What's So Great About Poetry?

Poetry- the unit that most students dread to learn about in their English class. But why is poetry so disliked among high school students? A few of these reasons, and that I can attest for personally, are that poetry is seen as old, it can be quite difficult to understand/interpret, and we just fail to see the point of it. However, after interpreting some poems in class, my perspective began to shift (only slightly not significantly though). While I am still not the biggest fan of poetry, I am beginning to see a different side to it. 

Yes, poetry is all of the negative things that I stated above (at least in my opinion) but once poetry is understood, the lesson becomes that much clearer and applicable. Understanding and correctly interpreting poetry is not only a beneficial skill to have but it also opens your eyes to a deeper understanding to things that are important in terms of culture, history, and etc. For example, poetry has effectively been used to advocate and teach about important social issues within our society. It has allowed for many to write personal stories about their experiences using their own expression and style. With these type of pieces, readers are able to learn and sometimes even learn things about themselves that they didn't realize before. 

Again, while poetry is not personally my strong suit, that doesn't mean that it isn't for everyone. Poetry has been proven to be a way for some students to open up about personal feelings or experiences through their own unique way of writing. I'll admit, one of the beauties of poetry is that there is no wrong way to write it. With this, poetry becomes an individualistic and unique piece of writing that can help to teach not only the audience but the writer as well. 

Overall, while I will agree that poetry is important and necessary for growth for any English student, I can confidently say that this unit won't be my favorite but maybe that'll change?