When you ask someone what they think of when they think of poetry, nine times out of ten, they will say either love or Shakespeare. This is a stereotype that has cursed the poetry world today. When I think of poetry, I think of thousands of authors that are putting their feelings out there for the world to see. There are so many well known poets other than William Shakespeare. For example, there is Edgar Allen Poe, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. Just to name a few.
Poetry isn’t always about love either. Some of the most famous poems that have been written have been about success in life, and making choices that are best for you. For example, “Success is Counted Sweetest” by Emily Dickinson is about how one should not take their success for granted. Poetry like this is just as popular as the typical love poem. It is just that poetry about love is more widely accepted because it is easy to read and relatable. There is a poem for anything that anyone is going through, and they can be found if one was to just put in the effort to find it. Most of the time when poetry is taught in schools, it is the typical Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet. It is rare to find a school not focusing their poetry lessons on William Shakespeare. Why not focus the lesson on poetry based on success and finding your purpose. To me, it seems like those topics will do more for the student rather than a tragic love story that everyone has heard before. When you think of poetry, I hope you can think of more than just William Shakespeare.
http://www.kenyanpoet.com/2016/05/11/20-promising-contemporary-kenyan-po…