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1、21The Pleasure of Teaching English PoetryLuke P. M. Chan & Liu Hsiao-FangFooyin University of TechnologyABSTRCTStudents in Fooyin do not show much in studying English poetry. If they have a chance to select between English Poetry and some other courses, most of them would rather like some other cour
2、ses, instead of English Poetry. Hence, how to create a better atmosphere of learning and develop the pleasure of learning in the classroom is the most concerned in the teaching of poetry. Are there any ways for teachers to use in the process of teaching English poetry? In solving this problem, the w
3、riter of this paper presents the following three ways: (1) Using English songs, (2) Access to Network, and (3) Classroom Activities.Songs are considered as a very useful supplementary tool in raising students interest in learning. Therefore, it is a good way to teach English Poetry by using English
4、songs. There are so many resources and materials related to English Poetry, which can be found in a variety of websites. With the help of these websites, teachers of English Poetry can enhance their teaching capabilities and qualities and increase students interest in studying poetry. As for the cla
5、ssroom activities, students participation is highly emphasized. The classroom activities include Games, Paraphrasing, Recitation, Dictation, Group Discussion and a name poem. Poetry can function as a media between the poet and the reader; it can also function as a media between the teacher and stude
6、nts. If teachers of English poetry can find a good way to increase students interest in learning poetry, both teachers and students will like this “magic media”. If teachers can employ active ways to teach students, students will find learning English poetry enjoyable. And teachers will find that te
7、aching poetry is no longer a burden. Key words: Rhythm, Traditional Folk Song, Network, ParaphrasingIntroduction Reading poetry gives us pleasure, as Laurence Perrine said in Sound and Sense, “People have read it or listened to it or recited it because they liked it, because it gave them enjoyment.”
8、 Laurence Perrine, Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1973), p. 3. Poetry gives readers pleasure in two ways: audio and visual pleasure. In the sense of audio pleasure, reading a poem is really pleasurable, for a poem intimately connected with musi
9、c and sound, and the beauty of a poem lies in the musical sound of words in the poem, as a poem is defined as “a piece of writing in which the words are chosen for their beauty and sound and are carefully arranged.” “Poem,” Collins Cobuild, 2003 ed. Most poets compose their poems by using sound and
10、rhythm. The sound of a poem can create some mood or feelings. The rhythm is the alternation between the stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem like the beating of a heart or the “breathe in” and “breathe out” of our breath. The sound and rhythm of a poem produce a pleasing effect. Besides, poet
11、ry also gives readers a visual pleasure. Some poets, such as George Herbert, John Hollander, and Dorthi Charles See X.J. Kennedy, & Dana Gioia, An Introduction to Poetry, 9th ed. (New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc., 1998), pp. 242-245., like to create their poems by arranging words in the shape
12、of a picture like artists and sculptors by using their paints or clay. The pictures are of various shapes, including a house, a tree, an altar, a fish, a cat, a smoke, a swan, etc. These kinds of poetry are called picture poems or visual poems. Some examples of these picture poems are shown in Appen
13、dix A.However, students in Fooyin do not show much interest in studying English Poetry. If they have a chance to select between English Poetry and some other courses, most of them would rather like Tourism and Hospitality English or some others, instead of English Poetry. Hence, how to increase stud
14、ents interest in learning English Poetry is most concerned of the teachers of literature. It is also the main purpose of writing this paper. The thesis of this paper is to enhance students motivation of studying English Poetry and create a better atmosphere of learning and develop the pleasure of le
15、arning in the classroom. Under this situation, the teachers of literature can find their enjoyment in teaching English Poetry. They dont think that teaching English Poetry is a very boring and tedious job.Facing students without any interest in learning poetry, teachers of literature will probably a
16、sk, “Are there any teaching strategies for teachers to use in the process of teaching English Poetry?” The writer of this paper presents the following three ways: (1) Using songs, (2) Access to Network, and (3) Classroom Activities.(1) Using Songs:Songs are considered a very useful supplementary too
