THE USE OF POETRY EV TEFL: LTTERATURE IN THE NEW LEBANESE CURMCULUM DR. NAJWA NASR* Lebanese University, Lebanon ABSTRACT In this paper, I demónstrate how the analysis of the language of poetic selections could be the basis for TEFL lessons. To illustrate, I use sample selec- tions from the poetry of two Lebanese-American poets namely Ameen Rihani's The Chant of Mystics and Gibran Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet. Nowadays, more arguments support the relevance of using literature to the teaching of a foreign language, and discuss the usefulness of the linguis- tic analysis of literature for pedagogical purposes. The New National Curriculum of Education put into effect in Lebanon beginning academic year 1998-1999 differs radically from the oíd one in methodology, approach, and distribution of cycles. The new curriculum adopts the content-based approach, which allows for the possibility of using literary texts as one source of content. My major focus in this paper is on the use of poetry in the secondary cycle of the Lebanese English curriculum. The poet- ic selections handled are rich in their vocabulary and structures, which allows for a variety of activities. Whether we are teaching a foreign language or even a native one, literature is a highly recommended vehicle for a number of rea- sons. In such cases, focus on the language pavés the way for a meaningful and rewarding literary appreciation. KEY WORDS ESL/EFL, linguistics and poetry, vocabulary, parallelism, coherence, cohe- sión, Gibran, Rihani, antonyms, awareness, cloze, curriculum, sound patterns, structures. * Najwa Nasr, Full Professor of English Linguistics at the Lebanese University, holds a Ph. D. from Georgetown University. A sénior Fulbright Scholar and a Salzburg Seminar alumnus. Has over 25 publications in Linguistics mainly in Linguistics and Poet- ry and Phonology; TEFL; Lebanese Immigration heritage: web pages, anieles and pho- to exhibitions-, the New Lebanese National Curriculum-framework and textbooks; and translations namely Myths from Mesopotamia and poetic selections. 345 CAUCE, Revista de Filología y su Didáctica, n° 24, 2001 /págs. 345-363 NAJWA NASR RESUMEN En este artículo, demuestro cómo el análisis de la lengua de selecciones poéticas puede ser la base de la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranje- ra. Para aclarar esto, uso muestras de selecciones de la poesía de dos poetas líbano-americanos que son Ameen Rihani (El canto de los místicos), y Gibrán Kahlil Gibrán (El profeta). Actualmente hay más argumentos que apoyan la aplicabilidad del uso de la literatura para la enseñanza de una lengua extranjera, y un discurso del análisis lingüístico de la literatura para propósitos pedagógicos. El Nuevo Pro- grama Nacional de la Educación que se puso en aplicación en Líbano desde el comienzo del año académico 1998-1999, difiere radicalmente del antiguo en la metodología, en el enfoque, y en la distribución de los ciclos. El nuevo programa adopta el enfoque temático que posibilita el uso de textos literarios como fuente de satisfacción. Mi foco principal en este trabajo es el de la poesía en el ciclo secunda- rio del programa libanes. Las selecciones poéticas manejadas son ricas por su vocabulario y sus estructuras, lo que da paso a actividades variadas. Sea que enseñemos una lengua extranjera o una lengua nativa, la literatura es alta- mente recomendada como vehículo por varias razones. En estos casos cen- trarse en la lengua facilita el camino para una apreciación literaria significati- va y apreciable. PALABRAS CLAVE Inglés como lengua extranjera, lingüística y poesía, vocabulario, paralelis- mo, coherencia, cohesión, Gibrán, Rihani, antónimos, conciencia, "cloze", currícu- lo, pautas de sonido, estructuras. RESUME Dans cet article, j'ai montré comment l'analyse de la langue de quelques morceaux poétiques peut étre Pobjet des lecons TEFL. Pour ce faire, j'ai choisi des extraits de deux oeuvres de poetes libano- américains: (Le Chant des Mystiques) d'Ameen Rihani et (Le Prophéte) de Gibrán Kahlil Gibrán. Actuellement, on souligne de plus en plus la pertinence de l'analyse de textes littéraires dans l'enseignement d'une langue étrangére et on reconnaít l'utilité de l'analyse linguistique de la littérature au niveau péda- gogique. Les nouveaux programmes libanais qui ont été mis en application á partir de l'année academique 1998-1999 différent radicalement des anciens pro- grammes au niveau de la méthodologie, de l'approche et de la distribution des cycles. lis adoptent l'approche thématique et regardent les textes littéraires comme l'une des sources de contenus. Mon principal interét était l'usage de la poésie dans le cycle secondaire des nouveaux programmes de la langue anglaise. Les extraits poétiques choi- sis sont riches en vocabulaires et en structures, permettant ainsi une grande varíete d'activités. Qu'il s'agisse de l'enseignement d'une langue étrangére ou 346 THE USE OF POETRY IN TEFL: LITERATURE IN THE NEW LEBANESE CURRICULUM d'une