Pranav Gopal Week #12 - Poetry
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"Still I Rise." "O Captain! My Captain!" "The Raven." These three poems are likely ones you've heard before and have long been considered some of the most significant and popular examples of poetry throughout its long history. After years of taking concepts like poetry and music for granted, I started to wonder how poetry came about and how extensive or limited its history is.
Poetry started in Mesopotamia, around 5000 BC and was seen with the invention and usage of a medium called cuneiform. Cuneiform is an archaic means of written communication, using stone and clay tablets as a means of communicating with basic symbols and messages. In theory, poetry was believed to have been used in ancient rituals and chants, especially seen in storytelling settings or ceremonial happenings. Poetry was a form of ancient entertainment, as poets would passionately present their works to an audience who could afford it. For instance, the oldest known poem, called "The Epic of Gilgamesh" was created in Mesopotamia and based off of years of previous poetic and literary works. Notable artists of poetry at the time include Homer, known for "The Odyssey" and Virgil, known for "The Aeneid."
Centuries later, poetry experienced and developed a significant change, arriving in the Medieval age of poetry in 400 AD. The Medieval ages were a time of massive conflict and reform, resulting in the culmination of prevailing forms of poetry, known today as ballads and couplets. Massive sagas and refrains were written detailing the mystical and changing world of the Medieval ages, especially as it was acknowledged as a popular and prevalent art form. Using poetry as a medium, nobles would convey their words in the form of art, up until the Renaissance Era, when more changes would occur.
Near 1500 AD in the Renaissance Era, poetry subjects shifted towards emotions like love and passion, as well as religious piety and nature. Much like the paintings and other art of the time, Renaissance poetry focused on the nature of human development and religion, shifting towards Classicalism and other evolving artistic phases. One notable poet of the time, William Shakespeare, would go on to popularize the form of poetry called sonnets, which he wrote hundreds of. Paralleling the works of the time, poetry would follow the routes of Classicalism and artistic development into Neo-Classicalism, which prevailed even up until the 1800s. The topics of poetry shifted yet again, taking a critical and satirical tone as artists used poetry as a means of communicating their own beliefs and messages throughout a society. Poetry would continue to develop alongside society, much like the art we've learned about in history.
However, poetry would significantly change during the Era of Romanticism, writing about topics of everyday life and emotion, coming to terms with the value of human emotion and nature. The expression of personal experiences through poetry culminated in decades of emotional and structureless poetry designed to convey the most unique and passionate of experiences to readers around the world. Contemporary poetry as we intake and see today is considered to have started around the beginning of the 20th century, continuing to be used with rhythm, rhyme, and verses that suit a more structured yet emotional and fluid experience. Poetry would throughout the years also develop into music and lyrics, as even seen today with the advance of the music and poetry industries.
Developing over the course of as long as humans have written and spoken, poetry is a unique art form that utilizes the unique construction of pronunciations and pauses, able to express in rhyme and rhythm an alternate way of conveying emotions. While perhaps not as popular in communication as music or simple argumentation and discourse, poetry has been a crucial and intriguing facet of art and media.
Hi Pranav! The word cuneiform had completely disappeared from my memory since learning about Mesopotamia back in six grade, and never had I imagined I would be hearing that word again. I've always disliked analyzing poetry, although I have found certain poems quite beautiful, so I never gave much thought to the history of poetry and wanted to have as little to do with it as possible. I never even knew poetry originated so long ago and thought of it more as a 1700s thing especially since in AP Euro, we talked mostly about the sculpting and painting form of art during the Renaissance times, or maybe I just don't remember that we actually learned about poetry last year.
ReplyDeleteHello Pranav, I like how you also mentioned the medium that poetry that was used as it evolved. I used to hear a saying amongst people who wrote a lot where the medium that was actually being written on affected the feelings that went into the poetry. I wonder how the evolution of the medium affected poetry. I also like how you mentioned that poetry only used to be available for listening to the people who could afford to go and listen to it. I like how with the internet that is no longer the case, and everything is accessible to the people a lot quicker (although it harms the artists).
ReplyDeleteHi Pranav! The powerful meaning that exists within every line of a poem evokes a sense of emotion and love for everyday life experiences of which you might not naturally love at first. The artistic development that is seen in Neoclassicism and Classicism reminds me of the time I worked on my Mission project in elementary school. I focused on one of the Missions found in Southern California and I can distinctly remember that something that caught my attention was that each held its own belief that was expressed through its music and lyrics. My favorite part were the sonnets that had a unique satirical tone that made them more rhythmic when listened to. The structure had soon developed into conveying the most passionate experiences that many priests in the Missions were interested in telling their devotees about. I loved how your post directly related to the Mission project I did a while ago, and I hope to read more of your blogs!
ReplyDeleteHi Pranav! I've also taken poetry and other forms of art for granted for most of my life until I had started learning about it in history classes. It is interesting that poetry would change in its popularity and form depending on the time period that it existed it. I suppose that change was therefore more so correlated to changing ideologies in different societies. Although poetry has had a big role throughout history, I wonder if it's still a major form of art that people look to in the modern day. Whatever it may be, I really liked your point about poetry being an intriguing form of media and your blog detailing its history.
ReplyDeleteHi Pranav, I have always appreciated poetry, so this was an interesting read for me to see the development of poetry throughout history. I remember being very limited in my knowledge of poetry when I was younger, thinking it was simply William Shakespeare, a form of poetry I did not have a liking for. But, as I grew up, I realized that there were all kinds of poetry. Your post has made me realize that even the Hindu prayers that I say every morning are a form of poetry in Indian culture. I always thought of poetry from a pretty Eurocentric point of view, but now I'm trying to open my eyes to other poetry outside of Europe. Thank you for your post, and I look forward to hearing more from you.
ReplyDeleteHi Pranav, as someone who is often lost when trying to understand the deeper meanings of poems, I gained a newfound appreciation for poetry after reading your blog. I did not really previously consider the long history of poetry, so it was fascinating to learn how poetry had been shaped and evolved so much by society. And yet, just as poetry has been shaped by society, I would argue that poetry has also impacted society, because poetry is so powerful. Like music, poetry is filled with a lot of raw emotion and has the ability to connect with readers at a personal level. I think poetry definitely has the ability to sway public opinion about politics, and also about more abstract aspects of life like love and family. For example, “Still I Rise” empowered African Americans to continue fighting for their rights.
ReplyDeleteHello Pranav. As someone who has always had trouble remembering analysis terms for poems and deciphering the deeper meanings of said poems, this blog is actually quite interesting. The history of poems are actually quite deep and immense and you did not even go over the oddly long and even more complex history of poems in Eastern countries like China and India. Poems can contain so many different meanings that they man confuse even the most dedicated and learned of scholars: that is just their beauty. In so few words, a story can be told. My favorite era of poetry is no doubt the "Era of Romanticism": a time where people were not afraid to write about what they were experiencing and living through. These poems would provide a window into their life, revealing their lives to the rest of the world. These poems are my favorite, the select few out of a genre I once hated but am growing to love.
ReplyDeleteHi Pranav! Poetry is a beautiful form of art that has been used in self-expression for many millennia. It's used to explain societal concepts, tell stories, express emotion, and many more uses. Many shake it off as being useless to discuss in a classroom setting, but I think the opposite. Poetry and our interpretations of it genuinely can help us develop both our analytical skills as well as our ability to broaden our horizons, looking beyond informative and expository text and seeing things in a more poetic light. Writing your own poetry is also a really interesting method to let out emotion in a healthy and constructive way.
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