Dying Art  of Poetry

If I were to ask you if poetry has importance and is interesting, what would you say? I created polls on our Talon Instagram page asking students at EHS if they like poetry and if they use poetry in school. More than half of the students who answered the survey said no to both questions. I wondered what EHS English teachers thought about the results, furthermore I interviewed Mr. Magliozzi, and he responded to this poll by saying, “I want all 50% of those people in my classroom right now. I’m not saying I would turn all of them into lovers of poetry, but I am actually seeking the…let’s say there are 100 people in the group. I want the 10 people who want poetry, but don’t know it. The other 90 can walk away from it, but at least they tried it and had the opportunity.” 

According to Horizon Teachers, using language freely in poetry can supply students with “new perspectives on life and ordinary experiences”. From years of dealing with the units of poetry in elementary, middle, and even highschool, most of the units involve analyzing poems. It takes away from knowing the freedom of expression poetry can provide students. As stated by Horizon Teachers, using language freely in poetry can supply students with “new perspectives on life and ordinary experiences”. Mr. Magliozzi expressed, “When we don’t address poetry in the classroom, we don’t encourage our students to think creatively in the way that a poet thinks creatively. Which means making metaphorical leaps, it means paying attention to sound…and engaging in repetition.” Later, during our conversation, he revealed, “Poetry brings together community.” Most years, EHS hosts a blackbox poetry event where students can read their poems aloud to the community of parents, teachers, and other students. Speaking about the event, Mr. Magliozzi conveyed, “The amount of parents that show up for that event and the amount of energy that students who are reciting their poems and then the parents, like the chatter that happens after, there is no other event that I see on a regular year to year basis that creates that like poetry does.” 

There is a club at EHS called the Poetry Team and allows students to learn different aspects of poetry. In my experience of being a part of the poetry team, there aren’t as many students showing up. Poetry team doesn’t force you to write poems, but at least gives you the opportunity to try or give an understanding of the freedom it brings. Mr. Magliozzi vocalized, “The Poetry team has always been a student driven, student led club that changes with the dynamic of students who are in the club so come make a change and be a part of that collective voice, come be a part of that community. That’s really what it’s all about.” It can open up a new way of thinking for the bluehawks at EHS, provide a different style of writing, and make you think outside the box. Horizon Teachers explain, poetry can help students develop a greater emotional intelligence. Poetry team meets on Mondays after school from 2:30-3:30 in F129.

Poetry should be used as a way to express yourself, whether it is through projects given from teachers, freely out of your own choice, and/or making a statement. I challenge all bluehawks to use poetry as a skill and tool to represent a project in school, create poems for expressionism, and join the poetry team to build a new community!