Before I begin with this presentation, I would lik

Before I begin with this presentation, I would like to share with you a poem that was written by my mom when she was my age. *Reads poem*. I would like to ask you, what did you feel when I was reading it? Did it trigger an emotional reaction, or did it make you wonder what the goal was of writing it? Questions like these are exactly what poetry is about, but many people don’t know the story behind it and how it began. Which is why in today’s presentation, we are going to cover the history of poetry. Today, we will cover the four main areas: the general overview, the historical timeline of poetry, key examples, and a connection to the piece “Death of History is Bunk” by Patrick Watson. Let’s begin with a general overview. Poetry is a form of literature that focuses on an author’s emotions, ideas, or personal experiences. Poems can encourage the reader to reflect on a deeper meaning or a message. Although used for expression in art, many poems are used to discuss religious beliefs, historical events or political issues. . Some examples of poems include sonnets, lyric poetry, haikus and various others. This timeline highlights the key components of the history of poetry. Poetry began with the Ancient Egyptians and Sumerians. These civilizations began sharing poetry through word of mouth, as chants or prayers, but then began to write them out on papyrus scrolls and stones. Poetry dates back so far, that the first known written piece of poetry comes from the third millennium and is called the “Epic of Gilgamesh”, which is a poem about a king named “Gilgamesh” who is on a quest to find immortality after the death of his best friend. Poetry began to really take off when this form of writing was spread to Greek and Roman civilizations. The Ancient Greeks used their myths and legends to create pastoral, epic and lyric poetry. Pastoral poetry idolizes natural life, and was shown in authors like Theocritus, who created poems about peaceful scenery, and Homer’s “Iliad” and “The Odyssey”. While Ancient romans expanded poetry by adding satire, to allow writers to criticize society. After Greek and Roman Civilization, poetry entered the medieval period, where romantic and religious became more common, as it was influenced by war and conflict. This includes losing a loved one or what happened to the soldiers we lost. An example of a religious poem from this period is “Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri, who uses his poem to reflect on Christian views about heaven, hell and purgatory. Finally, modern poetry has returned to its old ways of being shared orally, with examples like Slam Poetry and spoken word added to the many ways of sharing poems. Modern poetry typically focuses on politics such as standing up for the right cause and expressing political views. However, poetry has always been known for its ability to express the authors' thoughts and opinions. There are many examples of when poetry was important in history. A religious example of poetry is “Love (III)” by George Herbert, which focuses on religious beliefs and the devotion of a worshipper to God. An example of a poem that focuses on social justice is “We Wear The Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, which represents the oppression African Americans face in the States, and how they are forced to hide their emotions to survive in society. Finally, an example of an expressive or emotional poem is “Ode to Melancholy” by John Keats as it expresses the feeling of personal sadness. This poem challenges the view of sadness as a negative emotion, and how to embrace it. Finally, after researching this history of poetry, I can confidently say that I agree with the thesis of the article “Death of History is Bunk” by Patrick Watson. I believe that by engaging students in historical topics, and using new and creative methods, it will help give younger generations a better advantage in understanding our history. In conclusion, poetry has changed across different historical events, cultures, and time overall, and I believe that it will continue to do so as time goes on, but it is evident that poetry will always hold the same definition, which is to express ideas, thoughts, and feelings.