--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People say modernism killed poetry for…" description: "\"People say modernism killed poetry for them: it doesn't rhyme, it doesn't touch a popular musical oral tradition. Years ago, you memorized and read poe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/campbell-mcgrath-32135_modernism_people-say-modernism-killed-poetry-for-t_2393059.jpg" --- # People say modernism killed poetry for them: it doesn't… ![“People say modernism killed poetry for them: it doesn't rhyme, it doesn't touch a popular musical oral tradition. Years ago, you memorized and read poetry; it was one of the things you were forced to learn. Now it has tiny role in school.” quote by Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/campbell-mcgrath-32135_modernism_people-say-modernism-killed-poetry-for-t_2393059.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/campbell-mcgrath-32135_modernism_people-say-modernism-killed-poetry-for-t_2393059.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/campbell-mcgrath-32135_modernism_people-say-modernism-killed-poetry-for-t_2393059.jpg) > “People say modernism killed poetry for them: it doesn't rhyme, it doesn't touch a popular musical oral tradition. Years ago, you memorized and read poetry; it was one of the things you were forced to learn. Now it has tiny role in school.” [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modernism shifted poetry away from rhyme and oral tradition, reducing its presence in education and popular culture. **In simple terms:** Modernism changed poetry’s style and role. Key Takeaway Recognize and value diverse poetic forms. Themes poetry modernism education culture tradition Mood reflective concerned Type analytical critical When to use this quote - school curricula - literary workshops - personal reading habits Key Concepts literary criticism cultural shift form vs. function Questions to Reflect On - How can schools reintegrate varied poetic forms? - What benefits arise from preserving oral traditions? A Different Perspective Modernist poetry can still be accessible with guided exposure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Modernism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernism/) [Oral tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oral-tradition/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Popular music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-music/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) ## Related quotes > [Gershwin's melodic gift was phenomenal. His songs contain the essence of New York in the 1920s and have deservedly become classics of their kind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gershwin/gershwin-s-melodic-gift-was-phenomenal-his-songs-contain-the-essence/) [George Gershwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gershwin/) > [The difficulty with poetry is that it doesn't have the life that Shakespeare or Jane Austen have beyond the page. You can't make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/the-difficulty-with-poetry-is-that-it-doesn-t-have-the-life-that/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [I’m a poet. And then I put the poetry in the drama. I put it in short stories, and I put it in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/i-m-a-poet-and-then-i-put-the-poetry-in-the-drama-i-put-it-in-short/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [But it's silly to suggest the writing of poetry is something ethereal, a sort of soul-crashing, devastating emotional experience that wrings you. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/but-it-s-silly-to-suggest-the-writing-of-poetry-is-something-ethereal/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [In fact, lots of good poetry doesn't work , so I don't mind a bit of mystification or difficulty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-laird/in-fact-lots-of-good-poetry-doesn-t-work-so-i-don-t-mind-a-bit-of/) [Nick Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-laird/) > [My poetry doesn't change from place to place - it changes with the years. It's very important to be one's age. You get ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/my-poetry-doesn-t-change-from-place-to-place-it-changes-with-the/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [I think many people love poetry who don't know they love it. People are sometimes afraid of poetry, or they've been introduced to poetry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-bass/i-think-many-people-love-poetry-who-don-t-know-they-love-it-people/) [Ellen Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-bass/) > [Poetry relishes ripe fruit - but ripe is one thing and overripe quite another. That's something poetry doesn't like, so it couldn't care less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-dimoula/poetry-relishes-ripe-fruit-but-ripe-is-one-thing-and-overripe-quite/) [Kiki Dimoula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-dimoula/) > [Poetry, just because it is poetry, doesn't mean it is some kind of magic spell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-wright/poetry-just-because-it-is-poetry-doesn-t-mean-it-is-some-kind-of/) [Franz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-wright/) > [There's poetry in the world. Poetry doesn't belong just to the poets. You know, you can look at the most premeditated, cold blooded movie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesco-clemente/there-s-poetry-in-the-world-poetry-doesn-t-belong-just-to-the-poets/) [Francesco Clemente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesco-clemente/) > [I don't like poetry that doesn't give me a sense of ritual, but I don't like poetry that doesn't sound like people talking to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miller-williams/i-don-t-like-poetry-that-doesn-t-give-me-a-sense-of-ritual-but-i-don/) [Miller Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miller-williams/) > [Poetry doesn't have to rhyme, it just has to touch someone where your hands couldn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/poetry-doesn-t-have-to-rhyme-it-just-has-to-touch-someone-where-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a storyteller: the crux of the matter is to reach beauty, poetry; it doesn't matter if that is comedy or tragedy. They're the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-benigni/i-m-a-storyteller-the-crux-of-the-matter-is-to-reach-beauty-poetry-it/) [Roberto Benigni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-benigni/) > [“As human beings we’ve certainly suffered the loss of awe, the loss of sacredness, and the loss of the fact that we’re not here—…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/as-human-beings-we-ve-certainly-suffered-the-loss-of-awe-the-loss-of/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [The best thing about conceptual poetry is that it doesn’t need to be read. You don’t have to read it. As a matter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-goldsmith/the-best-thing-about-conceptual-poetry-is-that-it-doesn-t-need-to-be/) [Kenneth Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-goldsmith/) ## More by Campbell McGrath > [“Dawn 5am: the frogs ask what is it, what is it? It is what it is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/dawn-5am-the-frogs-ask-what-is-it-what-is-it-it-is-what-it-is/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [Poems are language turned into art; sound and sense matter; they can be as long or longer than The Odyssey or as short or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/poems-are-language-turned-into-art-sound-and-sense-matter-they-can-be/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [The shape that poems make in the mind is an echo of something powerful in the cosmos. I do believe that, and