An Apologia for Poetry

In my classes at Kepler Education, we read lots of poetry. Because our culture no longer has a shared understanding or appreciation of poetry, I’ve found it necessary to present an apologia (Greek for “defense”) of why learning to read poetry is important. What is poetry? Why should we care about it?

In an age dominated by images, pics, and reels, it can seem outdated and irrelevant to care much about poetry. Reading poetry takes work–watching whatever is trending on YouTube is so much easier. Here, I want to give you some reasons to take the “road less traveled.” As Christians, and as humans, we should care about, read, study, and write poetry.

Christians are people of the Word. So, words should have a place of prime importance in our lives. Images are wonderful and fun, but they should not replace words.

Second, you should care about poetry, and try to understand and appreciate it because God does. Reading poetry helps us to understand the Bible, because the Bible is filled with poetry, symbolism, figures of speech and linguistic patterns. The Psalms, the Prophets, the Song of Solomon, even Revelation–-all are either explicitly poetic, or contain examples of poetry. There are also poetic elements in the New Testament. Hebrew poetry is different from English poetry, but many of the same elements are there: repetition, parallelism, metaphors, similes, figures of speech, and patterns of thought and organization (chiasms are the most obvious example).

Reading poetry helps us to process our feelings and experiences. God made us emotional beings. Sometimes life bites, stings, and crushes us. Sometimes the glory of creation sings and our joy bursts out like a geyser. Like the Psalms, poetry gives us language to express our sorrow and pain.

There is a further, theological, reason. Writing and reading poetry helps us to make and see connections in God’s world. Since everything comes from God, everything is connected at some level. Making metaphors and using figures of speech are a continuation of the mandate God gave to Adam–to name and describe the world. Naming is an act of authority. Making metaphors is an act of dominion. Writing poetry is a kingly act. Just like King David and King Solomon, we wield words as tools, and even weapons. Poetry trains our tongues for battle, for love, and for delighting in God’s good world.

Christian English professor R.V. Young notes the power of good poetry and literature:

“Poetry is not a substitute for the Bible, for the actual Word of God. It can, nonetheless, be a means of seeing the world more clearly and recognizing the creation as a reality independent of our assumptions and desires. Imaginative literature demands that we step outside the enclosed circle of our self-absorption and regard the human experience from a different perspective. In the case of a genuine literary artist, this alternative is not merely the view of another individual, expressing his own self-interested viewpoint. What defines literary excellence is precisely the talent to represent general human experience rather than the idiosyncratic preoccupations of the author.”

What is poetry? One way to think about it is that poetry is musical speech. Or, Poetry is a condensed musical language that is rich with figures of speech.

Just as we must learn to distinguish the various aspects of music (pitch, timber, rhythm, etc.) if we want to really appreciate and understand music, so also with poetry. Although we can read and enjoy poetry without knowing how it works, once you can look “under the hood,” you can appreciate and understand at a deeper level. Perhaps a future installment will outline how to start reading and appreciating poetry.

Gregory Soderberg Ph.D., teaches and mentors students of all ages at Kepler Education, the BibleMesh Institute, and Redemption Seminary. He writes at gregorysoderberg.substack.com.