The Teaching of Poetry: A Channel for Enhancing Interaction in English Language Classroom
Author: Devika Radhakrishnan
Abstract: Education is not the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think (Albert Einstein). Critical thinking can lead to developing one’s judgment, evaluation, and problem-solving abilities. If we come to the knowledge of the language, it has a crucial role in the growth of an individual. Language is not just the total of linguistic skills. It takes into account the linguistic competence of the learner. The traditional practice of language learning only through imitation and repetition must not be encouraged in the classrooms. Instead, innate linguistic empowerment is addressed and reinforced. Learners should be enabled to develop linguistic proficiency to use language in various situations. Poetry undoubtedly occupies a special position among literary genres and it is the most imaginative and condensed expression of creative self-available in any language. “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words” (Robert Frost). Reading poetry instills imagination, a sense of beauty, the power to empathize, and a deeper awareness of human nature and the human predicament. Thus, it enables the reader to become a better human being with a refined sensibility and fine taste. This paper tries to appraise the multi-faceted benefits of teaching poetry in English language classrooms through interaction. “Interaction is an important word for language experience and classroom… (R.N. Khan,2009). Though this paper an effective strategy for teaching poetry in equipping the learners with linguistic and creative ability is emphasized.