Poetry – a genre of literature, which is a collection of series of
poems, can be defined as a literary work in which the expression of feelings
and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm.
Poetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic
qualities of language such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre, to
evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, the prosaic ostensible meaning.
Poetry has a long history or lineage, dating back to the Sumerian Epic
of Gilgamesh. Early poems evolved from folk songs such as the Chinese Shijing,
or from a need to retell oral epics. Ancient attempts to define Poetry focused
on the uses of speech in rhetoric, drama, song and comedy. Later attempts concentrated
mainly on features not unlike repetition, verse form and rhyme, as well as
emphasized the aesthetics which distinguish poetry from more objectively
informative, prosaic forms of writing.
From the middle of twentieth (20th) century, poetry has sometimes been more generally regarded as a fundamental creative act that employs language. Poetry uses forms and conventions to suggest differential interpretation to words, or to evoke emotive responses.
In poetic presentation, devices including assonance, alliteration,
onomatopoeia and rhythm are sometimes used to achieve musical or incantatory
effects. The use of ambiguity, symbolism, irony or sarcasm, and other stylistic
elements of poetic diction invariably leaves a poem open to multiple
interpretations. Similarly, figures of speech to include metaphor, simile and
metonym create a resonance between otherwise disparate images – a layering of
meanings, forming connections previously not perceived.
Some poetry types are not unconnected to particular cultures and genres, and respond to features of the language in which the poet writes. Most modern poetry reflect a critique of poetic tradition, playing with and testing among other things, the principle of euphony, sometimes altogether forgoing rhyme or set rhythm. Perhaps, in today’s increasingly globalized world, poets often adapt forms, styles and techniques from diverse cultures and languages.
Because of its nature of emphasizing linguistic form rather than using language purely for its content, poetry is notoriously difficult to translate from one language into another. A possible example of this is the Hebrew Psalms, where the beauty is found more in the balance of ideas than in specific vocabulary.
In most poetry, it is the connotations and the weight of words that are majorly important. Such attribute can be difficult to interpret thereby causing different readers to hear or understand a particular piece of poetry differently. While there are logical interpretations, the truth of the matter is that, there can never be a definitive or specific interpretation attached to a particular poem.
So far, by painstakingly
considering the use of poetry in various artistic areas or fictional works such
as folk tales, advertisement, music, short stories, children’s literature, drama
or play, prose, and what have you, anyone can easily assert that its
significance in both human and societal development cannot be overemphasized.
Poetry has indeed created an enormous positive impact on literature, and has
contributed immensely in the promotion of languages, cultures and education in
general.
No doubt, poetry has succeeded in awakening man’s quest for learning or discovery as well as his interest to educate, entertain or inform his immediate society through the use of any language within his reach. Apparently, the use of sarcasm or irony in poetic presentations is one of the yardsticks that signify how far poetry can go while conveying messages irrespective of its content.
Today Saturday March 21, the world over is commemorating the 2015 World
Poetry Day. A decision to proclaim 21st of March as an annual World
Poetry Day was adopted during the 30th session of the United Nations
Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) conference, held in
Paris, France in the year 1999.
One of the main objectives
of the Day is to support linguistic diversity through poetic expressions, and
to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their
respective communities. In celebrating World Poetry Day, UNESCO recognizes the
unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind.
As the global community marks the World Poetry
Day, I enjoin every individual across the globe, especially Nigerians, to
acknowledge the unique essence of poems in literature by understanding the fact
that poetry reaffirms our common humanity by revealing to us that individuals,
anywhere in the world, share the same questions and feelings. Thus, we ought to
comprehend that poetry is the mainstay of oral tradition; and over centuries,
can communicate or convey the innermost values of diverse cultures. Above all,
we should always note that poetry is the only genre of literature that saves
time, space as well as energy.
On this background, I urge every concerned
sector and stakeholder such as the parents, guardians, counsellors, teachers
and various citadels of learning, to vigorously contribute their respective
quotas to ensure that the unique art of poetry will no longer be considered as
an outdated form of literature, but one which enables any society to regain and
assert its real identity. It is better late than never, considering the
anticipated impact of this crusade. Think about it!
FDN
NWAOZOR
(The Media Ambassador)______________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
+2348028608056
