Poetry vs Prose: How do they Differ?
There has been controversy about the role of poetry lessons in the English course students. The poetry lesson is looked upon as a lesson in difficult prose. A lesson in poetry is not to be taught in the same way as a lesson in prose. It is because poetry and prose are difficult forms of literature.
The aims and methods of teaching them are also different. The chief aim of teaching prose is to develop the language skills of the pupil. The aim of teaching poetry is to impart pleasure to the pupil by making him understand the thoughts and feelings conveyed in the poem.
Arguments For Teaching of Poetry
Some people regard the teaching of English poetry as unnecessary. They disapprove of its teaching. They sav that our school children cannot understand or appreciate its charm and beauty. They argue that teaching of poetry does not help the students in the acquisition of language. The arguments in favour of teaching poetry in our schools are as under:
(1) Poetry educates our emotions:
Poetry educates our emotions and increases our powers of imagination. We can compare prose to walking, moving from one place to another on the surface of the earth, getting the world's daily work done; poetry may be compared than to dancing rising above the surface of the earth, perceiving its relations, getting a fuller view of its
(2) Poetry has tremendous appeal:
Poetry has tremendous appeal for children and it is the best way of exciting their love of the language. It is not fully realized how near the child is i the poet. Poetry has a special appeal for the aesthetic and intuitive, sides of thej&M personality.
(3) Poetry imparts pleasure to the students:
Poetry imparts pleasure to the It makes glad the heart of man. It lays the foundation for the appreciation of the language, for poetry is beauty-beauty of form, beauty of thought, mood or feeling.
(4) Poetry is memorable:
Poetry is more memorable than prose because of its arrangement of rhyme and rhythm. It has beenrightly defined as "memorable speech."
(5) Poetry as media of variety:
Poetry introduces variety in the English course and it a good antidose against boredom. One of the advantages of reciting poetry with proper stress and rhythm is to impart training in speech and pronunciation to the pupils. The reading of poetry helps us to acquire the natural rhythm of English speech.
(6) Rhythm of poetry helps to acquire speech:
The rhythm of poetry helps the learner to acquire natural speech rhythms. This is specially so at the early stage when simple rhymes are used for the practice or rhythm and pronunciation.
Arguments against the teaching of poetry
The following arguments are generally advanced against the teaching of English in India) schools:
(1) Does not serve any utilitarian purpose:
The teaching of poetry does not help in acquiring mastery over the different skills of language, because the language of poetry different from that of prose. It is unusual and special type of language.
(2) Foreign background:
The foreign background of the most English poems is unfamiliar to Indian pupils. The poetry remains unenjoyed.
(3) Does not enrich the vocabulary:
We cannot use poetry to which the vocabulary of pupils because there are many words which are used in poetry only. Further, since the poet not bound by any vocabulary control poems prescribed for the pupils are likely to contain j&aany difficult words.
(4) Lack of good teachers:
Only good teachers who love poetry can do full justice to teaching poetry in an effective way. Such teachers are very few.
(5) Difficult to understand metaphors and siaiiles:
Our school going children find it difficult to understand the metaphors and similes in the poems , and the poems remain unenjoyed.
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