Literature

Literature is another way we can experience the world around us through our imagination (Jones, Jr: 1968) Types of literature : literature of power and literature of knowledge (imaginative literature and literature of knowledge) Literature includes : Prose, Poetry and Drama

Advantages of Learning Literature

Values of Learning Literature There are five reasons commonly given for learning literature (TESL Journal, 2005) It helps students understand and appreciate cultures and beliefs different from their own. "By constructing with the literary text a reality different from that of texts of information, students are given access to a world of attitudes, and values, collective imaginings and historical frames of reference that constitute the memory of a people or speech community. Thus literature and culture are inseparable"

(Kramsch 1992, p. 175). Literature is 'genuine' or 'authentic' material. Works of literature are usually not written for the specific purpose of teaching a language and are intended for native speakers. They can be an important supplement to other types of 'authentic' course materials like cartoons, city maps, timetables, and advertisements (Collie and Slater, 2004: 3).

Literary texts can serve as an example of certain types of language patterns and structures (like vocabulary usage and syntax). Literature also "provides a rich context in which individual lexical or syntactical items are made more memorable. Reading a substantial and contextual body of text, students gain familiarity with many features of the written language the formation and function of sentences, the varieties of possible structures, the different ways of connecting ideasa literary text can serve as an excellent prompt for oral work (Collie and Slater, 2004: 5). It can provide personal enjoyment to students, establishing an emotional and aesthetic connection between readers and the text, and helping to contribute to personal growth (Maley, 2001). Selected texts, if interesting to students, can motivate them to read additional literature, thus increasing their reading proficiency ( Krashen 2004).

What is Poetry/Poem? Poet Novelist Playwright writer

Poetry

Poetry is usually arranged in lines and group of lines known as stanzas which are created by pattern of sight and sound. Like other forms of literature, poetry concerns with real life, experiences of the past, thought and feelings. Poetry is the art of expressing ones thought in verse. Poetry arouses our emotions. There are many diverse definitions for poetry, but no person can say what exactly a poem is and what it is not.

Why use poetry to learn English? 1. Why not? Poetry is a special type of English, just as a scientific or newspaper English are also specialin different ways. Poetry is the type of English which touches our personal feelings most closely. And personal feelings are as important in a foreign language as they are in our own language.

2. Poetry can also help us to assimilate the typical rhythms of a language. What is more, poems are often very easy to remember. They stick in our minds without conscious effort. One reason for this is that they frequently repeat patterns of sounds or words. 3. The topics which poems talk about are in themselves interesting-and important. When we are learning a foreign language as an adult we need to have significant things to think and talk about. Poems offer this. They give us something worthwhile to discuss.

Reading a Poem
Reading A Poem Sometimes when we are reading poetry in our own language we can enjoy a poem without fully understanding its meaning. We often pay more attention to the way a poet says something rather than to what he says in the poem. Enjoyment is quite different from appreciation. We enjoy a poem when we gain pleasure from it. We appreciate a poem when we are able to say why we like it. We can say why we like a poem after we understand its meaning well. A single poem may have different meanings for different people. A poem may have simple and obvious meaning: it may just tell a story or describe a scene. A poem need not always have a deep meaning. There are three important rules to understand a poem: Read the poem carefully and do not read it lazily so that you misread the poem altogether. You should always look for a simple explanation and you must not be afraid to express it. You must not put your own ideas and feelings into the poem. You should examine closely what the poet actually written.

How Poetry is done

It is hard to state why poetry gives us pleasure. At various times, and places in history, the poet has been worshipped, honored, feared, despised, or ignored. Yet at all times men have continued to write and to read poems. Why does poetry have this universal attraction? Poetry is, of course, one form of literature; and literature is the expression and communication of human experience in meaningful language. Poetry has a structure all of its own. Words are the poets bricks, with which he builds a poem. Like all writers, he must be concerned with the meaning of each word; but the poet uses words for more than their generally accepted meaning. He chooses words for the special meanings they can have, and also for the way they look and sound. Above all, he arranges them into effective patterns.

Poetry is the language of emotion; its musical rhythms and patterns of sound can make a deeper, more direct impact on the reader than the ordinary language of prose. Thus, writers may use it to express a moment of joy or sorrow, to tell a story, or to make ideas more memorable.

The delight we get when reading poetry often comes from its musical qualities, or from the striking way a poet uses words. But this can only be a partial explanation, for poetry does not follow hard and fast rules: every poem is unique and has special qualities of its own. There are three qualities to be considered in discussing poetry. These three qualities are: imagery, sound, and suggestion, or the poets use of associations

Finding the Meaning

After reading a poem carefully there are three steps to follow in order to understand the poem. We should find its general meaning, its detailed meaning and the intention of the writer. General Meaning: - Read the whole poem carefully Express the general meaning simply in one, or at the most two sentences. Sometimes a poems title will give some indication of its general meaning. Detailed Meaning: - This should be given stanza by stanza Do not paraphrase the poem or do not worry about the meaning of individual words. The detailed meaning can be written as a continuous paragraph, but it must be expressed accurately in simple sentences. Pay attention to the prose style. Do not use clumsy expression in which each sentence begins with In the first stanza. In the second stanza etc. You should show how the poet begins, how he develops his theme and then how he concludes it. Intention: - Every poem conveys an experience or it attempts to arouse certain feelings in the reader. When you have given the general and the detailed meaning of a poem, you should try to decide what kind of feeling of the poet has arisen in you. That is the intention of the speaker, the purpose of a poet, although the interpretation of a poets aims is largely a personal matter.

