Using Films as a Suitable Aid to Teach Poetic Devices in Language Classes

 

 Abstract

Poetry is considered one of the major genres of literature. Owing to the complexity involved in teaching its figurative language and explaining the secondary level of meaning, teachers find poetry classes challenging. This article delineates a novel and learner- friendly strategy to teach poetic devices clearly and effortlessly. The paper explores the possibility of using popular films as an aid to back the teaching of poetic devices like metaphor, simile, and imageries in high school classes. Films are an important medium of mass communication and its influence on youngsters and their thought processes cannot be overlooked. Popular movies particularly enthral teenagers by generating umpteen moments of excitement through catchy dialogues, one- liners and film songs. Therefore, the teachers can make use of film clips and dialogues as aids to elevate students' interest in learning. The paper draws on this fact and proposes a strategy of teaching poetic devices using popular film dialogues and song lyrics.

Key words: poetry, poetic devices, genre, film, metaphor, imagery, simile

 Introduction

            Literature in English language teaching (ELT) class helps to explore dialectical layers of meaning of life from the text (Lazar, 1993). Language is always indebted to literature for its growth and affluence and therefore, language learning should not be limited to the teaching of syntactic rules or structures and its practical use. Literature can be taken as a medium to be familiar with all the cultural notions of the language such as history, theory, biography of the authors, custom, geography, politics, and art (Carter & Long, 1996; Lazar, 1993). Various literary genres like poetry, short story, novel, drama etc. are highly supportive in developing linguistic skills and enhancing critical thinking skills.

            Of all the major genres, poetry is limitless in its possibilities with regards to both form and content.  

The language of poetry is more ornated, suggestive and sometimes elusive. Even then, poetry enhances one's aesthetic sense and linguistic skills. Therefore, poetry has been included in the school curriculum as part of various language learning. Poetry not only allows students to read but also provides the opportunity to be creative (Rejina K.C, 2021). Poetry also helps to cultivate creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. But very often students are found least interested in learning poetry due to its vagueness, multiple layers of meaning attributed by the socio- cultural contexts. The teachers, on other hand labours to help students appreciate the poem by explaining poetic devices. This necessitates the inclusion of student friendly learning aids like film clips, film dialogues, one-liners while explaining figures of speech.

Influence of Films on School Students

            Film is one of the most influential visual media amongst school students, especially teenagers. There exists movie- centred popular culture that celebrates punch dialogues of heroes, dances to film songs and reiterates one- liners and punch lines. Cinema, popular or parallel, a visual art of storytelling, with rich inputs of music, cast and script, mirrors the contemporary society in which it functions (Karande and Sharma 2022). This popular appeal of movies can be utilized to capture the attention of students in classrooms. Adolescence is also characterised by shared features like hero worship, peer pressure, self-centredness etc. The images of heroes created on silver screens, their words and deeds excite teenagers to a great extent. Their over enthusiasm about movies, film songs and dialogues can be redirected to language classes to teach various language functions, grammar and poetic devices like metaphor, simile etc. Showing a film in class may engage students, but engagement cannot be the only reason for showing movies in the classroom. Teachers must understand that the planning for viewing a film is what makes it an effective learning experience for any grade level (Kelly 2019).

Role of Poetic Devices in Poem Appreciation

            Appreciation of poetry is the process of evaluating, understanding and interpreting poetry. For the better appreciation of a poem, one should be able to follow the figurative language of poem. Poetic devices are techniques or elements such as meter, rhyme, figurative language etc. used by poets to create a particular mood or effect in poems. Some of the major poetic devices are metaphor, simile, rhyme, alliteration, personification, imagery etc. Poetic devices help readers to understand and interpret poems. By using them, poets convey multiple layers of meaning. So, for the proper understanding of a poem, teaching poetic devices is imperative. While teaching poetry the teacher should assist students in understanding and identifying poetic devices. Very often, students encounter difficulty in properly understanding and remembering each one of them and distinguishing one from other. This happens particularly when they are asked to identify metaphor and simile.

