SPEECH NEW ZEALAND

ASSOCIATE IN SPEECH & DRAMA TEACHING

CREDIT TWO

Teaching Materials and Methods

QUESTION:

“Where thinking comes first, associated with feeling, the words become prose; where feeling comes first, associated with thinking, the words tend to become poetry”.

 Explain your understanding of this statement

 AND

 Suggest ways by which you would encourage your students to interpret and perform poetry.  Include examples of work to be performed.

Stage the age and number of your students.

ANSWER:

Over the years there has been much discussion on what the definition of poetry really is, especially with regard to finding the divide between poetry and prose.  An understanding of poetry and its emotive tendencies will first be discussed.  Secondly, various ways in which I would encourage my students in their discovery and performance of poetry will be discussed, including poetry in conjunction with improvisation, relaxation and practices of voice and speech.

 “Where thinking comes first associated with feeling, the words become prose; where feeling comes first associated with thinking, the words tend to become poetry”.

Often the definition of poetry tends to centre on using verbally inventive language and poetic devices like rhyme, similes and metaphors.  However, there is plenty of prose that uses these techniques also, so this kind of definition isn’t practical.  Claire Marsh once wrote an article which suggested that in prose, the conventions of grammar tend to define the end of a line, while in poetry, it is up to the poet.  This ties in to the quote above, as where thinking comes first a more structured approach is inevitable, whereas where feeling comes first more freedom is possible.  It is the freedom that is found in poetry which enables it to be so emotionally engaging. W.H. Auden’s lines “You shall love your crooked neighbour/with your crooked heart” are made all the more poignant by the line break, which forces us to pause, to experience and reflect on the ideas in a slower fashion that we would with prose, thus allowing us to tap into our emotions.

I believe that it is because feeling comes first in poetry that the result is so imaginatively compelling.  The way poetry stimulates imagination is vital, as it encourages creativity, understanding and empathy – which is why I believe poetry is good for everyone, and is not the inaccessible, mystical entity it is sometimes made out to be.  Encouraging students in the study of poetry is therefore of utmost importance.

This is intended for three students around fourteen years old.  To encourage students to engage with poetry, I would show them various ways in which poetry can be used.  For example, the poem ‘Half Asleep’ by Gareth Owen makes a wonderful relaxation exercise, if simply read to the students as they lie back and imagine the scene unfold.  It is also useful as it illustrates the importance of imagination in poetry, in truly losing yourself in the experience.  Jack Ousby’s ‘Gran can you rap?’ is a great poem which students of all ages enjoy as a fun voice exercise, especially with its exploration of repetitive sounds.  It also lends itself to playing around with group verse speaking – getting the students to recite the ‘Gran can you rap?’ line together before taking on a verse each.

Poetry can come to life for students in an entirely new way when experimented with in terms of improvisation. Theodore Roethke’s ‘The Geranium’ is great to act out with three students taking on the roles of the character who speaks the poem, the geranium and the maid.  I could say the poem while the students mime the action; or the students could take free rein, bringing their interpretation of the poem to the table and performing a fleshed-out scene. This activity helps the students to see poetry not just as a set of words that should be said a certain way, but as a story that stimulates imagination and evokes an emotional response.  After all, if a student speaking a poem cannot connect to it, it will probably be inaccessible for their audience too.

 Glenn Colquhoun’s “An explanation of poetry to my father’ is a wonderful resource for inspiring students in the interpretation of poetry.  ‘A set of instructions to be used when reading poetry’, alone, is a great starting point.  Reading through the steps and asking the students to experiment with them would be enriching for their eventual performance.  Just the simple suggestion of reciting their poem in different times and places, for example, at night, in the bathroom, on an empty stomach – allows the student to see their poem from a different view. The altered atmosphere of night, for instance, can make the student understand something new about their poem.  Poetry is not something which can be fully realised in one sitting, as it is the speaker’s engagement that really breathes life into the poem, making poetry something of a collaborative effort, rather than a passive experience.

 Furthermore, I’d ask the students to say their poems in their own words, which lets them explore their understanding of what the poem means to them.  Also, reciting a poem focussing on a different emotion can draw out what the appropriate emotional base for each line is.  Some students might enjoy drawing their response to a poem, which allows them to think about the imagery inherent in poetry.

These few exercises should provide a great foundation for students to really enjoy interpreting and performing poetry, and would provide the opportunity to look at a poem from many different angles in order to fully engage with the piece.