20 American Poems Every Student Should Know

Like all the literary, visual and performing arts, great poetry simultaneously reflects deeply personal and staggeringly universal themes and images. And, of course, also remains firmly rooted in the creators’ time and place, despite often possessing a transcendent nature. A delicate balance, to be certain, but understanding the balance results in influential, lasting works. Small shards of history for studying and sharing. Obviously, the entirety of the American poetry scene can’t be distilled into only 20 works, and the Internet masses should probably check themselves before they wreck themselves over inclusions and exclusions. Creative pieces are always subjective, but this happens to be one writer’s opinion of a few worth exploring because of their historical, cultural, and/or technical merit.