Teaching Metaphor, Simile, and Imagery Using Film clips

            Metaphors and similes are poetic devices used to bring in comparison in poems. Poets usually use them to compare two different things. Metaphor compares two different things directly without using "like" or "as". Metaphors are more direct than simile. Example: "All the world is a stage". Simile compares two things by saying they are "like" each other. Example: "Falling in love feels like a thousand crickets jumping around in my chest". Imagery is a poetic device used mainly in poetry that uses vivid description that appeals to a readers' senses. These poetic devices are given prime focus in high school textbooks. But many teachers report that students confuse metaphor with simile even though the difference is stressed. In this context, clips from popular movies can be used as teaching aids to simplify the concept of metaphor and simile. Movies provide a narrative model framed in emotions and images that is also grounded in the student’s familiar, everyday universe and stimulate a reflective attitude in the learner. (Blasco, et. al 2018)

 Film Dialogues and Song Lyrics to Teach Metaphor and Simile

            Song lyrics are one of the best and effective ways to engage students in poetry lesson. Certain songs, irrespective of the language are popular among students. Another advantage of using song lyrics is that they are also rich in poetic devices like simile, metaphor, and imageries. Lyricists use metaphor, simile, and imageries widely to make songs more poetic. So, as a first step the teacher should do enough homework to choose suitable songs as aids. The teacher can play the audio of respective lines containing the desired figure of speech or even show a clip. Once the teacher finish with explaining the concept of metaphor by citing textual examples, songs can be used to invite students' attention. They can be asked to identify the metaphor in a particular song. For that, a teacher should follow the popular culture and know the recent trend. Metaphor makes a direct comparison between two different things that have shared attributes, as we see in "All the world is a stage". "Everybody is a gangster, till you see the monster..."is the starting line of a popular song from the movie KGF. So, students can be asked to identify the metaphor from this line. This will enhance their enthusiasm. Another method is to use film clips that contain metaphorical lines which have become part of popular culture. For example, there is a famous dialogue in the cult classic movie Manichitrathazhu that goes like this: " He is a Ravanan. He has ten heads". This line is used by the character of Thilakan to describe Mohanlal's character and his brilliance in Psychiatry. This scene can be used as an example after explaining metaphor with textual examples. Same method of using song lyrics can be employed to teach simile as well. Simile compares two things using "like and "as". There are many songs in Malayalam and English popular among students and they can be used.

The teacher can also give group activities to find out the metaphors and similes from songs they like. This will help to internalise the concept and get clarity.

Film Clips to Teach Imagery

Imagery is one of the commonly found poetic devices. Poets use words to paint visual or auditory images that appeal to our senses. Film clips can best be used for presenting unfamiliar images. Images are powerful communicators, even though the original English language is not the first language of the audience, nor of the facilitator. (Blasco, et.al 2015). For example, to teach the poem 'Bang the Drum' given in class IX text, the teacher must familiarise students with the images of banging drums. For this, clips from popular movies can be used. One of the major advantages of using popular movie clips is that it leaves an indelible mark in students' memory as they try to connect the lesson with what they like. Movies provide a narrative model grounded in the learners´ familiar world that is framed in emotions and images (Blasco 2015). Therefore, students find lessons more interesting, and this will promote learning and achievement.

Conclusion

            Poetry is a powerful genre that helps language learning. Students' indifference to learning poetry partly arises from their difficulty in comprehending various literary devices. Due to this, teachers often find poetry lessons challenging. In this scenario teachers should resort to learner- friendly strategies and aids to make explanation easier. Considering the popularity of films, a novel and practical method has been devised to make teaching effective. The approach is to make use of popular movie clips and song lyrics to teach poetic devices like metaphor, simile, and imagery. For the success of this method, teachers should always keep track of the latest trends in music and popular culture. Life stories and narratives enhance emotions, and therefore lay the foundation for conveying concepts (Blasco 2015). This makes teaching more effortless and learning more interesting.

References

Blasco, Mariluz Gonzales., Blasco, Pablo Gonzales., Janaudis, Marco Aurelio., Levites, Marcelo Rozenfeld., &Moreto, Graziela (2015). Education through Movies: Improving teaching skills and          fostering reflection among students and teachers. Journal for Learning through the Arts, 11(1), 2-5. https://https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1086983.pdf

Blasco, Pablo Gonzales., Moreto, Graziela., & Pessini, Leo (2018). Using Movie Clips to Promote           Reflective Practice: a Creative Approach for Teaching Ethics. Asian Bioethics Review, 10 (1).                    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7745764/

Carter, R., & Long, M.N. (1996). Teaching literature. Longman.

Karande, Ayushi Jagdish., & Sharma, Rakhi (2022). Impact of Films on Youth of India. Ijraset Journal for           Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology.            https://doi.org/10.22214/ijraset.2022.46130.

Kelly, Melissa. (2019, Jul 04). 11 Pros and Cons of Using Movies in Class. Thoughtco.           https://www.thoughtco.com/pros-and-cons-movies-in-class-7762

Lazar, G. (1993). Literature and language teaching: A guide for teachers and trainers. Cambridge           University Press.

Rejina, K.C. (2021, November 27). Role of Poetry in English Language Learning: A Review of Literature.           NELTA ELT Forum. https://neltaeltforum.wordpress.com/2021/11/27/role-of-poetry-in-english-     language-          learning-a-review-of-literature/