Reflection after Poetry Unit

    With the 3rd quarter of our virtual senior year finally coming to an end, I assume that our huge poetry unit is also about to end. While I am glad that finally I can take a break from that confusing, strangely worded literature for a while, I still feel some sadness that this unit which has taken up so much of my time is finally over. Honestly, I started the unit as someone who disliked poems a lot. I often questioned why couldn't these stories or lessons be written in a more normal way so people can understand them better. The way some poets turn complete sentences into unreasonable fragments frustrated me as those details became more of a hassle to read than something that is admirable. The field of poetry is like a dark forest that I am too afraid to step foot in because I fear I will be lost. However, this unit really kind of forced me to take that step into the unknown. I don't think any of my previous English classes spend this much effort and details on poetry. We learned different methods of analyzing difficult poems, did practice essays, seminars, presentations, etc. So no way I still feel the same about poems now right? Here is my reflection.

    While I still dislike some poems are just complete sentences split into fragments, I can finally understand why poets are using this technique to write their poems instead of using full, long sentences. With each poem we analyze in and out of class, I feel that each time the process becomes quicker and better. On the first analysis we did, I honestly felt like I was just putting random words down in my essay. Now I feel confident most of the time to discover and elaborate on the poet's techniques. I even started to like how poets uses unique ways to convey their messages in poems. Even the most subtle sounds or rhymes can reveal something about their perspective towards the topic; or repeating lines or phrases throughout the poem are important similar to a motif in a book. 

    So, I am so thankful that this unit is included in 12 AP. Even though some parts of the poem still feels unknown and scary, I can see that other parts becoming more and more clear. Now I wouldn't say I dislike poems anymore. They are unique in their own ways and each poem brings some freshness and excitement to me as an amateur poem reader.