The form and structure of poetry should be studied, but not to such an extent as to blind the eye or deaden the appreciation of its beauty and sentiment. The clock ticks with always the same force and with the same space of time between the ticks. The poet takes advantage of this rhythmical tendency of nature and by using accented syllables at regular intervals compels us to recognize the swing of his lines. When he reduces this to a system he has established the meter of his production.
Verse appeals to the ear by its melodious combinations of sounds and also by the regular recurrence of similar sounds in rhymes.
We will not attempt to discuss the classifications of poetry which include epic, ballad, lyric, ode, sonnet or other's, rather try and answer the question why the study of someone else's poetry is considered educational within the framework of copyright law and enlightenment.
Silent reading is selfish, while oral reading is for the benefit and pleasure of others. The ordinary individual in daily life reads little aloud, but this power is acquired only by serious study and continuous practice. What better way to practice than by reading poetry.
Any one who can articulate correctly (enunciate the syllables and words) can acquire a perfect enunciation. Knowing this fact, and knowing the causes which lead to poor enunciation, it is comparatively easy to correct the faults and give drill which will overcome the carelessness or remove the difficulty.
The primary facts upon which rests intelligibility in reading are emphasis and inflection. No one can read well who has not thoroughly mastered the thought in the selection he is reading.
A person may read with perfect inflection and the most correct emphasis, yet fail altogether to convey the real feeling of the author. Not only must the reader master the thought, but it is essential that he be able to feel the emotions that possessed the author or manifested themselves in the characters he describes.
Pitch, rate, quality and force are the particular characteristics of good reading which depend almost entirely upon the mental state of the reader.
"To me, the poet, thy skill would be better than all the measures of delightful sound, than all the treasures found in books and if I could sing one half as well as thou, the world would listen to me entranced as I am listening to thee." Ode to a Skylark, by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Copyright:1986-2008