The Language Teacher
December 2002
Poetry and Vignettes in the English Classroom
Jeffrey Mack Elliston
Nagoya University of Foreign Studies
QUICK GUIDE
Key Words:Literary analysis, reading
Learner English Level: Advanced levels
Learner Maturity Level: Late teen or adult students
Preparation Time: 30 minutes or more to select appropriate poems or vignettes
Activity Time: 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the number of poems or vignettes used
Materials: Copies of the literature to be analyzed
Although many Japanese students have been studying English for years, they still encounter comprehension problems when reading English literature at more advanced levels. However, simply giving students a full-length novel or a short story to read in class would often prove too difficult and complicated. Time limitations further prevent an in-depth analysis of a complete English novel or book. As a possible alternative, however, teachers might be able to use more compact writing samples, such as vignettes or poetry, as classroom reading materials.
Procedure
Step 1: Divide the classroom into five teams. After the classes have been divided, write the words Who, What, Where, When, and Why on the board. The teacher then has the option of assigning each team a specific category or of assigning all five categories to each of the teams.
Step 2: Pass out samples of poetry or vignettes, and again, since time is most likely a factor, teachers will need to use short, easily understandable literary samples. The teacher should then allow students to try to identify and answer the five W questions listed above. If students claim they are having trouble, ask them to underline all of the nouns and pronouns in the literary sample, and then label these nouns as a person, place, thing, etc.
Step 3: When the five W questions have all been answered, ask the students if they are able to retell or summarize the story in their own words.
Option I often use vignettes from Ernest Hemingway's novel In Our Time, most of which tell a complete and detailed story within the space of less than a page. As an alternative, poetry by authors such as Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen might also be used. As the Hemingway vignettes and Sassoon and Owen poetry usually deal with the horrors of war, the teacher can then use these samples to develop various in-class discussions. For example, the differences between war in these stories and war in American movies, or discussions of war in current events, and how it relates to these poems. In fact, if teachers wish to pursue the first topic, they may wish to show a sample of an American war movie in class as an example to contrast. These topics work especially well in Japan, where most students tend to be passive and anti-war in nature.
Example
Chindit by K. N. Batley (undated)
Have you ever seen a column march away,
And left you lying, too damned sick to care?
Have you ever watched the night crawl into day
With red-rimmed eyes that are too tired to stare?
Have you ever bled beside a jungle trace
In thick brown mud like coagulating stew?
Have you ever counted leeches loping back
Along the trail of sweat that leads to you?
Have you ever heard your pals shout "cheerio",
Knowing that this is no "Auf wiedersehen"?
Have you ever prayed, alone, for help although
The stench of mules has vanished in the rain?
Have you ever thought, "what a bloody way to die!",
Left in the tree-roots, rotting, there to stay?
God, I remember last poignant "Goodbye";
I was one of the men that marched away.
After reading the preceding poem, students might find the following responses to the W questions listed above:
Who: Column and marched imply soldiers. One soldier is sick, bleeding, and alone. Also, the English used is a non-North American variety.
What: A soldier, perhaps British, is dying alone.
Where: A hot (trail of sweat) and rainy jungle.
When: At some past time, when soldiers, possibly British, were fighting in a jungle.
Class summary: A wounded soldier has been abandoned by his team to die alone in a jungle. The teacher could then add that Chindit were a group of British soldiers in Burma during WWII.
A final caveat
The wartime literature suggested above is rather dark in nature, and should probably be used only with mature students. However, this lesson could obviously be adapted to vignettes, stories, and poetry on any topic.
References
Batley, K. N. (n.d.). 120 War Poems: Chindit. Retrieved October 31, 2002, from http://website.lineone.net/~nusquam/chindit.htm
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