Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? What a perfect time to learn a little more about American poets! In this lesson, we celebrate poetry, and we use the Passive Voice many times. Can you find the many uses of the Passive?

The history of National Poetry Month is quite interesting. In 1995, the celebration was created by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase the appreciation and awareness of poetry. That year, the celebration was small . . . but nearly two decades later, it has grown tremendously! To celebrate the month in 1998, the Academy of American Poets gave out 100,000 free books throughout the United States. The same year, President Clinton and his wife Hillary hosted an event at the White House and many poets attended.

In 2001, the Academy asked Americans to vote on their favorite poet. Langston Hughes, an African-American poet who lived from 1902-1967, was chosen. To honor him, he was given a postage stamp the following year.

To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of National Poetry Month in 2005, the Empire State Building in New York City was lit with blue lights. (Blue is the color of National Poetry Month.)

Each year, the event has received more and more attention from teachers and poetry lovers. Recently, an event called 30 Poets/30 Days was created to celebrate children’s poetry. The event is hosted on author Gregory Pincus’s blog, GottaBook, and features a different poet and poem every day.

CISL would like to join in the celebration by offering a short poem by Emily Dickinson. Dickinson was an American author who lived from 1830-1886. She was a shy woman and a recluse (she never went outside of her house and was afraid to speak to strangers). When Dickinson died, thousands of poems were found by her family in her room. The poems were published, and the girl who hardly spoke to anyone became one of the most famous poets of all time.

The following poem is very short, but there is sometimes more meaning in short poems! What do you think the poem means? Does meaning in poetry matter?

The pedigree of Honey (poem #1627)*

by Emily Dickinson

The pedigree of honey
Does not concern the bee ;
A clover, any time, to him
Is aristocracy.

*Dickinson did not title her poems, so they are numbered. Some have unofficial titles, like the one above.

Use of the Passive Voice

Did you spot all of the uses of the Passive Voice? Here are the examples of it in the text:

• In 1995, the celebration was created by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase the appreciation and awareness of poetry.
• Langston Hughes, an African-American poet who lived from 1902-1967, was chosen. To honor him, he was given a postage stamp the following year.
• To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of National Poetry Month in 2005, the Empire State Building in New York City was lit with blue lights.
• Recently, an event called 30 Poets/30 Days was created to celebrate children’s poetry.
• The event is hosted on author Gregory Pincus’s blog, GottaBook, and features a different poet and poem every day.
• When Dickinson died, thousands of poems were found by her family in her room.
• The poems were published, and the girl who never spoke to anyone became one of the most famous poets of all time.

Click here to learn a little more about the Passive Voice in English.