langue maternelle, la littérature est une bon outil par de múltiples raisons. Dans de tels cas, mettre l'accent sur la langage facilite une approche utile et prometteuse de la littérature. MOTS-CLÉ ALE (L'anglais en tant que langue étrangére), linguistique et poésie, vo- cabulaire, parallélisme, cohérence, cohesión, Gibran, Rihani, antonymes, cons- ciensation, "cloze" ou "exercices á trous", programme, récurrences phoniques, structures. Literary selections are a rewarding vehicle for teaching a foreign language. Yet, this literary 'vehicle' is not the solé means leading to the acquisition of a foreign language. Its use alongside other means is reward- ing. The literary selections give the students the opportunity to find out how the same theme could be handled in different types of texts and literary genres; and henee, they are able to compare styles and tech- niques. Cárter (1988, p. 18) believes that "...the juxtaposition of liter- ary and non-literary discourses in the classroom emerges as a strong teaching recommendation." Moreover, Stern (1991, pp. 328-329) maintains that "Literature offers potential benefits of a high order for English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL). Linguistically, literature can help students enrich their vocabulary and consolídate the four language skills: reading, writ- ing, listening, and speaking. Numerous activities involving the students' application of these skills can be developed around the reading of a literary work." "Literary texts...[are] probably the richest source of ver- bal context. When students encounter a word in the literary work it is enriched in a complex of meaning-generating relationships" (Boretz et al., p. 60). Cárter (1988, pp. 16-17) maintains that "What is clear, howev- er, is that there is growing recognition that integration of language and literature can be of mutual benefit in the context of foreign or second- language education..." Furthermore, the characteristics of verse such as rhyme, meter, etc. and the elements of narrative literature namely plot, character, setting, and theme, help promote reading comprehension by presenting spe- cial challenges to readers which demand that they learn to put into practice specific reading strategies. In this respect, literary selections provide the subject matter, the context, and the inspiration for numer- ous written and oral activities so that a single literary work becomes the central focus of a study unit. As opposed to materials written espe- 347 NAJWA NASR cially for ESL/EFL, literature may motivate students and, hopefully, help them develop the habit of reading both in and out of class. Therefore, in addition to its important linguistic potential, literature provides the opportunity for the students to get acquainted with uni- versal human experiences through the heritage of a particular nation, and hopefully, learn to become more tolerant. Collie and Slater (1987, pp. 3-4) on their part, emphasize that literature addresses basic human concerns which transcend cultural and generational gaps, this reading experience is "an understanding of life in the country where that lan- guage is spoken". Moreover, and most importantly, literature widens the intellectual horizons and helps the learners appreciate the aesthet- ics of artistic creation. As Stern (1991, p. 329) quotes, "Beyond the lin- guistic and cultural benefits literature provides, it fosters cognitive and aesthetic maturation (Gregg & Pacheco, 1981), develops the ability to make critical and mature judgments (Hargreaves, 1969), develops a feel- ing and appreciation for the language (Shumaker, 1975), and has the capacity to move the reader (Slager & Marckwardt, 1975). As a conclusión from all the above discussion on the rich poten- tial of literature, Stern (1991, p. 330) raises a very important question, "As ESL/EEL professionals we must ask ourselves how to transíate these potentials into classroom practice." A significant role can be played by applied linguistics and stylistics in analyzing the literary texts and assisting in laying the basis for Íes- son planning. In other words, open venues between linguistics and pedagogy are to be widened; although those between linguistics and literature are not quite paved yet. Van Peer (1989, p. 2) maintains that "the relationship between linguistics and literature grew much colder, and it has not really been a very cióse one since. Sometimes happy moments are recorded, especially in the field of stylistics." Neverthe- less, despite all argument and criü'cism, Cárter (1988, p. l6l) affirms "that stylistics is essentially a bridge discipline between linguistics and literature"; he adds, "it is inevitable that there will be arguments about the design of the bridge, its purpose, the nature of the materials and about the side it should be built from. Some would even claim it is unnecessary to build the bridge at all." To start building the 'bridge', it is necessary to restructure the división of some of our university depart- ments. Some universities ha ve two sepárate departments for linguistics and literature with no communication or cooperation. In such cases the bridges need to be constructed between faculty and students specially in the área of research projects. 