Chad Ludwick

ENGL 241
Prof. Deering
October 29, 2014
The Soul of Man
Poetry is often misunderstood. It is a form of writing that offers us
a way to express our deepest thoughts and emotions that no other
form of writing can match. When someone asks what poetry is,
definitions may range from simply rhyming lines to more elaborate
dissections of poetic forms that have developed over the years. While
many would see poetry as something that can be defined and analyzed
as such, John Stuart Mill argues that poetry cannot be confined by
human thought. In his prose What is Poetry, Mill discusses what it
means for something to be poetic and the difference between poetry
and other forms of writing, declares the inferiority of the novel
compared to poetry through structured denunciation and proclaims the
truthful nature of poetry as a conduit to the human soul using strong
figurative language.

While ensuring that he does not attempt to immediately give a

definition of poetry itself, Mill begins his prose by distinguishing how
people determine what is poetry and what is not. He states, The
distinction between poetry and what is not poetry, whether explained
or not, is felt to be fundamental; and where everyone feels a
difference, a difference there must be (1088). This shows a very early
and ambiguous formation of a true definition of poetry by stating that
we innately realize we are looking at poetry once we come upon it. To
see a difference in poetry from other forms of writing is enough to
make a distinction because we there is a distinct feeling that comes
with reading poetry. This feeling is coupled with appearances that,
like of other things, must have a cause; and that which can cause
anything, even an illusion, must be a reality (1088). Here Mill adds the
importance of imagery to poetry which, with feeling, sets the form of
writing apart from others.
Mill elevates poetry above novels and general fiction by
systematically contrasting the emotional appeal of each literary form.
He begins his argument by briefly uniting poetry and fiction as a whole,
Many great poems are in the form of fictitious narratives; and, in
almost all good serious fiction, there is true poetry (1089). This is
immediately followed by a contrasting statement regarding the core

emotional appeal of both fiction and poetry respectively, In one, the

source of emotion excited is the exhibition of a stat or states of human
sensibility; in the other, of a series of states of mere outward
circumstances (1089). Here Mill distinguishes the depth of poetic
emotional appeal as one that is much deeper than that of narratives.
While both forms may be present together, they are wildly different
when separated due to the stark contrast in emotional depth.
Mill continues his argument by introducing imagery of childhood
and maturation to convey his point. He states that in childhood, is
the age at which poetry, even in its simplest description, is least
relished and least understood (1089). It is here that Mill truly elevates
poetry over novel/narrative because he implies that a mature mind is
needed to appreciate poetry. Passing now from childhood the minds
and hearts of greatest depth and elevation are commonly those which
take greatest delight in poetry (1089). While not specifically