Poetry!

To date, more often than not, I find it to be challenging understanding poems. It’s almost like a whole different literary world. In fact, sometimes I feel as if the only person, who can fully have a grip on the meaning of the poem, is the poet himself. Poetry is sometimes tough to understand especially when the student has not had a whole lot of exposure to this form of literature.

In teaching these three poems-- “Circe,” Ulysses,” and “The Road Not Taken,” I think “Circe” would pose the most challenge. The biggest challenge I can foresee in teaching “Circe” is the length of this poem. Yikes—210 lines!! The “divide and conquer” approach would have to be applied here. “Circe” is a very interesting poem but the volume can easily dissuade the student in having a vested interest. Poetry itself is challenging and the longer it is the more challenging it can become. I’m thinking maybe not so much for a college student but definitely for a younger mind. Another challenge can possibly be the English idiom in poetry and in “Circe” specifically. Realistically who communicates in this form at all in this century? Deciphering the language itself and then assisting your students in understanding the meaning will be challenging. What is the poet trying to convey to her readers? Why did it take Augusta Webster 210 lines to convey her message? This poem will definitely give the students a lot to think about. By the way, this was my first time reading “Circe” and I love it!