The Power of Poetry by Lauren
Lauren's entry into Varsity Tutor's July 2021 scholarship contest
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The Power of Poetry by Lauren - July 2021 Scholarship Essay
If any class in high school has taught me anything, it was in my Junior year of English. Now I am not talking about the usual topics you learn such as how to write great essays or the grammatically correct use of punctuation; moreover, I am talking about the power of poetry.
As the end of the year was nearing, we had learned all the basics you need to know, but my English teacher was different. Instead of watching movies like all the other English classes, she read some older pieces of poetry she admired. The last poem was, "Sonnets from the Portuguese 44: Beloved, thou has brought me many flowers". Just sounds like a guy who brought her many flowers, right? However, you must wait and see the power of poetry.
In the poem, “Beloved, thou has brought me many flowers,” the flowers symbolized the love he had grown in her and how fragile, true, and pure their love is for each other. How even through dark times, portrayed by the harsh weather, or all the hardships they went through, portrayed by the weeds and rue, their love out reigned all of it. It is amazing to see what the power of poetry is capable of!
Sometimes poetry seems very literal. While reading this poem, I was thinking that he gave her flowers, and she took care of them. However, after taking the time to deeply analyze the poem, it was all about true love shown through symbolic expressions. Poetry is not only a place to express one's feelings through literature but is also a way to be creative in telling a story. Poetry allows people to interpret the poem in diverse ways while discovering the true point of view through the power of poetry.
English class has not only taught me about poetry, but on a deeper level, showed me the beauty of it’s meaning. It astonishes me to see how it allows so many unique interpretations such as: storytelling, love letters, unexpected outcomes, and so much more. If you ever want to express your inner self, try writing a poem to discover and see the power of poetry.