17、l in raising students interest in learning English. Therefore, it is also a good way to teach English Poetry by using songs since songs are likely to reflect the resonance of students. With the help of Network, I find so many English poems set to music and sung by people for many years. Among them,
18、the most popular are Scottish, Irish and British folk songs. Following are examples I would choose to share with students in the course of Selected English Verses: 1. Folk Songs of Scotland:“Blue Bells of Scotland”“Loch Lomond”“My Bonnie lies over the Ocean”“Will Ye No Come Back Again?”2. William Sh
19、akespeares Songs: “Sigh No More, Ladies” “O Mistress Mine”“It was a Lover and His Lass”“Shall I Compare Thee with a Summer Day?” William Shakespeare was not only a poet and a playwright, but also a songwriter. Most of his songs are drawn from his plays. For example, “Sigh No More, Ladies,” “O, Mistr
20、ess Mine” and “It Was a Lover and His Lass” are drawn from Much Ado about Nothing, Twelfth Nights, and As You Like It respectively. The most common theme of these songs is concerned about love. Besides, Shakespeares sonnets are popular and also set to music and have become songs. “Shall I Compare Th
21、ee with a Summer Day?” is one of the best examples. Most of these melodious songs can be found in the following websites: http:/news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/02/19_helmsm_bardsongs/http:/www.banchchieri.hu/music/live/vasion/mistress.mp3 http:/www.musicanet.org/en/CDC/aug01en.htmhttp:/
22、www.pythagorean.org/k-c/music,htm3. Ben Jonsons “Song to Celia” Ben Jonsons “Song to Celia” is known to millions of people as “Drink to Me with Thine Eyes.” Jonson skillfully quoted the famous line, “Drink to me with thine eyes only,” from the love letters of the Greek writer, Philostratus, and wrot
23、e it into his classic lyric. In the following website, we can find the song which was sung by Linda Maguire: 4. Robert Burns “Auld Lang Syne” “My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose”“Auld Lang Syne”, a poem by Robert Burns, is one of the best known songs in English-speaking counties and some of South-East
24、Asian countries. The melody of this song is traditional Irish folk music. It is generally sung at the end of a convivial evening and at New Year all over the world. The music of “Auld Lang Syne” can be found in the following websites:And the song of “Auld Lang Syne”, which was sung by Kenneth McKell
25、ar, can be found in the following website:http:/www.maybole.org/community/celebrations/christmas/greetings/AuldLangSyne2.mp3Like “Auld Lang Syne,” “My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose” is also one of the most famous poems of Robert Burns. Based upon traditional sources, Burns wrote this poem-song in 179
26、4. The song can be found in the following websites:http:/sop1.kaist.ac.kr/gari/music/Izzy%20Ascolta/03%20-%20My%20Love%20is%20like%20a%20red%20red%20Rose.mp3 andhttp:/www.la-5. W. B. Yeatss “Down by Sally Gardens” “Down by Sally Gardens” is an Irish song, but the lyrics were written by the poet Will
27、iam Butler Yeats. According to Yeats, this poem was originally entitled “An Old Song Resung.” He explained that “this is an attempt to reconstruct an old song from three lines imperfectly remembered by an old peasant woman in the village of Ballysodare, Sligo, who often sings them to herself.” See J
28、ohn, J. Deeney & Yen Yuan-shu & Chi Chiu-lang, English Literature Anthology for Chinese Student, Volume 2, Revised and Enlarged Edition (Taipei: Wen Lao Publications, 1977), p. 1165. We can find this song in some websites, which was sung by different singers. In the website, .tw/article.htm, the sin
29、ger is emi fujita, whereas in a Korean website, http:/sop1.kaist.ac.kr/gari/music.html, the singer is Izzy Ascolta.7. A. E. Housmans “When I Was One-and-Twenty”“When I Was One-and-Twenty” is Housmans most familiar poem, number XIII from A Shropshire Lad, a collection of 63 poems, which he published
30、at his own expense in 1896. The song which we find in the following website was sung by Bryn Terfel: http:/www.klassikakzente.de/product.jsp?eanPrefix=00289&articleNo=4775336&mode=productDetails&name=Silent+Noon8. Thomas Moores “Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms”Thomas Moore was an Iri
31、sh poet, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Last Rose of Summer. He was also a good musician and skillful writer of songs, which he set to Irish tunes. “Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms” is one of his best known songs. According to the following website, it is said “Moore wrote