348 THE USE OF POETRY IN TEFL: LITERATURE IN THE NEW LEBANESE CURRICULUM So, if we agree that literature in general is an important source for language teaching, I believe that poetic selections in particular are very rich in their linguistic potential; yet, teachers of no linguistic background are skeptical of this challenge; it goes without saying that not all EFL teachers are expected to be trained linguists and stylisticians, ñor that all the results of the linguistic analysis should and could go into the actual teaching lesson, and equally at all levéis of education. On the other hand, not all linguists and stylisticians are trained in preparing EFL materials, or are expected to be sensitive to classroom demands at all levéis. This raises the need for consolidating the cooperation among all parties involved, and creating a team spirit among them to achieve a global and comprehensive outcome. Henee, in preparing EFL text- books, it is recommended that committees include practitioners in addi- tion to linguists and stylisticians. Furthermore, the difficulties that a teacher might encounter in a lan- guage lesson based on a literary text are many and varied. Literary texts, poetry in particular, are unique and distinctive pieces of artistic creation with complex linguistic difficulties. These merit a number of pre-reading activities and 'teaching' exercises in order to acquaint the students with this dimensión of language usage. In my experience of teaching English literature to high school students, those students with linguistic training in the literary selections prior to the literary appreci- ation performed significantly better than their peers who were asked to handle the same selections without any linguistic pre-reading activ- ities. Furthermore, in a seminar for gradúate students on Linguistic and Poetry, students were quick to apply techniques across texts; they did linguistic analysis of assigned poetic selections, then used their analy- sis to plan teaching lessons to a specific grade level. The experience was rewarding to them as their attitude towards literature changed pos- itively, and since most of them were EFL teachers, they found the infor- mation they learned in the seminar practical and relevant. Literature was no more boring and irrelevant in this age where everything is elec- tronically programmed and remotely controlled. The linguistic analysis of literary texts is of relevance not only for TEFL settings but also for linguistic research at large, and literary criti- cism and appreciation. In this paper, I will limit my analysis of litera- ture only to poetry. The suggested exercises deal with vocabulary Ítems and sentence structures in the selections. As Stern (1991, P- 330) believes, "In dealing with vocabulary and grammar as part of literature study in ESL/EFL, instruction should help students understand the work 349 NAJWA NASR being read and help them further master English." We have to keep in mind, however, that modern poetry, with its variety of deviation from the conventions, offers major problems in TEFL; however, such selec- tions should be delayed until the students are advanced enough to be able to handle them. Furthermore, recurring elements in parallel struc- tures could be the source of a variety of exercises at different levéis as shall be illustrated later. The poetic works I have chosen for analysis and lesson planning, abound in parallelism and repetition; thus, inspire a variety of language activities. Jakobson (1960, p. 602), believes that "any noticeable reiteration of the same grammatical concept becomes an effectíve poetic device", and he emphasizes the importance of par- allelism, reiteration, and repetition of syntactic structures in poetry. Henee, when we draw the students' attention to these symmetries, we help them in their understanding of the whole structure, and consequently prepare them for a reliable well-grounded appreciation of the work. McRae (1996, p. 17) emphasizes that "it is fundamental to any learn- er's knowledge about language and of a language system that rules, structures, and grammar be acquired", because in handling literary texts, they will have to learn how to handle deviant structures for instance and see how "... the rules are questioned, played around with, and put to different uses" (1996, p. 17). Furthermore, certain modern poet- ry is an extreme case of deviant syntax and bending of rules. Students would be glad to find their imagination and creativity being challenged specially if they had been equipped with the norms against which to measure. In representational materials there are hidden textual secrets which need to be uncovered, unearthed, and surfaced with clear lin- guistic skills. In this masterly operation, styles and techniques