Regardless of an epoch, people care about art and non-material expressions. Some students are fond of Shakespeare, while others spend thousands of hours getting better in fine arts. But what about poetry? Modern poetry, especially considering free verse variations, seems to be more liked and enjoyed nowadays. Although classical poetry is brilliant, current educators seem to pick the wrong approaches towards its analysis. In this article, you will learn more about five remarkable classic poetry pieces, why the study of poems by heart still matters, and what insights you can get from those pieces.
Peculiarities of Classic Poetry
If you ask a competent researcher of poetry what role it plays for any contemporary individual, you’ll get dozens of perspectives. Quite a universal one is that poetry assists people in learning and understanding the world. Speaking of classic poetry, one should remember that it carries plenty of forms that are so different from modern free verse pieces. A remarkable poem of the past brilliantly works with meter patterns, rhyme, and even musical patterns.
So, once you stumble upon a poem written a few centuries ago, you’d get an aesthetic insight into how artists understood the world back then. Through learning poetry at school or university, you’d start assessing various styles and meter patterns. In the works of Milton, Wordsworth, or even Shakespeare, a student can find never-ending ways of expressing thoughts and narrating on particular subject matters. After all, don’t forget that learning poems by heart is scientifically proven to boost your memory in the long run.
“Holy Sonnet 10: Death, Be Not Proud” by John Donne
Look, nothing stops you from using this work in your research paper. A decent way to articulate poetry in your thesis or term paper is when using research ideas and free essay samples about poetry at https://paperap.com/poetry/. There, you can browse through available topics and make your mind on your ongoing research. The excellent news is that you can even write your paper from scratch using either available samples or focusing on Donne’s poetry.
Yet another poem that should be highlighted in modern education is a piece written by a recognizable mastermind John Donne. In his verses, an essential theme of death is discussed in detail. An important lesson you will get after understanding the verse “Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me” is a reassessment of the conventional understanding of human demise.
“The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus
As advised by any Literature teacher, Lazarus’s works should be read by every American citizen. In her “The New Colossus,” Emma courageously compares the Statue of Liberty to the Colossus of Rhodes. Except for such comparisons, this poem explicitly highlights the distinctiveness of the American character. “I lift my lamp beside the golden door” is yet another reference to pointing out the specifics of the American role in history. By welcoming intellectuals and the working class worldwide, the US has cemented itself on cultural and political maps. This piece is a brilliant way to understand the quintessential Americanness for any student, even from IT or Law majors.
Honorable Mentions
You see, classic poetry is a broad topic, whereas the number of memorable artists exceeds hundreds. If you want to train your memory, dive deeper into history, and analyze cultural contexts, reading more poetry is universally recommended. Since it’s a top-five article, the three other poems you’re strongly encouraged to try to include “Sonnet 16” by Shakespeare, “The Love Unfeigned” by Chaucer, and “The Tyger” by Blake. These writers had recognizable styles, and they made significant contributions to our worlds through the master use of verse.
In Conclusion
Poetry still preserves its role of being a remarkable tool for self-education. Whether reading a poetry book or having a keen interest in the topic, classic poems can enlarge your horizons. In case you’re looking for some empirical or practical implications of working with texts, please note that learning them by heart can positively boost your memory. Even if you have never been fascinated by writers who passed away centuries ago, poetry for students is excellent for revoking deep aesthetic and cultural impressions. After all, art in its classic form is precious, making poems must-read for all audiences, including students, their parents, and teachers.