Poetry

Poetry is literature written in some sort of metered or rhythmic form. Not all poetry has to rhyme or adhere to a specific cadence, but all poetry is lyrical in its own way. Poetry is also known as "verse." It tends to be more spontaneous work, and appeals to the senses and romantic nature of the reader. It is meant to be spoken or read.

Oral poetry predates the use of written languages in many parts of the world. In some cases, like many African countries, oral histories were passed down in poem forms to educate future generations on family, culture, customs and beliefs. This is also known as epic poetry and was utilized by Homer and Socrates in Ancient Greek times. In Europe, most writing took the form of poetry during the period known as the Dark Ages (c. 476 - 1,000 C.E.) as well--even official documents were written in poetic style.

The Structure of Poetry
Poetry uses the same literary devices as fiction, like phrases, sentences and paragraphs. Sometimes grammar and punctuation will be sacrificed in order to tailor a poem to a poet's specific style, however, especially in the case of non-traditional modern poetry. The main units of poetic organization, though, are unique to this style alone. The main ingredients for a poem are lines, couplets, strophes, stanzas and verse paragraphs.

Generally, the type of lines used defines work as a poem. Lines are those like "To be, or not to be: that is the question," in Shakespeare's Hamlet. This is typical lyrical style of a poetic line, as is all of Shakespeare's work. Although he was a playwright, his style is distinctly poetic, given its keenness for verse and rhythmic drama. A few more modern poets worth checking out include Maya Angelou, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, and Pablo Neruda.