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CHAPTER II

TEACHING POETRY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

“TEACHERS NEED TO INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY SEAMLESSLY INTO THE

CURRICULUM INSTEAD OF VIEWING IT AS AN ADD-ON, AN AFTERTHOUGHT, OR AN

EVENT.”

– HEIDI-HAYES JACOBS (2006)

Poetry is the earliest form of literature. It is one of the forms in which

language appeals to man. It has been defined as the “best words in best order” by

Coleridge. But to Wordsworth, it is a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.”

For Chatfield, “poetry is the music of thought, conveyed to us in the music of

language.” All these explanations present poetry as something personal, dealing

with the feelings of the individual. Perhaps it is the principal form of language to

which the human being reacts appropriately, similar to the situation when as a baby

he reacts to the lullaby.

2.1 PLACE OF POETRY IN LANGUAGE TEACHING

Though the place of poetry in language teaching is undoubtedly established,

the significance of teaching poetry in a second language acquisition has been in

question. There are teachers who now maintain that there is no place for poetry in a

second language curriculum. According to them, ‘poetry represents a different kind

of language use from the one commonly associated with communicative functions.

Since the learner does not generally encounter such use of language, there is not

much point in giving him practice with this non-normal kind of use.’ The purpose of

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second language (L2) learning is to attain language skills. So they say that poetry

cannot contribute much to language acquisition. Their arguments against teaching

of poetry are based on certain practical difficulties and wrong approaches.

The reason for including poetry in the L2 curriculum is precisely that it is not

prose, that it does not function in the same way as prose. There is no meaning in

making use of poetry for purposes which are served better through prose. For

example, poetry should not be used to expose students to sentence patterns, to

provide drill or teach essential vocabulary. Poetry does not provide the student

with a model of language which he can imitate in his usage consciously or

unconsciously. It finds a place in the second language curriculum mainly because it

provides the student with a variety of linguistic experience that is not otherwise

available. It is an experience of a different kind of language use, which is creative

and imaginative. This experience may be largely passive for the learner but it is not

useless.

2.1.1 Significance of Teaching Poetry

In general the poetry lesson aims at enabling the student to appreciate the

rhythmic beauty of the poem and also the thought and emotion in the poem. This

helps him to develop a taste for literature and modifies his behavior. As Robert Frost

has said, “Poetry begins in delight and ends in wisdom.” This helps the learner

attain a change through enjoyment.

The purpose of poetry is to ‘delight and to instruct’. Poetry is learnt for the

pleasure it gives. It creates a love for the learning of language. This leads to an

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interested attempt at the other parts of language learning also. The enjoyment that

the learners get out of their learning poetry makes them work whole-heartedly in

language learning.

Poetry helps in the development of the powers of imagination. It serves as an

emotional let out. It can serve as ‘catharsis’ as enunciated by Aristotle. In the words

of Billows (1975), “there seems to be a special value in poetry in a foreign language

in opening up the fantasy and giving release to inhibited and excessively introverted

types.”

Poetry gives an aesthetic enjoyment. Being connected with music and sound

patterns of nature, poetry develops desirable attainments in learners. Poetry helps

in the improvement of memory because it is more memorable than prose. Due to

rhyme, rhythm and pattern, a poem is easier to memorize than a passage in prose.

This quality makes its learning also easier.

Another salient factor in the teaching and learning of poetry is that it helps to

develop in learners the natural speech rhythm. Learners who are used to listening to

the reading of poems and those who read poems develop better speech abilities

easily and quickly. According to Billows (1975), “there is no other way in which we

can get the normal, unexceptionally motivated or compelled student to repeat so

many sentences involving the normal mouth movements and rhythm of the

language, without weariness or rebellion.”

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Apart from creating situations to repeat the language pattern items, another

easier way is to practice the pattern through the repetition of rhymes and songs.

This gives variety to language drills and keeps the interest of learners alive.

