Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
There are things which some people never attempt during their whole lives, but one of these is not poetry. Poetry attacks all human beings sooner or later, and, like the measles, is mild or violent according to the age of the sufferer.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Poetry is an inevitable experience for everyone, impacting them differently based on their life stage.
Mark Twain's quote highlights the universal nature of poetry, suggesting that it is an experience that affects all people at some point in their lives. Just like the measles, which can be a mild or severe illness depending on the age of the person, the encounter with poetry can vary in intensity and significance depending on an individual's personal growth and circumstances.
Themes
PoetryExperienceHumanityEmotionAge
In practice
Example use cases
In a literature class, the teacher could use this quote to inspire students to embrace poetry.
More from Mark Twain
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In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.
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