What does poetry do for you?

What does it evoke in you? Do you cherish it, or can you live without it? Does it make you feel wanted, loved, hated or confused?

There are some great American Poets that deserve your attention, and we are going to find them... Especially the 19th century poets Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson.

We are going on a hunt, a treasure hunt, to find purpose in poetry. Or at least your purpose. You don't have to like poetry. Not everyone does. But it is everywhere, from the songs we sing and hear to the stories that we read as children, poetry can play an essential part in your life.

Following are some websites I would like you to explore that will help you answer a few simple questions and one essential one....

Essential question (or food for thought)....

What does poetry do for you? What does it express for you? How is it even important?

Websites to use...

• http://www.poets.org/
  
  



• http://www.poetseers.org/
  
  
  
  
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  http://www.2020site.org/poetry/
  
  

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  http://www.whitmanarchive.org/

Questions...

1. Who are some of the most famous or prominent American poets of the 19th century?



2. Choosing 1 female poet, Name her and explain what she has done for American Poetry. For example; Emily Dickinson along with Walt Whitman helped usher in a new era of American Poetry by being original and forth coming in their works.



3. What are some defining characteristics of American Poetry?



4. How does poetry allow poets to express themselves, especially in an oppressive time?



5. Using the Walt Whitman Website look for his poem titled America. Note the date the poem was written. What do you think he is saying? Is he being cynical or sarcastic?



6. Loneliness being a big theme in Emily Dickinson's poems, can you relate to her in this way? Does reading these poems make you realize that other people are experiencing what you might be or do they make you feel even more alone and in need of something?



7. How can it be that a poem can mean one thing to you and something else entirely different to another person? Do you think the authors of such poems intend it this way?


8. Are there any historical signifigance to poems? Can they give you a different view about the times that they are written in?