American poetry is a diverse and ever-evolving genre. Since the beginning of the United States, poets have been exploring the themes of freedom, individualism, beauty, and justice in their works. From Walt Whitman to Sylvia Plath, American poets have used their words to express their perspectives on our nation’s history and culture. As such, American poetry has served as an important form of expression that speaks to both society’s collective experience and individual sentiments alike.One of the oldest forms of American poetry is the folk song tradition. Many folk songs were passed down orally from generation to generation before being written down and published in books or magazines. These songs often addressed themes like love, work, family life, faithfulness and death. Some well-known examples include Oh Susanna by Stephen Foster; This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie; Streets Of Laredo by Marty Robbins; John Henry by Lead Belly; and The Wreck Of The Old 97 by Virgil Franklin & George Morris.In addition to folk songs, many early American poets also wrote about nature in their works as a way to express feelings about God or spirituality more generally. Writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about nature with a transcendentalist perspectiveemphasizing its spiritual significance rather than its physical features alonewhile others like Robert Frost described nature in more traditional ways as a reflection of human experiences or emotions such as joy or grief. Modern American poets have continued this trend while also exploring new topics such as social justice issues as they relate to race or gender identity/expression (e.g., Maya Angelou), urban living (e.g., Langston Hughes), mental illness (e.g., Anne Sexton), sexuality (e.g., Audre Lorde) and environmental concerns (e g Gary Snyder). While some modern poets still use traditional poetic forms such as sonnets or haikus in their works, others are experimenting with new styles including spoken word poetry that incorporates rap music into its delivery In conclusion, American poetry has come a long way since its earliest days when it was mainly used for entertainment purposes via folk songs or spiritual reflections through nature writing . Today it serves an even greater purpose: helping us better understand our society’s collective experience through individual perspectives expressed through poems on topics ranging from social justice issues to urban living experiences . In this way , it continues to be one of America’s most powerful literary mediums for expressing truth , beauty , emotion , passion , and hope .
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