Why do

people

read

poetry?

“For poems are not, as people

think, simply emotions (one has emotions early enough)—they

are experiences.”

—Rainer Maria Rilke

Why do people read poetry?

For entertainment

To share in the poet’s experience

To slow down and think

Poetry can act as a mirror that we can use to look at ourselves.

We come to realize that other people share our thoughts and feelings…

…that others are like us.

Poetry is also like an airplane that can carry us to places we have never been, describing things we have never seen…

…allowing us to gain new insight into the hearts and minds of people who are different from us.

And, lastly, poetry is like food…

…feeding us when we are hungry.

I believe the world is beautiful

and that poetry, like bread, is for everyone.

--Roque Dalton

What others reasons can you think of?

Write them down in your notebook!