Let's think about writing as a means of entertainment. Throughout history, the masses gathered for a word of knowledge or to be entertained. For many years, writing served both attractions. In Ancient Greece, people esteemed poets as those who supplied a direct line to the gods, and provided the people with stories that entertained and aspired.
Today, many people in American society only value entertainment for its lack of thought. There's a moaning, zombie fetish with television, music and other forms of media, and sadly, most people don't even value the possibility of knowledge. Reality TV has replaced reality in an ironic twist of events, and in turn, tragically marginalizes our culture. Where has the value of entertainment gone?
Yes, there was a time when entertainment had literary value. Poetry ruled the literary world for many years when considering the Western culture. Poetry provided a way to enter society through beautiful language and soothing rhythm. Poets called upon their intellect, observations and emotions to form a poem which captured themselves and their world.
Today, the mere mention of poetry to many blinds them from its potential. Poetry continues to change and evolve with our culture, but generally speaking, slowly dies and fades with each passing day. Personally, I have always loved poetry and consider true poetry to be an experience which only a poet can authentically capture. But regardless of our personal definitions, the awe, mystery and potential of poetry remains to be only understood by few.
What can we do to share the experience of poetry with others? This question has a haunting tone to those who understand the value that has been lost, but may also bring comfort to a culture that is ready for the next step. Will we lose poetry completely or will it survive a long transition of cultural change? I guess we will have to find out for ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment