Perspectives of Teaching Poetry- To Facilitate Students Derive Aesthetic and Contemplative Appeal

Abstract

Poetry refers to literary works written in verse. It can be of high quality if it is written with emotional intensity or sincerity and with profound insight. They can also be mysterious and may have different shades of meaning depending on the readers’ understanding. Poetry can be works of great beauty because of its meter and rhyme. Teaching poetry in class can be made effective and appealing by creating a conducive atmosphere and also by relating to the contemporary period. There are different types of poetry. Ballad, lyrical, sonnet, narrative, ode, etc. that are most frequently taught in class. Teaching poetry envisages students’ involvement in understanding and identifying the figurative language found in the poem (simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia, etc.) An epic poem can be turned into a drama. This will help students understand the poem. A poem also tells stories. Hence students can be asked to write a short story based on the understanding of a poem. Moreover, students can be taught different approaches of literary criticism to understand a poem like historical criticism, biographical criticism, psychological criticism, sociological criticism and mythological criticism. Follow up questions must be asked regarding their understanding of a poem. The present paper explores effective methods of teaching poetry to foster students’ appreciation of its aesthetic appeal, with a focus on the poems of John Keats and William Wordsworth.