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TED Talk: Why People Need PoetryThe Greek word “poiema” (from which the words “poem” and “poetry” derive) means: Poetry is a way of putting emotions into:Read and respond to the following quotes from this TED Talk:1. “We’re all going to die- and poems can help us live with that.” What does the speaker mean by this? Do you agree or disagree? Why? 2. “When you read a poem, you can imagine someone is speaking to you, or for you. Maybe even someone far away or someone made up or someone deceased. That’s why we can go to poems when we want to remember something or someone- to celebrate or to look beyond death or to say goodbye. And that’s one reason poems can seem important even to people who aren’t [literary critics], who don’t live in a world of words.” Explain what the speaker is saying here, in your own words. Why can poems be important even for people who aren’t poets or writers or literary critics? In what circumstances in your own life might reading poetry be helpful to you?3. “Poems show us not just what somebody thought or did or what happened but what it was like to be a person like that. To be so anxious, so lonely, so inquisitive, so goofy, so preposterous, so brave…Poems can help you say, help you show, how you’re feeling. But they can also introduce you to feelings, ways of being in the world, of people very much unlike yourself (maybe even people from long ago).” In this quote, the speaker explains poetry’s unique ability to help us understand the feelings and experiences of others (people who oftentimes come from very different backgrounds and experiences). Why is this so important for us as humans? Read and annotate the following poem:Funeral BluesBy W.H. AudenStop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,Silence the pianos and with muffled drumBring out the coffin, let the mourners come.Let aeroplanes circle moaning overheadScribbling on the sky the message 'He is Dead'.Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;For nothing now can ever come to any good.In this famous poem by W.H. Auden, the speaker expresses the intense grief experienced over the loss of a loved one. On a separate piece of paper, write your reaction to this poem. What is the speaker describing in the poem? Which lines stand out to you and why? Why might a poem like this be important for us to read? (Think back to the quotes above). ................
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