2.2 USING POEMS TO TEACH ENGLISH

Poems are either subjective or objective. Subjective poetry is the poetry of

self-expression, which is a kind of personal poetry. A poet’s own feelings and

thoughts are given importance and expressed in a lyrical manner. The focus of

attention in subjective poetry is the poet himself and the essence of subjective

poetry is the personality of the poet. On the other hand, in objective poetry, the poet

goes out of himself, mingles with the action and passion of the world and expresses

what he observes there. In this kind of poetry the personality of the poet is rarely

revealed.

In addition to conventional poems with such usual forms as ode, sonnet and

elegy, modern forms of poetry can also be used to teach language in the L2

classroom. Collins Cobuild (2001) defines a poem as “a piece of writing in which the

words are chosen for their beauty, sound, or imagery and carefully arranged, often

in short lines which rhyme.” This opens the door to pop songs, haiku, pattern poems,

picture poems, nursery rhymes and folk songs, all of which can be viewed as poetry.

Both the usual and the unusual forms of poetry can be used as a pedagogical tool to

the learners of language at all levels. By inviting students to actively participate in

poetry reading and creating other ideas together, poetry could become an integral

part of the language classroom.

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2.2.1 Usual Forms of Poetry

2.2.1.1 The Lyric

A lyric is defined as a poem that expresses a single emotion. Lyric poetry has

musical components and it is written in a way that is suitable for singing.

Structurally, a lyric can be divided into three parts. The first is the motive. The

second part of the lyric consists of the poet’s thoughts, emotions and feelings. The

last part of a lyric is the conclusion that comes when the emotion subsides. Many

Elizabethan songs, the poems by Donne, Browning and Tennyson are known under

the category of lyric.

2.2.1.2 The Ode

The ode can be defined as a rhymed lyric usually in the form of address or

praising someone. It is noted for its logical evolution of thought and it has a certain

amount of complexity and elaboration. Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind, Keats’ Ode on

a Grecian Urn and Wordsworth’s Ode on Intimations of Immortality are a few among

the popular odes in English. Spenser, Collins and Tennyson also wrote very popular

odes.

2.2.1.3 The Sonnet

A sonnet is a lyric in fourteen lines in iambic pentameter governed by certain

prescribed rules in general and in the arrangement of the rhymes. The common

theme of a sonnet is love as expressed in the poems of Shakespeare, Philip Sidney

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and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Other important sonneteers are Milton, Keats and

Arnold.

2.2.1.4 The Elegy

An elegy is a lyric of mourning, personal bereavement, sorrow and

lamentation. It has an acute sense of loss, a feeling of delicacy and melancholy.

Gray’s Elegy written in a Country Churchyard, Milton’s Lycidas, Tennyson’s In

Memoriam and Arnold’s Rugby Chapel are some of the famous poems in this form.

2.2.1.5 The Ballad

A ballad is a simple narrative poem in short stanzas telling a story. It may be

called a short story in verse. Keats’ La Belle Dame Sans Merci, Tennyson’s Revenge,

and Scott’s Eve of St. John are examples of famous ballads in English.

2.2.1.6 The Idyll

It is not a distinct species of poetry; it may take the form of a short lyric, a

longer poem, a passage in a play, epic, ballad or any other kind of poem. Milton’s

,ȭ!ÌÌÅÇÒÏ and Longfellow’s Village Blacksmith are well-known idylls in English.

2.2.1.7 The Epic

An epic is a long narrative in verse which has a great or serious subject

portrayed in an elevated style. It tells a well-known story and is centered round a

heroic or semi-divine figure whose actions decide the fate of a tribe, a nation or the

human race. Milton’s Paradise Lost, Keats’ Hyperion and Spenser’s Faerie Queen

belong to the genre of epic.

