Poetry Should Ride The Bus Analysis

Get on the bus and join the movement towards appreciating poetry. Join author of Poetry Should Ride the Bus, Ruth Forman in making poetry an everyday thing. Poetry should be familiar to everyone and looked at as a mundane concept. Society should be able to use poetry as a benefit to their lives on a regular basis. Unfortunately, poetry isn’t appreciated as much as it should be. It isn’t something you see in a typical person’s everyday life even though it is extremely valuable. She uses this poem to try and change the negative stigma associated with poetry and convince readers of the countless benefits that come with it. Ruth Forman uses an authoritative tone, imagery, and personification, in her poem, Poetry Should Ride the Bus, to convey the idea that poetry should be appreciated rather than feared. The fear of poetry stems from fearing the unknown, generally humans fear things that they do not understand. Forman approaches the reader with an authoritative tone to persuade them into welcoming the idea of poetry into their everyday lives. “Riding the bus” is Forman’s way of saying something is traditional and very routine. She uses this poem as an opportunity to express how valuable poetry actually is to humanity. All seven stanzas in this poem contain the phrase “poetry should” in the first line.

Forman gives it human characteristics to communicate her idea more effectively. The first line of the poem reads, “Poetry should hopscotch in a polka dot dress.” Obviously, poetry can’t actually hopscotch or wear a dress. It’s just the author’s way of saying that it isn’t outlandish. She’s making poetry humble in a way. Her use of personification is a creative way to make her point without coming right out and saying that poetry should be looked at as a normal