32、 the lyrics for the wife of the Duke of Wellington when she suffered facial scars from smallpox, though there is some doubt that this is true, as they were married in 1806, and their relationship was known not to be an affectionate one. Another theory is that Moore wrote it for his own wife.” This b
33、eautiful song can be found in the following website, .tw/article.htm.9. Christina Rossettis “When I am Dead” Christina Rossetti, a poetess in the nineteenth century, was a devout High Church Anglican. On two occasions, Christina broke off her plans for marriage for religious principles. Most of her
34、love lyrics are records of frustration and parting. The poem “When I am Dead, My Dearest” was one of them. Although I couldnt find the song made into music directly from this poem, I can find a Chinese song, which was translated by a famous writer Hsu Chi-More from Rossettis lyric “When I am Dead, M
35、y Dearest”. The singer is Lin Ching-Hsar, and the composer is Lo Ta-Yiu.Advantages of Using Songs to Teach English Poetry (1) Practicing English Sentence PatternThe repetition of the lyrics or words of songs can contribute to students understanding and practicing of English sentences patterns.(2) Cu
36、ltivating students cultural awarenessMost of the ballads or folk songs in some countries reflect their culture. Hence, students can be aware of American and British culture through learning the folk songs. (2) Access to NetworkIn Network, there are so many resources and materials concerning English
37、Poetry. Most of these websites provide detailed information about the life and works of English poets and the texts of their poems. Some websites even give readers the historical background of certain poems and critical essays on them. Through the access to Network, we find all these materials are v
38、ery useful to teachers of literature who want to improve their teaching qualities and enhance students interest in studying English poetry. Some websites provide us with some useful methods of how to teach poetry and how to hold poetry activities. Following are some examples: http:/www.britishcounci
39、l.org/sl/kazakhstan-english-teachers-resources.htmhttp:/iteslj.org/Lessons/Cakir-MusicalActivities.htmlhttp:/www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePlan.do?planId=887http:/english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/units/poetry_beast/index.htmlIn some websites, we find some native speakers read their o
40、wn poems and the poems by some other poets. All these readings are good models for students to follow. Following are a few of them: http:/wiredforbooks.org/poetry/laura_lee_parrotti.htm, http:/wiredforbooks.org/poetry/richard_stevens. htm, http:/www.nlu.edu/eller/amlit/focus/gothic/poegoth.htm,http:
41、/www.mathcs.duq.edu/tobin/PR_Critic/Audio.html,http:/www.poetrytheatre.org/main.htmIn some websites, we find some poems presented through videos, such ashttp:/www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=597http:/www.favoritepoem.org/poems/index.htmlHow to Use Network to Teach English Poetry?1. Listening
42、 to Native Speakers Reading of English PoemsWith the help of Network, we play the poem recordings in the classroom and we encourage students to listen to English poems read by such native speakers as Walter Rufus Eagles, Richard Stevens, Laura Lee Parrotti, Edward Eller and others. Walter Rufus Eagl
43、es was a poet himself. In his personal website “E,” Eagles not only read his own poems, but also read the poems by some other poets. His readings are totally six hundred traditional poems and modern poems on the site. Richard Stevens reads his favorite classic English poems. Laura Lee Parrotti read
44、most of Emily Dickinsons poems. And Edward Eller read Edgar Allen Poes “Annabel Lee.”2. Singing the Song after Learning the PoemNot only listening to the poem, students will also have a chance to sing the song. We will play the song for students to sing together in class after they learn the poem. F
45、or example, after they learn Edwin Arlington Robinsons “Richard Cory,” we will play the song for them to sing.3. Watching Videos about Poets and PoemsBesides, we also play some videos for students in the audio-video classroom or the computer classroom. Some websites offer some good programs or proje
46、cts to help us in presenting videos. ”The Favorite Poems Project” is one of them. It was founded by Robert Pinsky, the 39th Poet Laureate of the United States. The Favorite Poem Project collects 45 short videos of Americans reading and speaking personally about poems they love. Here are some of the examples:My Papas Waltz by Theodore Roethkeread by William Van Fields Retired Corporate Executive Stockton, CAA Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellowread by Rev. Michael Haynes Roxbury, MA#288 (Im nobody! Who are you?) by Emi