Insights from teaching verse

Ajita Paladugu

Poetry: “The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotions recollected in tranquillity.”

Perhaps no other definition of poetry has so beautifully and precisely captured the essence of the creative process than this one by Wordsworth.

The beauty of teaching poetry lies in the plethora of possibilities that the genre offers readers for connecting with the self and making sense of the world around through contemplation. Poetry is an excellent medium that not only allows us to appreciate a variety of thoughts and experiences but also offers us an opportunity to search within the deep recesses of our consciousness for similar experiences that we might have had or at least aspire to have.

Teaching poetry to 15-16 year olds can be an invigorating experience for the teacher and an insightful one for the taught. At this age students come in with a relatively better understanding of themselves and the world around them. So studying poetry often acts as a catalyst for rich personal experiences and as a springboard for ruminating the bigger questions of life.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching poetry. There can be no strict demarcation between different categories of poems and clearly delineated pedagogical techniques in “teaching” them. However, a broad categorization and methods of treatment does help to understand the purpose of studying a particular piece of poetry and decide the mode of engagement.

The following approaches to teaching poetry to students of senior school serve well to fulfil the purpose of including poetry in the curriculum.

1. Poems that are erudite in nature: These poems, where substance takes precedence over form, are meant to be transacted in a way that calls for in-depth discussion on the predominant theme of the poem. Such poems are mostly centered around themes that have a universal appeal and strike a chord with readers by speaking to their “raw” emotions.

A word of caution though. The process of “decoding” or paraphrasing the poem should accommodate diverse interpretations because there can be as many interpretations to a poem as there are readers. As long as the students are able to personally connect with the poem, the standard interpretation and understanding the poet’s intent are often inconsequential.

2. Poems that are meant to be enjoyed for their musical quality: Metre, rhyme, rhythm, play of words – the sheer delight that reading poetry aloud gives us. Such poems seem to emphasize the “art for art’s sake” school of thought.

The teacher’s role here is not to stress upon making sense of the poet’s “ramblings” but steer through the maze of words to show “the big picture”, where words are like musical notes seamlessly blending into a scintillating symphony to appease our aesthetic sensibility.

3. Poems that are attempts at self-expression: These are therapeutic poems in the sense that they help externalize deep seated emotions, which otherwise would have remained bottled up seeking vent in one form or other. Such creative outpourings can be introduced to students to encourage them to express their own deep-seated fears, doubts or general perceptions through the medium of poetry.

Follow this experimental exercise and validate
Let us take Endymion by John Keats and see how we can go about teaching this poem. Endymion offers insights into human predicament arising out of the vagaries of life and our disconnect with our true nature. This poem offers immense scope for reflection, contemplation and deliberation on the nature of human life, our bond with nature, the meaning, definition, sources and effects of beauty on us.

Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth Of
noble natures, of gloomy days
Of all the unhealthy and o’er – darkened ways
Made for our searching

The discussion when steered towards a solution for escaping self-inflicted sorrows leads to the concept of “going back to nature” – the clarion call of the romantic movement.

Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth

The idea that being able to see the beauty that abounds in nature and also the divine manifestations of human life exhibited through
heroic deeds that call for exemplary courage and fortitude, encourages students to examine their own priorities, attitudes, relationships, value system, etc., and stumble upon the message that the elusive search for happiness starts with being alive to beauty in various forms.

And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard or read:
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.

The realization that we have the potential to transform our lives by understanding our true purpose and harnessing our inner potentialities will help realign our lives in accordance with the grand design and fulfil our destiny, if brought about through an earnest engagement with the poem, serves one of the main purposes of teaching poetry.

When the study of poetry triggers fertile minds to contemplate, reflect, and express themselves by creating new experiences, reflect on past experiences or even live an experience vicariously, teaching poetry becomes a rewarding experience.

The author teaches English to students of senior school at Delhi Public School, Vijayawada. She can be reached at ajithapaladugu@gmail.com.