By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Adversity and hardship have been common themes in poetry, because they are, of course, common experiences for many people. Poets seeking to raise awareness of the suffering people have undergone, or their financial dire straits, have often drawn attention to the hardships suffered by […]
Tag: Best Poems
10 of the Best Poems about Knowledge and Wisdom
What are the best poems about knowledge? Poetry often contains a kind of wisdom or deeper knowledge: about the world, about love, about what might await us after we die. Whether we agree with the forms of knowledge poets postulate or vehemently disagree, the poet is often seeking out, in […]
The Best Poems about Tolerance and Acceptance
Tolerance is an important topic in literature, because to tolerate something also involves an acknowledgment that there is a potential objection to the thing being tolerated. Nobody ‘tolerates’ winning a million pounds on the lottery, but we talk of ‘tolerating’ the loud music coming from a neighbour’s house when they’re […]
10 of the Best Poems about Race and Racism
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Poetry can be used to address and explore a range of pressing social issues, and racial prejudice and racial identity are among these topics which poets have written about powerfully, from a range of perspectives. Whether it’s African-American poets writing at the time of […]
10 of the Best Anti-Love Poems
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘Poetry’ and ‘love’ are almost synonymous in some people’s minds, with the very idea of poetry summoning images of the romantic – hopeless or otherwise – and rather highly-strung soul devoted to the beauty of words and the truth of love. But as well […]