differ; yet, no one solution reigns, but many seem acceptable if workable and convincingly evidenced. On the other hand, it is important to train students in the process of múltiple readings of the same text, and focusing in every reading on a specific linguistic structure or device. Birch (1989, p. 11) believes that in the analysis of any text "there is no final point at which you can declare that you have found the meaning or reached the final, definitive interpretation." Faced with this fact, it is encouraging for stu- dents to know that their teacher's response is not necessarily the one and only acceptable rendition of the text; they will be encouraged to come up with their own. They should be encouraged to participate in the learning process and get more involved in the lesson. As Cárter and McRae note in their introduction (p. xxii) "the orientation is away 350 THE USE OF POETRY IN TEFL: LITERATURE IN THE NEW LEBANESE CURRICULUM from teacher-centredness towards language-based, student-centered activ- ities which aim to involve students with the text...", adding, "the chan- nel of communication between teacher and student will cease to be exclusively one-way, there will be a proportion of group and pair work appropriate to the nature of the activities which will in turn be those appropriate to the particular text". This will certainly enhance their crit- ical thinking. Thorne (1989, pp. 280-281) affirms that "... Poetry... typ- ically generates múltiple meanings...This implies that both 'obvious' and 'non-obvious' meanings must emerge into a coherent interpreta- tion". Moreover, when the students work on one selection and then are exposed to another by the same author, they will be able to han- dle structures of the same style by the principie of intertextuality. Besides, if they read another selection on the same theme but in a different style, they will even find more to learn about concerning the richness of language and the way genres differ in treating the same theme. Theoretically therefore, when language activities are drawn from and built around a specific literary text, their components become the- matically coherent in addition to their linguistic cohesión. So, we no more have a series of sentences in an exercise with a variety of non related mental frameworks. In this respect, the literary text is a rich resource for a language lesson which would, hopefully, become less boring and more challenging. In this paper, I focus on poetic selections by two Lebanese writers in English; namely Ameen Rihani and Gibran Kahlil Gibran. The selec- tions are chosen respectively from A Chant of Mystics (1921) and The Prophet (1923). While reading both, selections from Rihani's poetry in an applied linguistics seminar and The Prophet for translation purpos- es, I noticed a great deal of repeated syntactic structures and gram- matical patterns; as well as a juxtaposition of ideas represented by a series of antonyms. This made me decide that such selections have high potential for teaching grammar and vocabulary within related thematic teaching units. The exercises target the first secondary class students (Grade 10), the native language of the students is Arabic, and English is their first foreign language. The average age of the students is 16. The poetic selection comprises one or two lessons out of ten in a thematic unit, the remaining lessons are based on prose texts dealing with the same theme; so, poetry comes as a different way of handling the same theme. McRae (1996, p. 17) distinguishes between referential 351 NAJWA NASR materials and representational materials with literature belonging to the latter. However, the use of referential material should precede and form the background for the use of the representational one, i.e. the output of one stage becomes the input to the following one, or at least both would be used concurrently pending the level of the learner and the level of difficulty of the text. The actual application of the use of poetic selections in a TEFL class goes gradually through a series of steps. The exercises or activi- ties must vary to include the four linguistic skills of listening, speak- ing, reading, and writing; and aim as well to develop critical thinking on the part of the students, and to créate cultural awareness of the content. The steps I propose are the following: 1. Créate awareness of vocabulary, and poetic structures and pat- terns. 2. Train identification of similar instances. 3. Train production. 