by M. Joseph

Created on: January 29, 2009

It is a shame to have to be writing to an argument based on this question. How could one assert that poetry doesn't matter in the 21st century? It surrounds us. Poetry is a binding feature that runs through almost every culture of the world. It gives to society a philosophical outlet of writing, one that causes people to question, to understand, to see points differently, and to unite. It is one of the few forms of literature that evolves rapidly, changing with society at the same speed. Each generation produces new poetry, evidence in itself that poetry matters. What we understand to be poetry has broadened as well. We treat some abstract poetry with just as much respect as the poetry of Shakespeare or Whitman. Speaking of Shakespeare, he is still read and taught in school, making sure that students remember the great cultural aspects of world society. Music is built on poetry, lyrics are, in themselves, poetic, lending the listener to share in common cultural topics and sentiments. A recurring theme seen here is culture. Poetry plays a large part in many aspects of our culture. Recently, at Barak Obama's inauguration there was a poetry reading. Why choose poetry? Because it invokes in people strong feelings, feelings that simple words do not. Many say that even the president's speeches have a poetic tone to them. His words are crafted to not fall on the ear in a flat tone, but rather to catch the listener's ear and impart meaning and feeling. Before the inauguration, National Public Radio (NPR) went around the world asking poets from many countries to read poems they had written either directly for or that they felt related to Obama's inauguration. Poetry plays a huge role globally in communicating with others across borders. Poetry can, in a reletively short and easy to listen to format, tell the reader or listener what the author thinks and feels. There are very few other forms of writing that can access the heart so easily as poetry. Very few other forms of writing grip the heart and fill the soul with feelings as strong as those that poetry creates. Does poetry matter in the 21st century? Yes. And if we were to stop writing poetry we would see the effects in many different parts of our society. People sometimes fail to realize how integrated it is to human culture.

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