Blog #6: Video meets poetry

Question: Is it possible to combine poetry and film to extend students' comprehension of poems?

Answer: Unbeknownst to me, there is actually an extensive collection of beautiful poetry films, or video poetry, that exists. Poets, such as former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, pair the readings of their works with short animations, which makes for a surprisingly intriguing form of entertainment. One poem by Collins in particular, "Hunger", was used by FAD to create a very creepy video that I've watched at least seven times. Without ever having read the poem before watching the video, the images helped me understand that the poem was about loneliness and the feelings of delusion that come with success. This is the type of literary comprehension aid students should be exposed to in the classroom.

This new multimedia discovery has made me realize that having a B.A. in Film and Media Studies will definitely come in handy while teaching in a secondary English classroom. Three years ago, I actually made a short film based on a poem written by a close friend of mine. My professor didn't tell us we had to make a short film based on a poem; however, writing action based on text already rich with imagery inspired me. I'm positive that bringing a multimedia assessment to stimulate a poetry unit would be welcome and enlightening, considering I have a list of past instructors who have made it quite boring.

Other than my personal experience with pairing poetry and film, I was doubtful I would find a scholarly model I could base this unit on. Luckily, a group of University of Cambridge postgraduate students seeking certification in Secondary English and Drama participated in a workshop where they used "camcorders as notebooks for the study of poetry". When Gabrielle Cliff Hodges, author of the journal article documenting this teaching session, found that this activity was very rewarding in the scheme of English and Media studies. Hodges and I both agree that "the requirement to use the camcorder as a notebook relieves the pressure of making a complete film but still offers valuable insights into areas of knowledge and understanding in media education." Using a camcorder to turn the text into "moving images" with a group of peers is a much more exciting task than sitting at a desk dissecting a poem for an entire class period. The most fun part of using this in my classroom would be seeing the different films that are born out of a single piece of text.

The teachers in training that took part in the workshop were satisfied with their collaborative experiences, and found a multitude of reasons why using a camcorder is rewarding when studying poetry. In my opinion, the most poignant reflection was by Deborah, who stated "filming draws attention to the way in which the poem may have relevance in the modern world. Using images from daily life encourages you to make the connection between the poem and modern concerns." The poem used in the workshop was Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott", which is almost 200 years old and a piece most of them had encountered before. However, the students were able to use images from the modern world to help them understand the poet's diction, symbolism and narrative techniques in a refreshing way. Exploring Whitman and Dickinson with media integration would equip students with tools attack texts they would otherwise be intimidated by.

Hodges, G.C. (2005) The poem, the reader and the camera: Using camcorders as notebooks for the study of poetry. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 4(1), 70-80.