4. Test knowledge using similar authentic texts. This is in line with McRae's proposition that the learning process goes through three stages of development, "... the development of lan- guage awareness, leading on to text awareness, and indeed to cultur- al awareness -all are seen as part of the ongoing process of helping language learners become better, more aware readers of any kind of text" (1996, p. 16). Henee, after the students read or listen to a selection, we could begin by a short oral response to certain issues attesting comprehen- sion. Next, we could begin by sample teaching exercises in which the students are made aware of vocabulary items related by association and relations of antonymy; when these items are learned, students could move on to the structures in which the learned lexical items appear. Activities then will handle those poetic structures which exemplify cas- es of inversión, parallelism, ellipsis, enjambment, etc. Then, we could move on to identification of similar instances of usage in other parts of the same selection. The next step would be one oí production exer- cises in which students handle data similar to the material learned. The final step would be the testing exercises which the students are expect- ed to be ready for. The types of testing exercises of vocabulary and structures would be built around selections from other parts of the same work by the same author. This renders the components of the exercise 352 THE USE OF POETRY IN TEFL: LITERATURE IN THE NEW LEBANESE CURRICULUM thematically related and stylistically similar; henee, the vocabulary items and syntactic structures would be concordant to those learned in the lessons; thus, appropriate and relevant. In his book The Language of Poetry, McRae suggests a diversity of activities related to a variety of poetic selections. For instance, McRae draws attention to the element of sound in poetry. Sound patterns in poetry contribute a lot to the establishment of the mood; moreover, the repetition of certain sounds also embody a message and intensify its connotation. Sound is one of the devices which students find interest- ing and respond to with enthusiasm. My students learned how to devel- op a sensitivity to certain sound patterns; they became aware not only of alliteration and end rhyme, but were able to identify repetition of initial sounds in consecutive verses, assonance, consonance, eye-rhyme, and other sound combinations which otherwise would have passed ignored. They were encouraged to trace such devices, and they were further challenged to find out whether such devices are functional in one way or another. It was not difficult for them to identify patterns, but they had to find out the message, if any, embodied in the pattern; otherwise, a repetition lost its aesthetic valué whenever it was not proven functional. I will begin with selections from Rihani's A Chant of Mystics, then move to selections from Gibran's The Prophet. It is important to note that the style of the poet recurs in more than one section of his work; therefore, the students' attention is first drawn to the vocabulary items used as well as to certain structures and patterns; then, the students would be asked to identify similar instances of vocabulary use and sim- ilar structures and patterns in other parts of the same work; they are further asked to complete a cloze test and supply missing vocabulary, and to construct structures or patterns similar to the ones learned; and finally, tested on selections which contain the same vocabulary and sim- ilar constructions. It is true that Rihani's language as well as Gibran's language are rather 'archaic', but I thought that including these pas- sages, along others from different periods, is important for many rea- sons. I want our students to get acquainted with Lebanese-American writers and at the same time heighten their awareness to extreme cas- es of patterned poetic structures. 353 NAJWA NASR SELECTIONS FROM RIHANI'S A CHANT OF MYSTICS I 1. FROM the Mist of Arcana we rise, 2. Through the Universe of Secrets we come, 3. And we enter the Tavern as Lovers, 4. Whose features are palé as the false dawn, 5. Whose statures are lean as the new moon. 6. Like unto a jar is the body, 7. And the soul in the jar 8. Is the silvery voice of the Fountain, 9. Is the rose-scented breath of the Mountain, It is interesting to study the order of the structures in Unes 1 & 2, the símiles in Unes 4 & 5, and the inversión in Une 6. Later, students could be asked to identiíy similar structures in other parts of the same selection. For example, in Unes 10-22: 10. For your sake we have come 11. In the shape of a jar from the Sea; 12. For your sake we have come as Disgrace, 13- But glory incarnate are we. 14. For the sake of the world we dance (99) 15. O'er the fíame, on the point of the lance. 16. Think us not mortal, for we 17. Are the light on the foam of the sea. (100) 18. And into the skies 19. From the Universe of Secrets we're hurled. 20. We are the Truth, 21. And into the skies 22. From the Mists of Arcana we rise. Section II of the selection, contains interesting use of vocabulary: II 1. In the light of the day, in the stars of the night we behold 2. The face of the Master, the feet of the Pilgrim of oíd; 3. In the sigh of the wind and the voice of the thunder we hear 4. The plaint of the bard and the rhapsodic chant of the seer. 5. Without them, alas, we are dumb, 6. Though not deaf to the ñute and the drum. But the visión is true, 7. Allahu, Allahu! 8. They are garbed in blue, 354