem that starts out as a friend of Terence talking to him, but it then shifts to Terence talking to his friends. Then shifts from a humorous tone to a more serious tone. It also shifts in setting, time, place, and idea. This poem demonstrates figurative language which is language employing figures of speech; language that cannot be taken literally or only literally. This poem also has several different poetic devices, which is a device that contributes to content and poetic structure that does not involve meaning in term of language. This poem in certain lines is very hard to follow without knowing the background.
To help Year Twelve students that are studying poetry appreciate it's value, this pamphlet's aim is to discuss a classic poem and a
To begin, in the poem “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins he wants his readers to appreciate each poem as a piece of art. He wants his readers to look at the poem and get absorbed into the emotion of the poem instead of only wondering what the poem means. He uses personification in this quote “tie the poem to a chair with rope/ and torture a confession out of it” to express what we do to poems (356). We the readers should instead pay attention to the rhyme and style of the word. We should stop worrying about the meaning of the poem. This is similar to another author style in “Poem” by William Carlos Williams he uses a cat to movements in the “jamcloset” to show his readers that we should be like the cat. The cat takes its time to get around the “jamcloset” which is what the readers should do with poetry we must take our time to look at it and appreciate each word, line and stanza.
Unlike other forms of literature, poetry can be so complex that everyone who reads it may see something different. Two poets who are world renowned for their ability to transform reader’s perceptions with the mere use of words, are TS Eliot and Walt Whitman. “The love song of J Alfred Prufrock” by TS Eliot, tells the story of a man who is in love and contemplating confessing his emotions, but his debilitating fear of rejection stops him from going through with it. This poem skews the reader’s expectations of a love song and takes a critical perspective of love while showing all the damaging emotions that come with it. “Song of myself”, by Walt Whitman provokes a different emotion, one of joy and self-discovery. This poem focuses more on the soul and how it relates to the body. “Song of myself” and “The love song of J Alfred Prufrock” both explore the common theme of how the different perceptions of the soul and body can affect the way the speaker views themselves, others, and the world around them.
Reflections Within is a non-traditional stanzaic poem made up of five stanzas containing thirty-four lines that do not form a specific metrical pattern. Rather it is supported by its thematic structure. Each of the five stanzas vary in the amount of lines that each contain. The first stanza is a sestet containing six lines. The same can be observed of the second stanza. The third stanza contains eight lines or an octave. Stanzas four and five are oddly in that their number of lines which are five and nine.
Poetry has a role in society, not only to serve as part of the aesthetics or of the arts. It also gives us a view of what the society is in the context of when it was written and what the author is trying to express through words. The words as a tool in poetry may seem ordinary when used in ordinary circumstance. Yet, these words can hold more emotion and thought, however brief it was presented.
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by
While reading the poem “Introduction to Poetry,” Billy Collins sends a message to the readers that they should be patient and impartial when it comes to analyzing a poem in order to see the true meaning behind the without being over analytical. There is a revieting situation that takes place because Billy Collins is delivering his message to all readers about the way that one should be able to read a poem. This poems educates the reader on how to be able to read and plunge into a poem, through using many techniques like mood, tone, and literary devices to do so. In the first two lines Collins demands that we tackle a poem with a invigorating eye. There should be an exploration of what the poem means to us. How does this poem apply to our
A well-written poem would help one to engage into the work with their senses. One should be able to ask themselves what the poem caused them to think, hear, see, feel, taste, and to determine what he or she learned from the poet’s words. Many people believe that because poetry is an enigmatic art, and that there is no way for sure to know the
In his poem, “Terence, This Is Stupid Stuff!” A.E Housman conveys the idea that although both poetry and drinking help you deal with your problems, drinking it a temporary fix whereas poetry leaves you far more prepared for life. A.E Housman uses many literary devices to help his audience understand this theme. One of the best literary devices is an allusion. Housman uses allusion to deliver in his point about the ill doings of alcohol and prove the comfort and preparedness poetry brings. He compares poetry to the tale of King Mithridates and his immunity to poison due to preparation and practice building resistance. In comparing poison to poetry he uses cleverly worded phrases such as “He gathered all the springs to birth / From the many-venomed