Eldorado
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old-
This knight so bold-
And o’er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow-
“Shadow,” said he,
“Where can it be-
This land of Eldorado?”
“Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,”
The shade replied-
“If you seek for Eldorado!”
Edgar Allan Poe
“Eldarado” by Edgar Allan Poe is an example of good poetry. This poem uses good language in order to make the reader feel many emotions. Poetry like this tells you a story, but allows for interpretation by the reader. Good poetry has flowing words and verses. The words seem to be selected very carefully and have much thought put into them. “Elderado” contains all of these examples of good poetry. It also tells an interesting story, though not all poetry has to tell a story in order to be good. The theme of the story can also affect whether it is good or bad poetry. Another quality of good poetry is the ability to read it over and over and continue to learn from it.
A bad poem would be a poem that does not meet the criteria mentioned above. Bad poetry does not teach the reader more as they read it again and again. It would not have good structure and may be difficult for the readers to read. The words may not be selected with careful thought.
abrahamkanz 