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2.2.2 Unusual Forms of Poetry

In addition to the usual forms, the modern poetry comprises a number of

unusual poems. Hadfield and Hadfield (1997) discuss on various types of modern

poems and how they can be used in the classroom. Holmes and Moulton (2001) also

discuss the alphabet poem and the Japanese Haiku form, which can be used in the

classroom. They attempt to show how poems and poetry related activities might

enhance English language learning at middle and high school levels. They suggest

that a focus on the beauty of the words of the target language can promote

meaningful and relevant expression of personal meanings, in addition to focusing on

particular aspects of structure and syntax. By using these poems as linguistic and

affective templates, students can interact with the target language, while exploring

issues which have deep meanings in them.

2.2.2.1 Alphabet Poems

Holmes and Moulton give a type called the Alphabet Poem and say that by

teaching it, the teacher can teach letters of the alphabet, parts of speech, phrases,

sentence structure and dictionary usage.

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Fig. 1: An Alphabet Poem as illustrated by Holmes and Moulton (2001, p. 38)

What I Did Last Summer

Argued about my haircut

Baked cookies with mum

Called my friends twice a day

Daydreamed a lot

E-mailed my friends

Floated on my air-mattress in the pool

Gave all my old clothes away

Hiked to the top of the mountain

Insisted on having my way

Judged my dad when I had no right

Knew I was wrong

Licked ice-cream cones daily

Made tons of new friends at the lake

Navigated the internet

Ordered pizza for the girl I baby-sat

Pasted pictures in my scrapbook

Questioned my parents’ rules

Rested, rested, and rested

Scratched my mosquito bites

Told Paul I love him

Urged my dad to give Paul a chance

Vowed to be true forever

Wondered why I was missing school

X’d boxes on college application

Yearned for something to do

Zigzagged around the yard

2.2.2.2 Haiku

Haiku promotes brainstorming and collaborative expression, and facilitates

expression without the burden of sentence structure. Students are encouraged to

see words and short phrases as self-sufficient, and to play with the sounds of the

words themselves, while juxtaposing simple concepts.

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Fig. 2: Haikus as illustrated by Hadfield and Hadfield (1997, p. 17)

1

Summer grasses -

All that remains

Of soldier’s visions.

2

Spring:

A hill without a name

Veiled in morning mist.

3

Clouds now and then

Giving men relief

From moon-viewing.

4

The winds of autumn

Blow: yet still green

The chestnut husks.

5

You say one word

And lips are chilled

By autumn’s wind.

6

A flash of lightning:

Into the gloom

Goes the heron’s cry.

This form of poetry is a suitable medium of expression for the second

language learners, since its structure is simple and flexible. The traditional 3 lines

and 17 syllables (5, 7 and 5) can be altered at will. Haiku often present pairs of

contrasting images, followed by an observation, thus evoking mood and emotion,

but leaving commentary to the reader. As can be seen, the expression is immediate,

visual, and profound. Students are able to develop confidence and creativity.

Vocabulary, spelling and dictionary skills can also be focused on. This perspective

encourages experimentation and appreciation of the beauty of words and ideas

allowing the second language learners to make deeply personal statements in the

target language, unrestricted by syntax and grammar.

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2.2.2.3 Pattern Poems

A pattern poem can be used with all levels and are particularly effective in

the second language classroom, since they can be adapted to teaching purposes such

as grammar and sentence structure. The pattern poem usually consists of

grammatical items (adjectives, adverbs, verbs, etc.), metrical frameworks, phrases

or sentence structure. Despite its simple, uncomplicated nature, the pattern poem

reinforces, and even teaches, multiple language skills while challenging the students

to share the vision of the world around them in a nonthreatening way. According to

Holmes and Moulton (2001), through writing a simple pattern poem, the learners

can –

1. Play with words and see what fits because the burden of discovering a

proper format for a poem is removed,

2. Create a polished piece of writing in a relatively short period, thereby

experiencing “instant gratification”,

3. Rehearse correct spelling,

4. Use familiar vocabulary,

5. Discover new vocabulary while using the dictionary or thesaurus to

find words that serve their ideas,

6. Practice specific language structures such as phrase, word order, and

verb tense,

7. Develop confidence in their ability to share ideas in writing,

8. Nurture creativity by giving their imagination free reign,

9. Cultivate logical and sequential thinking skills through storytelling,

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10. Refine summarizing skills.

