Poems for College Students and High School
Nov 19, 2021
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Reading poetry is a great mental exercise to improve an individual’s critical thinking, analysis, and writing skills. Teachers often give the task of reading poetry to their students for this various reasons. Poems like Robert Frost’s “Road Not Take,” William Henley’s “Invictus,” and Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” are some famous pieces of poetry for high school students. There are also Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” and William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18,” which are great poems for college students.Due to the thousands of available poetry for students to read, English or Literature professors may find it difficult to choose the right piece for the class. They may want to share their favorite work with their students, but it may not be suitable for their educational level. Professors may also tend to look for poems that can teach students about the different literary devices. To help individuals with this problem, this article will provide a list of high school poetry and college-level poems. Students looking for poems where they can gain writing inspiration are also welcome to peruse the list of poems for students.
Poems About Life
The subject of life can teach readers about the struggles, pleasures, and indifference in the world. High school and college-level poems can help young individuals perceive the experiences of others and learn from their mistakes and regrets. This subject also describes the joys and magnificence in a person’s life. They can talk about how one should make their own decisions and appreciate simplicity. Teachers can use these topics as subjects for reflection essays.
- Robert Frost’s “Road Not Taken”
- Octavio Paz’s “The Street”
- Emily Dickinson’s “I Took My Power in my Hand”
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life”
Poems About Hope
High school and college-level poems about hope are good topics for reading assignments. These subjects often describe how there is always hope, even in the lowest moments of one’s life. Literature professors should motivate their students to read these types of topics for them to better understand life. With the current tragedies that the modern world experiences, such as the coronavirus pandemic, hope topics are great picks in academic assignments.
- Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise”
- Maya Angelou’s “A Plagued Journey”
- John Keats’ “To Hope”
- Alfred Edward Housman’s “Spring Morning”
Poems About Social Justice
The world has always experienced social injustice. The early days of civilization introduced slavery and privileges. Today, these values still exist, and individuals may experience discrimination and social injustice. Letting students read high school and college-level poems about the topic can help enlighten the current generation. Reading literature about social justice can help them understand the current injustices happening in society.
- Douglas Powell’s “Long Night Full Moon”
- Allison Adelle Hedge Coke’s “America, I Sing You Back”
- Claude Mckay’s “If We Must Die”
- Claudia Rankine’s “from Citizen, VI [On the train the women standing]”
Poems About Love
High school and college-level love poems are popular pieces of literature. Young individuals like to read about stories of lost love and finding true love. Most individuals can empathize with love topics as they have felt the emotion at least once or twice in their lifetime. Authors of these types of poetry write with passion which leads to the heavy use of literary devices. Teachers can utilize these topics to teach the class about the different literary devices in literature.
- William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 40”
- Monica Youn’s “Venice, Unaccompanied”
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “How Do I Love Thee”
- Robert Burns’s “A Red, Red Rose”
Poems About Beauty
Poetry is the perfect medium for an author to describe a subject’s beauty. The passionate and creative words that a writer can use in their piece can perfectly describe how they perceive an object, person, or idea. High school and college-level poems about the topic of beauty can help students learn about the different techniques of defining a subject. These types of poetry often define its topic through physical features as well as abstract attributes.
- William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”
- Emma Lazarus’ “The New Colossus”
- Arti Chopra’s “Beauty in Nature”
- Emily Dickinson’s “I Died For Beauty”
Summary
There are many high school and college-level poems that teachers and students can find. The subject of life, hope, social justice, love, and beauty are just some of the interesting poetry topics that are perfect for a Literature or English class. Reading these pieces of literature can help students become better writers and understand the world around them.
Tags: English