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The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC; 2000a) pointed out that literature in the secondary school curriculum is part and parcel of language learning. This is because reading is considered useful in helping learners to develop vocabulary, comprehension, and the ability to construct sentences. In other words, the study of literature in English in the current 8-4-4 (eight years of primary, four years of secondary, and four years of tertiary education) system is expected to provide student development and growth in intellectual, emotional, and linguistic aspects. It is also expected to help the individual learner develop an appropriate self-image and concepts of the community to which he or she belongs. It is for these same reasons that poetry is one of the genres of literature that is taught and examined in Kenyan secondary schools today.
Poetry in literature is taken to be a collective word for poems, while an individual poem is a form of creative expression that tells what people think or feel about something. A poem can be read, recited, or sung. In Africa, poetry has been in existence from time immemorial, and the poet serves several roles, such as teacher, historian, informer, and entertainer (AIembi, 2000). The Ministry of Education (MOE; 1992) observed that poetry can be very interesting and enjoyable and, like other genres of literature, may pose worthwhile intellectual challenges to students. This is because it has the potential to develop in students a sense of criticism and appreciation.
However, poetry has recently been cited by both secondary and college students as the most unpopular genre of literature (Auto, 2001; Kabaji, 2001). Amateshe (1992) has observed that in Kenyan universities students tend to tackle poetry as mere recitation. This is perhaps why a report by the Faculty of Education of Moi University (1990) said that poetry at the university level in Kenya is one form of literature that often causes nightmares for both teachers and students. Two years later, the MOE (1992) noted that not only does the teaching of poetry present teachers with considerable problems but also that pupils find poems difficult and inaccessible. Contributing to the same debate, Kanyike (2000) and Auta (2001) concluded that it is common knowledge that poetry is given a raw deal in many...