Holmes and Moulton also state that the pattern poems, as with other poetic

forms, can promote a number of positive learning functions:

1. Grammar: The teacher can involve the students in interactive and

rewarding grammar drills by designing pattern poems which focus on

a particular aspect of grammar or syntax.

2. Awareness of phrase and sentence structure: The teacher can

focus student attention on an aspect of linguistic structure and invite

the students to make poems using that structure.

3. Interactive modelling: Students can learn from observation and

interaction with others in their immediate environment, as well as

learning writing strategies from writing with the teacher.

4. Collaborative groups: Groups collaborate when they work on the

same piece of writing together (small groups). Working in groups,

students can now employ problem-solving skills to interpret the

examples, and can practice decision-making language (agreeing,

disagreeing, suggesting, conforming, error-correction, etc.) in the joint

composition of a poem.

5. Cooperative groups: Cooperation occurs when students help each

other with individually written poems. Thus, pattern poems may be

passed around inside groups for suggestion and even peer correction

(spelling, agreement with the target form, etc.) helping a peer to

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polish up his/her poem can be very useful in promoting

comprehension of the learning content.

6. Inductive thinking: Structural patterns can be explained to students,

or they can figure out the patterns themselves (problem solving).

7. Sensory stimulation: Sensory stimuli (pictures, sounds, videos clips,

textiles, etc.) help the creative process.

8. Sharing: Students’ poems can be shared in the classroom (displays,

poetry readings, exhibitions, cassette tapes, greeting cards, calendars,

etc.).

9. Expressions: Students can use the target language to express feelings

and ideas that have meaning and relevance for them, instead of being

restricted to non-personal, syntactic constructions.

Holmes and Moulton designed the following I am Poem for pattern poem

practice. In this poem, students learn, practice and review sentences, subordinate

clauses, relative clauses and metaphors, to express personal characteristics

(curiosity, sounds, sights, desires beliefs, dreams, etc.). Students are free to explore

their visions of themselves.

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Fig. 3: A Pattern Poem as illustrated by Holmes and Moulton (2001, p. 112)

Pattern:

I am (2 special characteristics).

I wonder (something you wonder about).

I hear (imaginary sound).

I see (imaginary sight).

I want (actual desire).

I am (first line repeated).

I understand (something you know is true).

I say (something you believe in).

I dream (something you dream about).

I try (something you make an effort about).

I hope (something you hope for).

I am (first line repeated).

Example:

I am a studious girl who loves to read.

I wonder if I could someday be an author too.

I hear the voices of characters talking as I read.

I see what they look like and what they are doing.

I want to create my own stories for others to read.

I am a studious girl who loves to read.

I understand that I may not be a successful writer.

I say that success is in my work and I must pursue it.

I dream of the joy my writing could give others.

I try to read and write as often as I can.

I hope my dream can come true.

I am a studious girl who loves to read.

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2.2.2.4 Picture Poems

A picture poem offers great scope to achieve the target language. Its visual

perspective on the arrangement of words and non-grammatical structures can make

students to play with the language, producing visual and verbal output. It also

encourages the viewers to interact and learn the syntax, and vocabulary of the poem

without stress.

Fig. 4: Picture Poems as illustrated by Hadfield and Hadfield (1997, p. 9, Section 16)

1 2

One, ... two,

thump ... thump,

my heart beats for you

across the room and we

come closer together

in the space

between

us

A

house

can be tall,

short, wide or thin,

with many rooms, or only

a few. It can be

home for all the

family or simply

me and my pets.

