What is Poetry?- a lesson plan from Aaron Gansky


Opening Activity: Have students brainstorm some ideas on what poetry is, and what the elements of poetry are. What sets it apart from fiction, non-fiction, etc.?

Some will say that poetry is "Self-expression," but this is not a complete answer. While it may be written for self-expression, the ultimate critic of poetry is not the poet, but the reader. Therefore, the effectiveness of a poem is ultimately decided by the reader, not by the poet. This assumes that the reader will put in the proper amount of reading and analysis. Regardless, it is the job of the poet to create something meaningful for a reader.

When done, read "Poetry" by Marianne Moore.
(http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/txt/1169.txt)

What does she say poetry is? Simply put, it is "imaginary gardens with real toads in them." Poetry is the marriage of the imagination and the genuine. The result of this is emotion and meaning.

Expressed mathmatically, poetry is: IMAGINATION + GENUINE = MEANING (for reader, not poet) and EMOTION (for reader, not poet).

Activity: Using the list of "elements of poetry" that the class put together at the beginning, have the students write a poem defining poetry while using all (or some) of the elements of poetry listed.

SHELFLIFEMAGAZINE ARCHIVES: issue #001