Page 7 Poetry in the Future

Portrait of Paquius Proculo Wikicommons
In the 1800s, a pair of shoes suited for all occasions. Perhaps those shoes could be worn spring, summer, fall, and winter. Similarly, art and poetry such as in the long poem “Casey at the Bat” celebrated stability, labour, and learning. For example, the portrait of a Roman couple below recovered after 2000 years from Pompeii, Italy celebrated ancient Roman literacy with a pen, scroll, and writing tablet.

On the other hand, today, we have sandals, running shoes, water shoes, climbing shoes, soccer shoes, cowboy boots, and high heels. The shoes may wear out quickly. Similar to “The Hockey Game”, Andy Warhol’s soup can art in 1962 was a celebration of consumerism, fashion, and of how machines have provided leisure time.



Current art celebrates the immediate and uses materials found in nature such as such as branches, thorns, ice, leaves, and petals. In the same way, the “Sidney Crosby Remix” is a temporary celebration of a moment in hockey history.

Imagine yourself living 100 years from now. Will the "Sidney Crosby Remix" be around in 100 years? Likely, only people deeply interested in the subject (hockey) will research information about Sidney Crosby. He will become an allusion (reference to the past) with whom most people will not be unfamiliar.

Traditional forms of poetry are changing to fit society's values. Consider how the poetry that lasts more than two generations may tap into more enduring themes. Will the poetry form itself last? It is hard to say, but people will always seek a more creative method to express their ideas and feelings than the ordinary.

Art sculpture at Lake Louise Wikicommons




 Show What You Know

In your downloaded assignment file for Lesson 1, complete Section 1.  Be sure to save your work.  



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