CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Research shows that the earliest form of poetry were sung and passed on as oral history. The efforts of ancient thinkers to determine what makes poetry distinctive as a form, from bad, resulted in “poetics”, the study of aesthetic of references to artistic elements or expressions within a textual work

Historical Background To The Study

The study of poetry is something that has been evolving. Poetry has a long and varied history evolving differently across the globe. Some of the earliest written poetry occurs among the pyramid texts of the 25th century BCE. Early poems evolved from folk songs as well as religious hymns or from a need to retell oral epics.  The historical background to the study of poetry can be subdivided into Ancient poetry (5000BC-400AD), which started in the mid-19th century. French symbolists, reacting to realistic and naturalist poetic styles, wrote poems which emphasized on the importance of the sound of the verse creating music through words. This era of poetry was intense, complex full of symbolic imagery. Poets like Emily Dickson, T.S Eliot we’re major poets of the ancient poetry.

Medieval poetry (400-1500AD). Much of this poetry reflects the centrality of the church. Dane , Chaucer were the major poets of the medieval poetry.

Renaissance poetry(1460-1630). This era of poetry includes a variety of artistic writing. This period of poetry was characterized by a focus on the arts. Major poets of this era were Ben Jonson, John Milton.

Neoclassical poetry (1660-1800). The poets of this period tried to recapture the ideas of classicism in ancients. They translated many of the classics an used elegant language in their works. Major poets here were John Dryden, Alexander Pope

Romantic (1798-1850). During this period, new forms of poetry were developed and poets began to write in their native languages. Major poets here were Ben Jason, Edmund Spenser and Modern poetry (1850-present)

Contextual Background To The Study

It deals with the language of poetry. Material supporting the poem allows the writer to explore the deeper knowledge. Context is information that helps the message of a literary text make sense. It could be a novel, a memoir or a collection of short stories. The context of a poem is the background against which it is written and which influences it’s writing.

Statement Of The Problem

From observations, the mastery of some key components of poetry such as interpretation, summarizing a poem, bringing out the meanings of words in context, the literary devices used influences and has an impact on the way students perform in the poetry section of literature. It is for this reason that the researcher will be investigating the effects of poetry on secondary School students’ performance in literature.

Research Objective

General Research Objective

The study sets out to examine the effects of poetry on secondary school student’s performance in Literature in the Buea Municipality

Specific Objectives

1. To investigate the effects of effective interpretation of poems on secondary School Students performance in Literature in the Buea Municipality.
2. To examine how the teacher’s mastery of poem summarization influences secondary School Students performance in Literature in the Buea Municipality.
3. To examine how teachers’ mastery of bringing out the meanings of words in context impacts secondary School Students’ performance in Literature in the Buea Municipality.
4. To appraise the literary devices used by teachers and the effects on secondary School Students’ performance in Literature in the Buea Municipality.