Lecture 2.2.0 – Overview of where we are going
Lecture Overview
In today’s lesson we are going to examine a number of poems written before 1900 and one poem written in 1914. So, does that mean there is nothing relevant here for a teenager in Grade 11?
The question is an important one. Are the concerns we face today different from what the world has always had to face – poverty, war, the unknown future, cruelty, crime and punishment, how should I live my life?
These are universal questions and universal themes that have always been a part of life, and they will always be.
So, as we read and analyze today’s selection we will first of all look for meanings that we can react to – do we agree or disagree, have we experienced anything like this before. Making a personal connection with a poem is always the first goal. Next comes developing a better understanding of the form and style of the poem. That’s an academic necessity for students who have to pass both the grade 11 and the grade 12 English Literature courses in order to graduate. So, knowing how poems are created is as important as why they are written in the first place.