that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/the-shape-that-poems-make-in-the-mind-is-an-echo-of-something/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [All of the arts are kin - music and sculpture and dance, those are wordless art forms. But poetry is defined by language. Of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/all-of-the-arts-are-kin-music-and-sculpture-and-dance-those-are/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [I like each of my books to be different. Once I've done something I like to move on and push myself to learn new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/i-like-each-of-my-books-to-be-different-once-i-ve-done-something-i/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [“How strange that they arrive at all, nights on planet earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/how-strange-that-they-arrive-at-all-nights-on-planet-earth/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [I tend to write poetry that is rich in data of various sorts. The lyric poem isn't perfectly suited to accommodating such data, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/i-tend-to-write-poetry-that-is-rich-in-data-of-various-sorts-the/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [A poem employs both the sound and the sense of language, it treats words not just as signifiers but as a plastic medium of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/a-poem-employs-both-the-sound-and-the-sense-of-language-it-treats/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [Traditionally poetry is written in lines. But the prose poem is the kind of poem that isn't written in lines. It is lyrical prose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/traditionally-poetry-is-written-in-lines-but-the-prose-poem-is-the/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [It's not surprising to me that books ended up playing a central role in my life, but it is somewhat mysterious that poetry did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/it-s-not-surprising-to-me-that-books-ended-up-playing-a-central-role/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [People who publish poetry today do it from a sense that poetry needs to be published, not because they think they are going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/people-who-publish-poetry-today-do-it-from-a-sense-that-poetry-needs/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [Poetry resonates differently in each culture; it doesn't in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/poetry-resonates-differently-in-each-culture-it-doesn-t-in-america/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [Many other cultures value poetry more than we do. In Ireland, poetry is a top cultural pursuit, the art to end all arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/many-other-cultures-value-poetry-more-than-we-do-in-ireland-poetry-is/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [Our lives are so dominated by financial concerns - paying the rent - and consumer choices - what sort of detergent to buy at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/our-lives-are-so-dominated-by-financial-concerns-paying-the-rent-and/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [The culture stays alive, but certain parts of it die or fail, and that's very interesting to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/the-culture-stays-alive-but-certain-parts-of-it-die-or-fail-and-that/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) [Explore all 16 Campbell McGrath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) ## More Modernism quotes > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [The modernist writers found despair inspirational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-modernist-writers-found-despair-inspirational/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“The first phase of modernism, which so far as the English language goes we associate with Pound and Yeats, Wyndham Lewis and Eliot and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-kermode/the-first-phase-of-modernism-which-so-far-as-the-english-language/) [Frank Kermode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-kermode/) > [A lot of '20s musicals were a hodgepodge of melodrama, mixed with operetta and romance, and then some sense of modernism and some sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/a-lot-of-20s-musicals-were-a-hodgepodge-of-melodrama-mixed-with/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) > [As for critical writing about modernism, its moments of lucidity are but fulgurations illuminating the dark and incomprehensible landscape of its subject's unabashed difficulty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-for-critical-writing-about-modernism-its-moments-of-lucidity-are/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [Altermodern is an in-progress redefinition of modernity in the era of globalisation, stressing the experience of wandering in time, space and mediums. The term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-bourriaud/altermodern-is-an-in-progress-redefinition-of-modernity-in-the-era-of/) Nicolas Bourriaud > [“He was in that familiar state - not that the occasion mattered to seriously to him -- of incoherent ideas spreading outward without a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/he-was-in-that-familiar-state-not-that-the-occasion-mattered-to/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [“One of the many innovations of modernism was the new demands it placed on the audience. Music, painting, literature, even architecture, would never again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watson/one-of-the-many-innovations-of-modernism-was-the-new-demands-it/) [Peter Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watson/) > [“Being postmodern, however, is about being complicit rather than virtuous, it is about approaching categories like Good and Evil with a certain ironic skepticism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-hollinger/being-postmodern-however-is-about-being-complicit-rather-than/) Veronica Hollinger > [“Postmodernism has turned into this devil's vortex where no matter what you do, your neck will be turned and your face shoved into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-celio/postmodernism-has-turned-into-this-devil-s-vortex-where-no-matter/) [Brian Celio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-celio/) > [Modern paintings often seem to have been made quickly, by comparison with the paintings of earlier centuries, and that seems to give us the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-elkins/modern-paintings-often-seem-to-have-been-made-quickly-by-comparison/) [James Elkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-elkins/) > [Photography was seen as the enemy of all the values of late modernism... and as things turned out, it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-bochner/photography-was-seen-as-the-enemy-of-all-the-values-of-late-modernism/) Mel Bochner > [Private information is practically the source of every large modern fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/private-information-is-practically-the-source-of-every-large-modern/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The notion that you could discard the old world and now make a new one. This is what was so bad about Modernism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/the-notion-that-you-could-discard-the-old-world-and-now-make-a-new/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) [Browse all 350 Modernism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People say modernism killed poetry for them: it doesn't rhyme, it doesn't touch a popular musical oral tradition. Years ago, you memorized and read poetry; it was one of the things you were forced to learn. 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