Why students hate poems nowadays

If we ask a student in middle school which kind of literature he prefers, novel or poetry, probably the answer is “novel”. The fact is, according to a survey conducted in 2009, 12.1 percent of adults had read a poem on their own in the past 12 months. However, the rate declined to 8.3 percent in 2008.

The reason why adults dislike poems now seems obvious: they do not like reading poems since when they were in schools. To make matters worse, they pass this preference to their next generation, and as a result, less people enjoy reading poems, while students hate poems in literature class.

Why students hate poems today? Different people may have different opinions. Some hold the opinion that poems are “old-fashioned”, while others say that they cannot understand what the author want to tell them. In my opinion, there are two main reasons.

Human beings have a natural affinity for story. When we were still children, our parents usually told us short stories instead of poems. The reason is simple, stories are easier to understand compared to poems, especially for those three or four years’ old children. It is natural that we can accept things which are easier to understand.

However, another reason must be thoroughly considered. During our education in schools, we have been trained to look for “story” in all the literary works. Actually, some the teachers and textbook makers has played a negative role in our literary education. They over-emphasize on teaching stories. Whether in the form of comic books, graphic novels, plays, movies, short stories or novels, “story” has been the backbone of literary education.

From my point of view, something has to be done. We must know that great literature is more than “plot”, and story does not mean the whole literary world. In fact, poetry is an important part of literature. During our study life, teachers should provide us with proper guide to enjoy reading poetry.