Poems and history just go hand in hand. Since the idea of stories has been around, they have travelled through the form of oral poetry. Poems such as the Odyssey have made history, and recounted a history that is not exactly correct by a historical standpoint, but it tells the story of what some people believed to be the true history.
Poems tell stories. They are a kind of works that recount both true and untrue events, but have history embedded in them. For example, "Paul Revere's Ride" by William Wordsworth is a poem that tells the story of the night the British came to invade America. This story starts with Revere telling his friend to hang a lantern in the belfry and ends saying that he rode through all the towns to help save America.
This poem is not one of just history. It does not belong in a text book. This poem has a rhyme and meter, it has rich imagery and strong metaphors. It starts as if a grandparents is telling their grandchild a story, and wraps it up similarly at the end.
Poems like this take cool stories of heros and even mundane, yet important things, and makes them into art. These poems help keep the story alive. Poems make history even more captivating than it already is.
The answer was concise and analytical. The specific examples (like The Odyssey and Paul Revere's Ride) highlight how poems can make history and how history can make poems. At the same time, you make clear the poems aren't just straight history, but also tell cool stories.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sam that your description of how poetry and history are related is spot on. But I especially like Sam's observation that "poems can make history and how history can make poems" I really like that!
DeleteBeth, I totally agree with you on this point. Textbooks for the most part (always) are boring -- poems have some sort of inert driving force behind it and makes it not only bearable but actually enjoyable. Maybe part of this driving force is due to the fact that poems tell a story, while textbooks just list facts. This reminds me of U.S history -- Mr. Sutton would always teach us by telling us stories, making the class much more enjoyable (well of course there's the apple throwing but you know).
ReplyDeleteBeth, I totally agree with you on this point. Textbooks for the most part (always) are boring -- poems have some sort of inert driving force behind it and makes it not only bearable but actually enjoyable. Maybe part of this driving force is due to the fact that poems tell a story, while textbooks just list facts. This reminds me of U.S history -- Mr. Sutton would always teach us by telling us stories, making the class much more enjoyable (well of course there's the apple throwing but you know).
ReplyDeleteI like the point you make here. Poetry often holds such deep emotions and readings that you really aren't going to get from a textbook. Historical poets pose an important role in how stories can be depicted in a very meaningful way.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a good job of showing how history and poetry began somewhat together with oral stories, but how there is still a distinct separation between the two, even though they can be combined.
ReplyDeleteI liked that you chose to focus on the hero's poems, because I think those are really important in telling history, though obviously fabricated, as you mention. That was an interesting segment to focus on; something I didn't think of at all when reading this question.
ReplyDeleteIt's also so cool to read poems written during a certain time period and just learn so much from that. A lot of the poems we're reading in class now subconsciously show us so much information about how people lived and felt during those time periods. Nice post!
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