Poetry’s Social Function

“I think it is important that every people should have its own poetry, not simply for those who enjoy poetry . . . but because it actually makes a difference to the society as a whole, and that means to people who do not enjoy poetry… Unless people go on producing great authors, and especially great poets, their language will deteriorate, their culture will deteriorate and perhaps become absorbed in a stronger one.”- T.S. Eliot. I agree with T.S. Eliot that every kind of people should be able to have their own kind of poetry, because poetry is a way for people to express themselves, and because poetry is different in every different culture, it contains its culture’s unique characteristics. For example, poetry from Indian tribes and poetry from urban Americans will differentiate in both the diction and subject matter. I think denying a culture’s poetry is equal to denying the culture itself. If a culture stops producing literary products, the culture will start to deteriorate. People will start to forget their own language, and the unique characteristics of the culture will start to fade.