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Picture Poem 4 adapted from Finch (1998 p. 64)

3 4

Smoke smoke smoke smoke smoke smoke

smoke smoke smoke smoke smoke smoke

smoke smoke smoke smoke

smoke smoke smoke smoke smoke

smoke smoke smoke

smoke smoke

smoke smoke

smoke smoke

smoke

smoke

smoke

smoke

smoke

smoke

smoke

smoke

smoke

fire

memory of clouds

of perception of memory of

perception of perception of clouds of memory of

perception of memory of clouds of clouds

of perception of perception of

memory of memory of

clouds of clouds

of memory

speculating

going along.

experiencing

a flutter

or a glimpse

the religious mind

when the cloud is broken through

you are lost in it.

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The Figure 4 shows four picture poems. The first and second poems use well-

formed sentences, but the third poem uses two words illustrating the freedom of

pictorial expression through repetition. The fourth poem takes the concept further

by playing with meaning by randomly alternating three words, memory, clouds,

perception.

2.2.2.5 Visual Poems

A visual poem represents themes, subjects or sentiments of words in a

variety of shapes and forms. According to Johanna Drucker (1994), the page serves

"as a vocal score of tone or personality." The antecedents of today’s visual poetry

movement were the Greek pattern poems of the 4th century B.C. and the Persian

altar poems of the 5th century A.D.

An altar poem is a type of picture poem. It replicated the shape of the poem’s

subject. After a millennium of limited expression in Persia and Germany, the altar

poem caught on with Renaissance poets such as George Wither, George Herbert, and

Robert Herrick, with Herbert’s "The Altar and Easter Wings" perhaps the best

known from the period.

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Fig. 5: Easter Wings by Robert Herrick (1593 - 1633)

Lord, who createdest man in wealth and store,

Though foolishly he lost the same,

Decaying more and more,

Till he became

Most poore:

With thee

O let me rise

As larks, harmoniously,

And sing this day thy victories,

Then shall the fall further the flight in me.

2.2.3 Recent Forms of Poetry

With the turn of the 20th century, a synthesis of altar and pattern poetry gave

birth to the concrete poetry movement. It was influenced by the growing presence

of free-verse writers and artistic movements of Dada, Surrealism, and Futurism. The

concrete poem attempts to portray words (or images) as accurate, multi-

dimensional reflections of everything existing in their inner world. It uses

multimedia to produce each poem in a different shape and taste. Recent

developments, as a result of computer explosion, are node poetry and synthetic

poetry. Similarly, the digital advancement has led to the use of animation in the

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to the group what led him or her to pick and choose it for the benefit of the

members of the group. The formation of the group can be done in the beginning of

each term and the meeting of the peer group be scheduled towards the end of the

term. The interim period should be utilised by each individual in the group for

collection of poems.

2.3.3.4 Writing Poetry

Literary instructors believe that by making students to write poetry is where

the study of poetry ought to begin. When students are allowed to write their poems,

they also learn to analyze as writers, not just as readers. They become more

receptive to poetry, and their appreciation grows. Students should be instructed to

imitate the poet’s form, from brief epigrams to sonnets and so on. Parody is an

excellent method of teaching poetry. Heather Dubrow (2003) points out that

“writing assignments that involve actually composing a text in a genre, though

difficult and upsetting for some students, prove stimulating for others.”

2.3.3.5 Portfolio

John Webster (2003) asks his students to keep a portfolio on writing of their

favourite poetry. By noticing three to five words they find interesting makes to the

portfolio. This makes them to explore the poetic language and works more

exhaustively on the form.

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2.3.3.6 Comparing and Contrasting

Comparing and contrasting is one of the most effective ways to teach poetry.

Comparing a poem with a prose statement of the same theme, or comparing two or

more poems on similar theme makes the student realize how poetic language

works.

