Youth and Poetry

Youth and Poetry Poetry by definition is the art of writing that shows more imagination and deep feeling that ordinary speech. Poetry is a set of sensual words with deep meaning, but for some reason young people do not appreciate it. Hugh Maclennan states, "For without poetry these youths were poor.” He was referring to a group of teenagers he encountered, but this statement can be directed to the majority of youths today. Poetry is dead in our lives, and without knowing what it is, we will not realize how important it is. Educational institutions have introduced and taught us poetry, but still we do not grasp the quality and meaning of having poetry in our lives. With poetry comes imagination, but today’s literature does not promote of the exercising of our imagination. In the past, poetry affected young people even if it was to a small or large degree. It was always present in some part of their lives. Young people enjoyed writing poems of love and joy. They appreciated poetry. Today we claim not to have time on our hands. We are constantly on the run trying to keep up with the fast paced world. How the young generations view poetry is that it is a waste of their time. Because of the new revolution of poetry, the types written these days are of destruction, hate, ugliness, and depression. These cliches of modern poetry repel youths from poetry because they do not want to be constantly reminded of the negative aspects of life. Poetry is fortunately taught in English classes throughout the educational system. Unfortunately, youths do not perceive the importance of poetry because to us, it is a mandatory chore. They are presented in an unappealing way that makes young people almost dislike poetry. English teachers analyze and study every single line in a poem, making students bored in the process. The poetry thus, begins to lose its meaning and value, and becomes just a set of scrambled words. Blaming the way poetry is