Is Poetry an Art?
The society has been shaped by the creativity of artists and the message they share to the populace. This has been mostly through poetry as an art.
What is an art?
Art is when a person uses their creativity to express their feelings and opinion regarding a certain matter through visual or oral form.
Poetry has the power to stimulate the minds of the audience by conveying ideas and evoking emotions through its imaginative language.
This article will share the types of arts, elements of poetry and its importance in the artistic world.
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Types of Arts
Visual art
It is a form of art where the author draws an object that passes the message to the world without literally speaking. Examples are sculptors.
Literary art
This is a form of art where the writer actually writes down about a certain theme for the audience to read. Examples are fictional writings and poetry
Performing arts
This is a type of art where the message is through performing to the audience. It includes music and drama.
The importance of poetry
Addresses injustices
When a poet feels that certain group is being discriminated upon, they can use poetry to pass the message. This is mostly when it is performed to the public; they get to understand that something is not right on the other side.
Improve on creativity
Poetry has the capacity to enlighten the writer and improve on their creativity. The subjects’ maybe complex but over time the poet will get to understand the poetic vocabulary and its significance in bringing out hidden messages to the forefront. Practice makes perfect always, and by working on poetry as an art, the poet will begin to experiment with different styles and upscale their creative skills.
Give a warning
During ancient times, when the older generation wanted to warn the younger generation about certain misconduct and its effects, they would do so in form of riddles and poetic songs. This was done in form of entertainment but the message was strong and the younger generation always respected that. Also many poets in the recent times use poetry to warn the society about the effects of disregarding traditions and norms.
Express emotions
Many poets do not write what they hear but from personal experiences. Poetry is one way of expressing feelings and emotions about an event or incident during the lifetime of the poet. Just like any other art, the poet writes to speak to the world about their opinion as regards any subject they feel is important to the society.
Inspire the world
Poetry has been used to inspire the world and to encourage those who feel low that there is hope again. Poets use appealing words to draw these people nearer to sources of hope and love where they will feel understood and valued.
Therapeutic nature
Poems are a source of comfort and healing because they speak the message that touches the heart and reassures the soul. By writing a poem, the poet will connect to the nature and its serenity, will feel an inner peace because they have expressed their true feelings regarding a certain theme.
Connects the poet and the reader
Poetry as an art gets to connect the poet and the reader at a personal level. The reader will read that poem and feels a deeper connection because of emotional attachment to the writer. Poems can help the reader to tap into the mind of the writer and read their thoughts. It has the power to let the reader delve into the artistic world and grasp the message the poet is trying to give out clearly.
Elements of poetry
Rhyme
It is when two or more words sounding the same are used repetitively in every new line. The commonly used is the sound of last syllable of every line. The commonly used types of rhyme scheme are; perfect rhyme where two words match exactly in sound, internal rhyme where a word in the middle, and the end in the same line sound the same and imperfect rhyme where two words sound nearly the same but are not identical.
Alliteration
When there is use of syllables with the same sound at the beginning of every word in each line e.g. Sally Sells Seashells by the Seashore. From this example you can notice the sound of letter S is used repetitively in 4 words.
Meter
It is the measurable beats consisting of both stressed and non stressed syllable in each line. A stressed syllable is one which comes out louder and is normally emphasized while the unstressed one is soft and the syllable is not emphasized when being read.
Tone
This is the mood that the writer creates for the poem, and his attitude towards the subject he is writing about.
Figurative language
It is the use of vivid images and personification in a poem. The essence is to make the reader connect emotionally to the poem and the imagery language used.
Diction
This is the poetic language employed by the author and which makes a poem distinctive from other types of writing.
Assonance and consonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in a line while consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds.
Theme
This is the subject matter of the poem. It refers to the message which the author wants to pass to their audience.
Final thoughts
Poetry as a form of art has many benefits and power to change the society for the better. From ancient times poetry has been used to pass messages as it has the ability to touch the inner soul of a person and trigger new ideas in their minds. Just like a mirror, poetry has been used as a means of self assessment by the society because of the distinctive message it passes.
Poets are able to crack complex ideas and convey the messages in a simpler way that can be understood by the audience. It takes the audience into the epicentre of the idea and helps them grasp its deeper meaning. This art improves on the creativity of the poet and also helps them to upscale their critical thinking skills. Through performing the poem, they connect with the audience at a personal level and get to understand their thoughts.