2.3.3.7 Paraphrasing

Even though many critics rejected the idea of using paraphrasing in the class,

it can used as a pedagogical tool. Cleanth Brooks (1947) as a teacher objected to

paraphrasing. He says, “it is a handy tool in the classroom, serving only a limited

purpose.” But C.T. Indra (1995) says that even paraphrasing can be turned into a

useful pedagogical tool. The student may be asked to make a paraphrase of a given

poem. A comparative demonstration of the original and the paraphrase will give a

better understanding of the poem.

2.3.3.8 The Modified Linguistic Method

In this method the teacher should always read the poem to start off with.

Then, the teacher must help students to move, apparently randomly, but with great

precision around the poem, proposing connections which they should be expected

to follow up. The method also serves to give students confidence in their own

judgment so that they do not lean on the teacher and do not feel compelled always

to accept an authoritarian view. They are prepared to question, to suggest and

occasionally to insist on their own interpretation.

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2.3.3.9 The Creative Method

This method invites students to use their own creativity, by inviting them to

interpret a poem through some other art form or to create something out the

material of the poem. One may wish to see the poem through drawing or painting;

another may interpret through drama or prose; yet others may see it as the starting

point for their own poem.

2.4 MATERIALS FOR THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH

The materials which are in use for the teaching of English as L2 can be

divided into two categories. The first category consists of books for learning English

in general or a specific skill of learning English in particular. These materials are

known as conventional materials which are used in general proficiency courses (i.e.

multi-skilled courses), courses on individual skills (e.g. aspects and sub-skills of

spoken English), remedial courses (i.e. bridge courses), courses for special group of

learners (i.e. register-based courses), and language through literature courses. The

second category of materials comprises technological materials and such materials

are used through mass media, especially radio and TV, and also through interactive

digital boards and internet.

The dominant mode of teaching a language in our present system is lecturing

in which the teacher talks most of the time and his captive audience keeps listening.

This lecture method is believed to suffer from wastage of man-hours. In an earnest

attempt at the reduction of this wastage, the aforesaid two types of materials are

used in the language classroom.

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As far as the conventional materials for the teaching of English as L2 are

concerned, they focus on the following aspects:

1. Selection of teaching items, i.e. words, structures, experiences, etc. to

suit the objectives of the course,

2. Gradation of the selected items,

3. Presentation of the graded items, and

4. Establishment of the presented items at ensuring the learning of the

items.

The second category of the technological materials can bring the experience

of the real world into the classroom so that learning a second language becomes a

lively experience. The conventional teacher of the book has to change his habits and

become a teacher of the real living language, exploiting visual and aural possibilities

of such materials. These materials also put the best teacher or the best teaching

team within the reach of all the learners across the country and bring about real

equality of opportunity in learning English as a second language. This, in turn leads

to all round improvement of teaching and achievement of learning English as second

language.

The psychologist Bruner (1983) states: “There is in the child not only a

linguistic competence, not only a communicative competence, but also a third

something. This is something very special and consists not only of learning

language and learning how to use the language appropriately, but then of learning

how to use the language as a representation of reality and how to go on for long

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periods of time manipulating the language in thought before having read back to the

situation.” Bruner calls this ‘analytic competence’ and the materials used in the

language classroom, either conventional or technological, should develop the

competence in the learner.

2.5 TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING

The concept of teaching with technology includes a bipartite arrangement of

‘technology of education’ and ‘technology in education’. Technology of education

refers to such pedagogic constituents as methods, approaches and techniques while

technology in education refers to the use of such media as AV aids, computer and

digital devices in order to make the curriculum transaction more effective and

useful. According to Lara Gillian Hill (2000), “students are able to take their creative

abilities far beyond what is available to them in a non-technological classroom”

through technology.

2.5.1 Visual Aids

The usefulness of visual aids in second language teaching is well established.

