The Why

After spending an hour beginning my plans to tackle my personal study goal of becoming more acquainted with poetry, I began to wonder, why am I really doing this? Why is it important to learn how to analyze poetry?

I stumbled upon a website that I think nicely explains the why, which I summarize as following:

• When we analyze poetry, we use reasoning skills that allow us to synthesize information we interpret from somebody else's ideas. We can use this knowledge to form an opinion based on a particular point that we believe the poem we are analyzing is conveying, and in turn we can form arguments that lead us to convince others that our stances are valid.

• The process described above also helps us to understand poetry better. When we are presented with the task of having to convince someone that, for instance, our interpretation of a poem is what the author meant, we are forced to search for reasonable explanations to support our opinion based on the literature we are studying.

• Lastly, and I believe most importantly, as we analyze poetry and write about it, we learn to appreciate this form of art. 

I think that the last point is really the answer to the why. The process of writing about poetry and learning how to analyze it only enriches our understanding of it, and isn't that really the point in the end? To come to an understanding of the forces working behind the thoughts and emotions evoked by poetry?

I hope that this encouraged any of you who are planning on closely studying a particular genre of literature. A long with that, does anybody have any suggestions as to where I should start my study of poetry? Perhaps a favorite poet or genre? Thanks!