Essay on Pleasure of Reading Poetry
• Introduction: The effects of reading poetry
Almost every man works for living. Generally he starts his round of duty in the morning and works almost eight to nine hours a day. Thus he earns his bread by the sweat of his brow. There may be some idle rich who do not have to do anything for a living. But most of the people in the world have their own relaxation time for the relaxation of their souls and minds. And one of the best relaxation options to soothe mind and soul is to take poetry. Reading of poetry always feeds our minds and enriches our souls.
• Reading of poetry gives relaxation for working men:
Common people whether they are executives in big offices or common clerks, need a little relaxation for their minds. Poetry which is better part of literature brings unbound joy to a tired man. Poetry is the store-house of every kind of beauty which man has wanted and he has sometimes felt in life. A poet stands in stands in a class by himself. He lives on the earth and among common people.
But he, in fact, lives in a world of his own creation, the world of fancy. It is a dream-world of many beauties in which he lives. He leaves behind this common world of bread and butter and sorrows and sufferings and flies into the world of fantasy where a tired man likes to go. Thus, a tired mind gets its nourishment from the poetic world of fancy and imagination.
• Different kinds of poetry:
Different people like different types of poetry. Some like the grandeur of Homer’s and Milton’s epics; some like the lyrics of Shelley and Keats and still some want to enjoy the beauty of peace of nature with Wordsworth. But whatever poetry a man may read for the time being he is lifted out of the earth and lives with the poet, at least for sometime, in his land of beauty. For the time being, his soul delights in something which it has never known before.
• Difference between a poet and a common man:
The poet feels strongly and expresses his feelings and emotions in proper musical words. We feel the same emotions, the same urge or call of passion as the poet does. We want to express them and give proper value of them. But because we have not the power of expression and power of imagination, we let the emotions pass out of our lives and die. Poetry makes a new thing of every passion that we feel.
The poet clothes it in beauty. Love becomes something new in the hand of poet and poetry gives it a value which we have never known before. The poet speaks of kindness and patriotism, beautifies nature and gives importance on moral values. But the poet speaks of them in a way which astonishes us and we begin to think that there is truth in what the poet says.
• The gifts of poetry:
Man does not live by bread alone. His body is important to him, no doubt, but his soul also needs care and nourishment. Bread and butter is not for the soul of man. It needs the soft, noble and high feelings, emotions and thoughts to feed it now and then. Poetry gives the soul this nourishing food, strengthens it and raises it to noble heights.
• What poetry does to readers:
There are poets fill our hearts with such strong passions that for the time being we become poets ourselves. We seem to be living for the moment in a new world of beauty and truth. There are poets who speak of heroism in such a lovely way that we are carried off our feet and become heroes ourselves. The poet feels sorrow and weeps over something or somebody, and we want to weep with him. That is the magic of poetry over us. That is how the poet moves us.
• Conclusion:The effect of poetry is, however, short-lived. In this world of reality, poetry which is the gift of imagination can not remain for long. The joy that it brings dies away almost as soon as it comes. A painter loves his own art, but he relaxes his mind now and then with poetry. We know many scientists who relieve their minds with an occasional dose of poetry. And as for educated people it can be said that there are few who do not love poetry. It is true, of course, that much of the poetry of today is difficult to understand. For instance, some poems of T. S. Elliot are beautiful only when it is understood.
However, all kinds of poetry do not affect the reader in the same way. Epic poetry fills the heart of the reader with grandeur and majesty. He can not expect it of the lyrical poetry of Keats or Shelley or Tennyson. Different types of poetry suit different temperaments or even different moods. Yet every kind of poetry purifies and ennobles the soul, may be for a short hour.
Frequently Asked Questions:
* What is the effect of poetry in our lives?
Ans: In this busy and monotonous world of every day, poetry gives us relaxation with its power of fancy and imagination.
* What type of poetry do the people like most?
Ans: Different kinds of people like different types of people according to their moods and tastes. The people who like heroism prefer epics of Milton; others who like romanticism go through the poetry of Keats, Shelley or Wordsworth.
*What is the difference between the poets and the common people?
Ans: The poet feels strongly and expresses his feelings and emotions in proper musical words. We feel the same emotions, the same urge or call of passion as the poet does. But we can not express them due to lack of power of imagination.
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