This Generation's Poetry

After four years at this high school, I have become accustomed to the annual poetry unit in English. It hasn't always been a favorite unit of mine, but I can appreciate any alternative way to approach poetry rather than the normal poetry analysis that students usually do with the help of shmoop. With last week's focus on defending poetry as a type of music, I realized that the same lessons we learned in class about poetry can be applied to our music and how it has the power to change the way we see things or connect with how we feel. I would say, for the most part, that our generation's poetry is music. Although there is certainly many poets of our time, I think we often perceive poetry in its old form- written by poets like Shakespeare- but when Mr. Heidkamp introduced the music assignment, poetry become a more dynamic art form.

Choosing a song was difficult because I think much of the music I listen to can be defended as poetry- even though my parents would definitely disagree at times- and "I Know Places" by Lykke Li was one song I felt comfortable defending because of the meaning behind the lyrics and her ability to create a song that many people, involved in many types of relationships, could relate to. I think songs like this help to reinforce the idea that everyone experiences hardship and that the love you may feel for someone is powerful enough to bring that person comfort. What I like the most about the song is the idea that although you may not know how you plan to help someone, or how long it will take to help them, you know that there is a reason why you want to help them- because you love them- and that because of that reason, you will ultimately find a way.

Because of this assignment, I started paying more attention to the music I listen to and what the lyrics really mean and how that impacts me as the audience. Taking this more alternative route to tackling the annual poetry unit certainly made it more enjoyable and different, but also more powerful considering students could see poetry in more than just the standard way we view, but in a way that  connects to our personal lives on a daily basis.