What are the features required for a poem to be effective and valued?

What are th e features required for a poem to be effective and valued? Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare and The Face of Hunger by Oswald Mtshali are both effective and valu ed poems but why? For a poem to be effective and valued it first has to have a purpose and a reason to exist. An effective and valued poem also engages with ou r imagination. Additionally, poems that are about themes that we can relate to a re especially effective and valued. First, but not necessarily the most important feature that makes a poem effectiv e and valued is the purpose and its reason for existence. The poem The Face of H unger and the poem Sonnet 18 both exist for a reason. The Face of Hunger exists to tell us of poverty and the pain of hunger quote: seeing only a bun of some sky -high shelf and Your stomach is a den of lions/roaring day and night. On the other hand, Sonnet 18 exists as a poem to immortalize the beloved that Shakespeare wri tes about, quotes: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see/So long lives this gives life to thee. The feature of purpose and reason of the existence in the Fac e of Hunger and Sonnet 18 make both poems effective and valued poems. Notably, all effective and valued poems engage with our imagination. Imagination is key part to poetry and without imagination I am doubtful that there would ev en be poetry. Both the Face of Hunger by Oswald Mtshali and Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare engage with our imagination to maximize their effectiveness. The co mmon way to engage with the readers imagination is imagery and imagery is evident in both poems. An example of imagery that engages with our imagination is a met aphor in Sonnet 18 quote: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines. This metaphor paints the image in the readers mind of the sun that is like an eye watching us from the sky. An example of imagery in the Face of Hunger, in this case a metaph or is in stanza one, quote: I counted the ribs on his concertina chest. This line makes the reader imagine a bony, tight skinned boy that is stricken by hunger. The face of Hunger and Sonnet 18 both engage with our imagination and because th ese poems both have this feature they are both effective and valued. In particular, poems that are about themes that we can relate to are especially effective and valued. The reason that poems about themes that we can relate to a re so effective and valued is because these themes are easily understood by us. Both the Face of Hunger by Oswald Mtshali and Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare a re about themes that anyone of anytime can understand. Oswald Mtshali and Willia m Shakespeare write about these themes for very different reasons. Mtshali write s about poverty because of this African background and because he has seen pover ty, whereas Shakespeare writes about love to immortalise his friend. From the fa ce of hunger a part that proves that its theme is hunger is in stanza two, line two, quote: seeing only a bun of some sky-high shelf. A From Sonnet 18a line tha t proves that the theme is love is in stanza one, quote: Shall I compare thee to a summers day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate. The face of Hunger and So nnet 18 both contain the feature of themes that we can relate to and because of this they are both effective and valued. In conclusion, both Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare and The Face of Hunger by O swald Mtshali are effective and valued poems because it has a purpose and a reas on for existence, engages with our imagination and also has themes that we can u nderstand and relate to.