Diction, Imagery, and Figurative Language

Diction is a system or words from the grossness of domestic use ( Johnson, 1983; 443). The system is admitted into serious poem only in certain words and subject. Furthermore, diction is the choice of words to fit character, theme, setting or subject in poem, story or play. The writers choose their words carefully and preciously so these words express exactly they intend to. Each word in a poem is selected for a particular reason, often because of its various connotations or implications
Imagery is the first quality that we must consider in discussing poetry. Read this poem through, and see if you can discover what is about.

He clasps the crag with crooked hands; Close to the sun in lonely lands, Ringed with the azure world he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls; He watches from his mountain walls, And like a thunderbolt he falls.

Simile is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like, as, asas. It usually compares two dissimilar objects. Example : The sun is like a yellow ball of fire in the sky. I feel like a limp dishrag. He plays like a tiger on the field. Ted was as nervous aa a cat with a long tail in a room full of rocking chairs.

Figurative Language is a form of language use in which the writers and speakers mean something other than the literal meaning of their words
Metaphor is the figure of speech which compares one thing to another directly. Furthermore, metaphor is a figure of speech that connects two basically dissimilar items through some striking similarity. Or comparing two things by using one kind of object or using in place of another to suggest the likeness between them. Example : Her hair is silk He is a tiger on the field. The pillow was a cloud when I put my head upon it after a long day. Im drowning in money

Figurative Language

Personification is giving something human qualities. Example: The sun smiles on the Earth. O sleep! Natures sweet nurse
The night has a thousand eyes and the day

Hyperbole is a figure of speech which employs exaggeration, usually with humor. Example: Mile-high ice-cream cones Symbol is a figure of speech in which object, place, person or experience mean more than
what it is. Example : Rose represents to woman Red Rose symbolizes ..

Writing a Poem

The process of composing poems, especially if it is done in groups, leads to real discussion, about something that matters to you. It also allows you to try out different ways of saying the same thing. And to make different combinations of words and sentences. This process of playing with language is important in developing your confidence in using it. It gives you a purpose in writing, and allows you to bring in your personal feelings and ideas. Many other types of writing in a foreign language do not encourage this.

How to write a poem Learn the basics of how to write a free verse poem!
A poem starts with a thought, an idea, or an emotion felt from the heart. Poems can be happy, or sad, deep- thinking or off the wall, humorous, or even maudlin. The choice is up to you and your imagination as to what you will create. The only other tools you will need is paper and a pencil. You might keep a rhyming dictionary on hand, along with a thesaurus and a regular dictionary to help you out. Your first step is to write down that idea or thought that you have and want to turn into a poem. Next, we are going to turn that thought into a free verse poem. There are two different types of poems, and they are structured and free verse. One example of a structured poem is a limerick. Free verse is much easier to write as there are no steadfast rules to writing them. Some free verse doesnt even have any rhymes or meters to them. Meter is defined as a rhythm in verses, or a pattern of syllables.

So, now, rewrite your thoughts into lines. Dont worry about spelling or punctuation at this point in time, just change your thoughts to lines. Dont worry about how long or short each line is either. Now is the time to look at your lines and remember that the poem should have a beginning, a middle, and an end, just like a story, a book, and a movie has. You may need to add more information in order to turn your thoughts into a start, a middle, and a finish. Keep in mind that these parts need not be written in stone, so to speak. The words of a poem are pliable while they are in the creation stages. They are to be molded and changed until you find the exactly right words you need to complete a line or stanza. Reread your poem several times and listen to the words and to the rhythm of each line. Now is the time to shorten or lengthen each line in order to create a smooth-sounding poem

. Even though it is a free verse poem, you can choose to make each
line rhyme with the next line if you want to. If you do, you can use the rhyming dictionary to aid you in finding the appropriate words. Now go back and reread your poem again. Check for proper punctuation as well as for the proper spelling of each word. Think up an appropriate title for your poem. It would be a good idea to set your poem aside for awhile and then return to it later. Then, reread it again with a fresh mind and make any necessary changes. If you decide to continue writing poetry, it would be a good idea to investigate some books about creating poetry, and to attend some local workshops. Check out the available resources on the Internet as well as what is available at your local public library.

Whats a Poem? Well, youve come to the right place to find out. Writing poems can be fun when you juggle all the words and the rhythms together to make them exciting. Poems can be out anything and come in many different forms. Heres an explanation of some favorite styles of poetry. A narrative poem tells a story. Limericks are usually funny or silly. Free verse is a kind of poetry that has no real rhythm or pattern. Lyric poems make you want to sing!

A Narrative poem tells a story and can be about anything. Sometime the poem lines have a rhyming pattern. Sometimes they dont rhyme at all

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