CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The term “literature” is a term of art which is known as imaginative writing in the sense of fiction-writing which is not literally true. Literature has also been described as a creative work of art, involving an aesthetic reordering of experience in order to communicate it morefully or accurately. Literature is any imaginative work of art that is written, sung, spoken or charted. That has a specific message and is conveyed in beautiful and woven language with the aim of entertainment. In other words, literature is concerned with beauty, invention and the creative use of language artistically designed to give pleasure and enjoyment while passing across message Literature is also seen as written works which are rendered as subject for study; they are drama, prose and poetry. In writing or study, we are going to concentrate on poetry. According to written words worth, ‘poetry is the imaginative expression of strong feeling, usually rhythmically the spontaneous over flow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquility. Poetry is a form of literature it is a record of the writers feelings about events which could be physical or otherwise. The subject of poetry could be supernatural (example J. P. Clark’s Abiku) or simply natural (example Lucys Poem).
Poetry is a term that applies to many forms in which man expresses himself rhythmically. This is why poetry is a term of literary art that is easily distinguishable from prose by the predominance of rhythm. Rhythm is an integral part of nature and consequently existence, since everything in the world respond s to rhythm. Poetry is a special form of writing or composition involving in the use of imagination emotion and intellect in the communicate of experiments or in the interpretation of human consciousness and existence with unique structure and technical finesse. Poetry is life because it deals with realities it has to do with man’s imagination feelings, his impression on and around him and the relationship between the world and himself it is the most personal in all aspects of literature. Poetry in more completed in the use of language than that of the prose because it is usually short and very direct to the point.
Poetry has beauty in its language and dignity in it’s compressed from. It is also unique in that if contributes to the stone of human experience and many facts of life. There are three main types of poetry, warmly, lyrical, poems are usually short and song like reflective lyric and descriptive lyric. Narrative poems tell stories and examples are balled, epic, dramatic, monologue. Dramatic poems tell their stories through the speech of their characters. Examples epic, static poem criticize, ridicule and correct, for example ballads and sonnet. The study of poetry is training of the emotion and poetry aims at. Providing aesthetic satisfaction and shaping of individuals mind through critical appreciation. But despite this aim, poetry teaching and learning have created enormous problems of poetry teaching and learning is by a complete orientation, a revision of ideas and the general attitude towards poetry.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM This study attempts a critical examination of the problem affecting the teaching of affecting the teaching of poetry in Junior Secondary Schools Classes in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area, Benin City, Edo State. Assessment of teachers, teaching methods the students interest in the learning of poetry.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to conduct an investigation into the problems affecting the teaching of poetry in secondary school in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State. In doing this, an attempt is made to examine; 1. The problem involved in teaching poetry and 2. Student’s attitude to poetry lessons.
