Literature is a lifeline for those who have had their existence denied and for those whose personal growth has been strangled and stunted by cruelty. Writing allows one to search the depths of their consciousness, to help discover their fears, passions, and desires. It grants the wielder of the pen freedom from oppression and allows them to mold their pain into beauty.
Poetry, in particular, has allowed me to explore the concept of using words as a form of liberation. It has functioned as a profound conduit of expression, allowing me to communicate universally and at a level of depth that transcends the spoken word. Due to poetry’s abstract and rebellious nature, it breaks tradition and paves the way for new revelations, establishing more progressive approaches to creativity. I firmly believe that the act of writing can manifest a broader network of neural pathways in the human mind, thereby helping individuals heal from past traumas and also build a stronger sense of identity.
My goal as a poet and a future educator is to help others unlock their untapped potential and gain the confidence to write without inhibitions. I intend to instill passion in my teaching pedagogy and strive to make learning a personal experience. I prefer to take an organic and exploratory stance on English Education, instead of one steeped in tradition. To fully immerse oneself in a literary concept, I believe that a student must first interact with text through imitation, experimentation, and interrogation. Writing should be a therapeutic experience. One must seek to customize the academic space and tailor their teaching methods to fit each individual's needs.
I have found that starting lessons with a broad concept or image, such as asking students to write about the color green or the taste of rain, elicits some extremely profound descriptions. It builds upon their memories, senses, and emotions, uprooting poignant scenes from their life and allowing them to inhabit a new life on the page. Some students do not feel entirely comfortable with vulnerability. Figurative language, metaphors, and various poetic structures help to remedy this by encouraging individuals to express their personal truths without entirely stripping their souls bare. Poetry allows for a modicum of privacy while also building silent connections between writers who harbor similar experiences.
Self-expression is crucial to the human experience and learning to execute it well is something that poetry enables us to do. Words have the power to both create and destroy. Words break down walls and pave paths of coexistence. They help to build communities and remind us that we are not alone in our struggles. As an aspiring professor, I believe that we are all born with raw literary talent, but some of us become discouraged and overwhelmed by the rigid structure of public education. Our compulsion to create beauty can become lost within the constraints of functionality. My intent is to unearth repressed passion within my future students and to show them that poetry can be used for holistic purposes. Poetry is love, passion, weakness, grief, joy, anger, and all of the things that make us human.