Discuss the constraints of teaching and learning poetry

1. Teachers have a wrong teaching approach and this causes a number of
problems. Some teachers approach all poems as operating on two levels: the literal and
the abstract (deeper meaning). They force the students to look for the deeper meaning
and symbolism of each poem, yet we have poems that speak only about what their words
say. For example in Henry Barlow's poem 'The Village Well' the poet reminisces about
his encounters with a girl by the village well, period. Some learners who have been asked
to look for deeper meaning in all poems have noted in the past that 'the well' must be a
symbol of sexual encounter. It is quite clear though that the well stands for nothing but what it is:
- In this well,
- In the clear waters of this whispering well,
- The silent moon
- Witnessed with a smile our inviolate vows,
- The kisses
- That left us weak and breathless.
2. Incompetent teachers. Some teachers never leant how to teach literature (poetry).
Others find their competence challenged when they are asked to teach historical aspects
of poetry. Some teachers only learnt history in their formative years and therefore they can't competently explain historical aspects of poems. ·Yet poems examined in secondary
school since the 19 80s have hinged on the history of the black race, right from slavery
through colonization, struggle for independence and post independence politics. For instance
in 1983 David Diop's poem 'Africa' which speaks of the history of the black race, was
examined. In 1991 Henry Indangasi?s The Death of my Father' which addresses the problems of
colonization, was set. Albert Ojuka 's 'Pedestrian, to passing Benz-man' set 1998 speaks
about the nature of post-independence politics.
3· Some teachers have a poor attitude towards poetry. Some teachers who dislike poetry
may make negative comments and remarks about poetry, which in turn affects the learner's
response to poetry as a literary genre. Some teachers consider poets to be maladjusted
members of the society and they may refer to poets as people who are far removed from
reality. This impacts negatively on a learner of poetry.
4. Learners low entry behaviour affects the teaching of poetry. The teaching of grammar in
primary schools is poor. This problem dogs the learners when they come to the
secondary school level. They have little mastery of the language and therefore they
cannot comprehend poetry. This also hampers the interpretation of poems. They cannot
grasp concepts such as allusion. symbolism, and figurative language. For example a weak
learner will have a problem identifying what „mud?, „gold? and „pot? symbolize in Miriam
Khamadis poem „They ran out of Mud. In the third stanza we have the tines:
There is a pot by the altar
That they began to mould;
They finished the base
But the neck remains undone ...
For they ran out of mud.
In this stanza, 'pot' symbolizes traditional. religion which was abandoned in haste
because people believed it was old-fashioned or dirty just like 'mud'.

5. Institutional problems such as lack of good textbooks and note books affect the teaching of poetry. Some learners are forced to write poetry at the back of their books and this creates in them a feeling that poetry is not very important.
6. The absence of learning materials hampers t h e teaching of poetry. The learners views the ideas presented in the poem as abstractions, the learner cannot see them as a reality; relate them to the everyday life. Poems should be presented with the aid of media such as photographs, sound effects, video clips and so on. For example the poem 'The Guilt of Giving' by Laban Erapu can be introduced to the class by showing a video clip about the life of beggars on the city streets and how various passers-by respond to their cries of help.
This will be quite instructive in exposing students who have little experience of city life and the inevitable plight of street beggars.
7. The structure of poetry hampers learning. Some poems use archaic words,
or non-standard English. A case in point is Langston Hughes poetry. In Hughe’s
poem “Mother to Son” non-standard English has been used:
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s
And turnin’ corners
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light
8. Integration of English language and literature oversimplifies aspects of literature such as poetry and in turn confuses the learner. A learner would not know whether to approach a poem as speech work, or comprehension or as literary appreciation
9 · Some teachers do not know the criteria of selection of poems. Teachers think that
they should only teach poetry from the anthologies that are set/recommended by the syllabus designers. Teachers think there is no suitable poetry for young people e.g. form one
10. Some complain that the syllabus is crowded and discard poetry.

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NatalieR answered the question on June 13, 2022 at 11:02