In Conclusion...

As the clock runs out on my time blogging as a mandate of the CAS 137H/138T curriculum, I wanted to reflect on what the past year has meant for me, in terms of learning about poetry and the power of words. I don't know about you, and I can't speak for anyone else, but I have felt like I have learned a lot about myself, poetry as a concept, and emotional expression over the journey of this blog. I would like to share what I've learned.

Conclusion 1: Don't Underestimate the Power of Being Direct
I have analyzed so many different poems over the course of writing this blog. The behind the scenes of this is me finding a poet, looking through their portfolio and trying to filter through numerous poems to try to find ones that capture the essence that I want to discuss in my weekly passion blog. However, I've learned that I like poetry that captures the message without being unnecessarily wordy. I think that a few well-chosen words can be much more powerful than excessive verbosity. One poet who I believe shares this sentiment is Emily Dickinson. Her poems, often relatively short, are quick to get to the point. There is nothing better than a well crafted metaphor or other form of figurative language because getting to the point shows mastery of language.

Taken from Pinterest

I think I can apply this principle to my life in multiple ways. First, no more beating around the bush. Say what you mean and mean what you say. I've definitely had encounters where either I or the other person said things that weren't what we intended, so word choice is so important.

Conclusion 2: Use Language that Promotes the Feeling You Want
Poets are masters of word choice - as I stated above. They can promote feelings of sadness, despair, hopelessness, or hope, happiness, and freedom. I've learned, over the course of writing this blog, that language has an effect on the way we perceive situations. If people continually use negative language about themselves and others, it will eventually effect their outlook on life - and that's no good. Language should be supportive and uplifting and help us to elevate our being to a new level. As the only beings with language as communication, we have the duty to be responsible with it.

Conclusion 3: Speak With Purpose
Every poem has a reason for being written. Whether about love, anger, betrayal, or some other intense emotion, all poems were written for a REASON. As a member of a generation becoming increasingly reliant on technology and withdrawing slowly from community values, I'm not innocent by any means. However, I think that we all need to figure out what lights our fire - what we're passionate about. I've read poems by people so passionate about a topic that I became inspired by just reading words on a page. My passions are not necessarily as easily conveyed through a written medium, but relishing in countless poems has made me realize that having passion, a passion for something besides ourselves, is necessary to our being.

So, there you have it. The culmination of my freshman year. I hope that I've learned something, too.