The target language does not develop as an isolated mode of communication. Its

relationship with visual imagery is primal. According to Sapir (1921), a word such

as ‘house’ becomes a linguistic fact only when visual, kinesthetic and auditory

experiences “... are automatically associated with the image of a house.” Barry

(2002) states that images “are tied to the full range of human experience and

expression.” The role of such visual aids as flash cards, word cards, flannel boards,

magnet boards, posters, puppets, models and real objects in the language classroom

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is indispensable. With the advancement of technology, slides, audio tapes and

cassettes, film-strips, video cassettes and discs have come to stay in the language

learning process.

2.5.2 Motion Pictures

The motion picture is in theory at least the most powerful of visual aids. It

combines pictures with movements, color and sound. Theoretically, one can have on

film the best materials presented by the best teacher. With this in mind, a number of

motion pictures have been produced for teaching foreign languages including

English. It should be remembered here that children spend most of their time

watching entertainment movies. The Association of Childhood Education

International (1967) reports that “Practically every child or youngster spends more

hours watching movies in theatres and in TV than the number of hours they spend

in 12 years of school.”

2.6 ANIMATION

Animation is only one part of a larger realm: the audio-visual media, which

includes film and television. Animation is the rapid moment of a series of still

images. It can be of two-dimensional or three-dimensional pictures which can create

an illusion of movement. The most common method of presenting animation is as a

motion picture or video programme, although there are other methods.

Nowadays, animation has become popular in computer based instruction and

it is being advocated in schools, colleges and other educational institutions

worldwide. Unfortunately, animation is used with an intention to impress rather

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than to teach. Sound and graphics have always the special features in this new

technology. Generally, it is used to fulfill or assist one of the following three

functions: attention-gaining, presentation and practice.

Attention gaining, an important initial event of instruction, is an obvious,

practical, and rational use of animation. Examples include special effects for

transitions between instructional frames or lesson parts, moving symbols or

characters (cartoon or text) and animated prompts (such as arrows which direct

attention to keywords, paragraphs, graphics or other screen items). Animation

increases the figure’s prominence in contrast to static background.

Animated presentations are used for direct teaching. Animation can be used

with or without accompanying text to demonstrate or elaborate a lesson, fact,

concept, rule or procedure. This presentation of visual (static or animated graphics)

and verbal (textual matter) elements enables learning a comfortable experience.

Animations are now frequently used in practice. In most structured practice

activities, such as question and answer, animation is used as feedback to student

responses. Animation practices are called “Learning by doing”, examples include

where it can be used for piloting an airplane or interacting with dead scientists and

authors for virtual reality. Programmes are written for musical lessons, professional

sports and academic lessons.

Very little research has been focused on practice strategies using animation

in India as it is very costly. Most of the animation research has concentrated on

presentation and attention gaining aspects.

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2.6.1 Fascination for the Medium

Youngsters, especially children, are fascinated by animation and cartoons.

The medium has fast action that is related to youngsters’ own way of behaving. Like

TV commercials, fast paced action films are created with quick cuts. These action

films attract youngsters. Similarly, animated films and cartoons portray fast action.

Secondly, this kind of films deals with fantasy. So they are liked by youngsters.

2.6.2 Teaching through Animation

Learning becomes more effective if it grows out of what interests the learner,

rather than what interests the teacher. “If we want our students to understand how

literature, and poetry in particular, brings them to a deeper understanding in life,

we need to find meaningful ways to engage them with poetry,” asserts Janette

Hughes (2007). In this context, the forceful argument of Kress (2003) that very

soon the screen (whether TV, computer, cell phone, or other emerging technology)

will govern all of our communications practices should also be taken into account.

Jewitt (2006) states, “Students will understand language use within an electronic

medium. In digital environments, different modes of expression or modalities –

aural, visual, gestural, spatial and linguistic – come together in one environment in

ways that reshape the relationship between printed word and image or sound.” As

such, the fascination of youngsters with the media decides that movies and

animation should be used in the classroom as technological aids in instruction.

