Should English poetry be included in the school course.

(Teaching of Poetry)

Should English poetry be included in the school course?

INTRODUCTION:

Poetry of language, as Professor Hudson puts it, is made out of life, belongs to life, exists for life. Poetry has been defined as the best words in their best order. Wordsworth, the celebrated poet of nature, defines poetry as, " the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings and emotions recollected in tranquility." Really, poetry is a unique emotional experience with the poet while it is a source of pleasure for the reader. Yet, it is a debatable question whether poetry should be included in a a school course in English. The discussion that follows will prove useful in this context.

Should English Poetry be included in the school course?

The point whether English poetry should be taught in school is debatable. There are arguments in favour and arguments against teaching of  English poetry in school. These arguments are summed up below:

A):Arguments in Favour:

1: Sublimates Emotion:

Poetry sublimates emotion. It trains the natural feelings of man. Its ennobilng function can help children cultivate human values.

2: Rich in Song and Music:

Poetry is essentially song and music which are so close to the child's heart. It is not fair to deprive him of this pleasure.

3: Esay to Remember:

A piece of poetry can be more easily remembered than a piece of prose. Its rhythm can be of great help in exciting the love of the language.

4: Ear Tuning:

As a medium for language learning, its value lies in tuning the ear for the rhythm of language.

5: Poetry sticks Longer:

Since poetry sticks longer in mind, one can store certain patterns of sentences which occur in poems and are often repeated. Selection of appropriate poems for different classes would make poetry teaching a vehicle for active practice of the language.

6: Helps in breaking Monotony:

Poetry can help in breaking the monotony of prose and grammar work. Poetry will give children the joy of reading and reciting poems.

7: Adds Variety:

The teaching of poetry in a foreign language course will add variety and so, it will make the course interesting as well as attractive.

8: Means of Giving Aesthetic Pleasure:

Poetry is an effective means of giving children aesthetic pleasure. It is in this way that the children get to cultivate the sense of beauty in language.

9: Develops Power of Imagination:

Study of poetry can help in developing students's power of imagination. They will receive aesthetic pleasure.

B): Arguments Against Teaching Poetry:

The possible arguments advanced against including poetry in a school course in English are as under.

1: Language of Poetry is difficult:

The language of poetry is different from that of prose. The pupils will find it difficult to understand words, phrase and sentence - pattern used in poetry. Hence they will fail to appreciate its teaching.

2: Subject-matter not Esay to Comprehend:

The subject matter of English poetry is beyond the comprehension of foreign students. The teaching of poetry will leave them blank as before.

3: No Help in General Comprehension:

 Poetry in no way helps in language comprehension. It fails to give strength to the desirable language skills. If it does, it does so only incidentally.

4: No Help in Training Emotion:

Poetry in the mother tongue can better help in training children's emotions. It is wasteful to cut time from teaching real language ability and spend it in teaching in poetry.

5: Most Teachers Fail to Appreciate Poetry:

Most of the teachers of English themselves fail to appreciate English poetry. Their teaching of poetry will do more harm than good.

C): Final Opinion / Conclusion:

When we compare the above two views, we find that argument in favour carry more sense than arguments - against. There is no justification for excluding poetry from a course of teaching English as a foreign language. Of course, it is important to select poems carefully. But there is no reason why simple poems selected from the vast treasure of English literature should not be taught to the younger learners.. In the words of scholar: " The value of teaching poetry is immense. It leads to an all around development of the whole personality of pupils, particularly the emotional, imaginative, intellectual, aesthetic and intuitive sides."  If poems are taught well, the pupils would enjoy reading them and learn the stress patterns and rhythm of the language.

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