Another reason for teaching through animation to children is their familiarity

with it; animation is already a part of their home environment. It is closer than the

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nearest library, where they could read a book. This fact makes it advantageous for

the teacher to use the TV set as a stepping stone to learning.

2.6.3 Types of Animation

There are many techniques involved in animation. All these techniques are

generally divided into four types:

1. Traditional Animation,

2. Stop Motion Animation,

3. Computer Animation, and

4. Other Techniques of Animation

In the traditional animation type, an animator makes use of cel animation,

full animation, limited animation, rotoscoping and live animation techniques. In the

stop motion animation type, he employs puppet animation, puppetoon, clay

animation, cut-out animation, silhouette animation, model animation, object

animation and pixilation techniques. In the computer animation type, 2D animation,

3D animation, photo realistic animation, cel-shaded animation and motion capture

techniques are employed. Drawn on film animation, paint on glass animation,

erasure animation, pinscreen animation, sand animation and flip book techniques

form part of the other techniques.

2.7 ANIMATION AND TEACHING POETRY

Surprisingly, relationship between poetry and movies is very close compared

with any other genre of literature. However, teachers do not decide, in their lesson

plans, to teach a text like Great Expectations or Hamlet with the film version of it.

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Often when English teachers are asked to name a film made of a poem, they cannot,

unless they recall some educational film or documentaries. Of all the relationship

between the film and the literary arts, least recognized is between film and poetry.

Yet the connection between the film and poetry are aesthetically much closer than

other genre and are much suited to classroom.

A work of fiction or drama has the story element in it, the popularity of which

turns the literary work into a motion picture. The length of the narration also suits

the venture to be commercially viable. Though many popular poems, in such genres

as epic and ballad, consist of the story element, they do not form basis for motion

pictures owing to commercial reasons. Yet, there are such unforgettable films based

on Homer’s immortal epics – Iliad and Odyssey, the Anglo-Saxon classic Beowulf and

Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade. Now, a larger number of poems find

expressed in short, animated versions like Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Edgar Allan

Poe’s Annabel Le and Byron’s Prisoner of Chillon.

A chief characteristic of poetry is its rhythm, distinguished by the poet’s use

of accents, word length, and pauses in thought. One of the genuine pleasures of

reading poetry is its rhythm. One can easily find this in films or animation movies.

First, the object that is shot in a camera has its own rhythm. The cameraman can

create quite different feelings for rhythm by shooting a horse walking, then

galloping, then running. Second, the rhythm comes from the relationship between

the images on the screen. Early filmmakers discovered that the length of time each

shot is held on the screen will dictate the rhythm. A series of short shots will create

a feeling for the fast action, while a series of longer shots will create a slow rhythm.

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Third, the soundtrack complements the visual rhythm of a movie. The means of

creating rhythm in poetry and film are different, but the end result is approximately

the same; the reader as well as the viewer feels and acknowledges the sense of

rhythm and that sensation is part of the enjoyment of the art.

A lesson plan that makes use of both poetry and animation movies can

emphasize the similarities and teach the concepts of rhythm, imagery, and language.

Then, there are other concepts to be taught, more out of contrast than out of

similarity. The teacher can discuss the efficiency of each medium to convey either

emotions or ideas and the nature of responses each medium evokes. It is

recommended that in most cases the teacher teach the poem before showing its

animation or film version.

The poet uses word images while the film-maker uses photo images. A

second major characteristic of poetry is its use of imagery. The poet uses words to

try to form on the reader’s mind the images that originated in his mind. Naturally

the film-maker has to accomplish the same thing, but rather than using words, he

uses visual pictures. The two media use their language in similar ways. If the words

of the poem are being read in the soundtrack of the film, then there is one to one

correspondence between the two.

Whether the similarities of these two media could enable students to

strengthen their language learning capabilities is a significant question. An attempt

has been made in this study to answer this question.