There are many teachers out there who go on teaching literature confronted by, sometimes, unsurmountable challenges.

There are also many other teachers who yearn for the opportunity to teach and study literature but have never got the opportunity to fulfil this desire because of breucratic and other obstacles.

Then are the hundreds of students/people who would love the opportunity to study/read literature - guided to understand and appreciate the beauty of language, interpret the richness of texts and learn about worlds they have yet to see or will never.

This forum is for YOU.

All of you out there who crave for the opportunity to talk to like-minded people to share your passion for literature and even information about specific literary works that you would like others to experience.

Let's share our experiences, inspire each other and others who have yet know this joy.

When I was in the secondary school, I taught lit because i had to...(. It was quite depressing, to teach students who have no interest in literature...

has anyone done any study as to the interest of students towards literature? I wonder if the statement "the hundreds of students/people who would love the opportunity to study/read literature" is valid...how many students for example, actually sign up for literature programme in the universities?


teh chee seng

Pessimism has never been the reason for human progress nor developments in humanity.

For the 2003 SPM Exams Elective paper we have about 300 students registered.

For the 2003 STPM Exams Elective paper we have just over 100 students registered.

This, probably due to this existence out there of a group of truly dedicated and optimistic teachers who never tire in invoking in learners the love for enjoying the experience of literature.

This also, probably due to the students' own interest and intrinsic motivation and desire to enrich themselves in spite of the existence a group of teachers who have lost their sense of belief.

And equally important are parents who encourage and motivate their children to study and enjoy literature for all its instrumental and hidden benefits - not forgetting for the simple joy of the experience.

As people truly interested in literature let's not only be optimistic but pro-active as well.

I fell in love with literature when I was in Secondary School -reading E.M. Foster's "Where Angels Fear To Tread" opened my eyes to the clash of cultural temperaments and my ears also took pleasure in the rhythms of Foster's prose. Must I confess ? Even reading Brodie's notes opened my mind to the notion of craftsmanship in writing - for the first time I was aware of something beautiful called "structure".
I've been out of the country for a while now and out of touch with reading & teaching Lit for some time now but would like to start something for fun.
A discussion group for short poems, for a start. Nothing to do with exams. Anyone interested ?
Let me look for a poem and I'll be back.

Hi -can anyone tell me what this poem by Emily Dickinson means ?

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I ASKED no other thing,
No other was denied.
I offered Being for it;
The mighty merchant smiled.

Brazil? He twirled a button, 5
Without a glance my way:
“But, madam, is there nothing else
That we can show to-day?”

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What is "it" ?
Is God the mighty merchant ?
Why "Brazil" ? Was Dickinson simply aiming for the alliteration ?
Is this poem a variation of "Man proposes but God disposes" ?

thanks for your message. Actually, we do have a discussion group going on. Look at the forum on SPM and STPM literature. HOpe to have your feedback there as well.

Brazil to alliterate with "but"? Sorry, I don't see it. could you enlighten that part please? There is a "5" after "button". I guess it must be a typing error.

Who is the "We" in the last line? Hmmm....a poem that deserves deeper scrutiny.

Hi there,
Emily Dickinson's poems have to be read against her background, the times and society she lives in and what she stands for. To your 1st Q, I think the word "it" is used to refer to what she is trying to say in the first 2 lines - independence and respect for a woman, in other words the emancipation of women during her time. I beg to differ on the point that she was referring to God as the mighty merchant. Perhaps she was referring to anyone whom she sees as holding her fate ( as a woman ) in his hands ( most probably society). It's interesting to note why she refers to society as the mighty merchant. Could she have seen the achieving of emancipation for women of her time as a trade off, something that could only be gained at the expense of another?
As to your 2nd Q. - I'm not quite sure whether Brazil was put in to alliterate ( I can't see any sign of that) but what is interesting is the question mark after the word. It seems to lend a tone of incredulity and disapproval. Definitely women wanting to know about Brazil, a faraway and exotic country was unheard of during her days and in her society. Another interesting thing to note is the word "He" spelt with a capital "H". Was she trying to portray the power struggle between the two sexes during that time? Was it a widespread social struggle or was it a personal struggle for intelligent women like her who were not given the social freedom to be what they were.
You may be right about the " Man proposes, God Disposes" bit, but I don't think it was Emily's primary concern. However, I wonder if she could have felt a little of that under the very frustrating and exasperating circumstances she was in.Comments welcomed especially from Literature enthusiasts.

P/s The no. 5 is not part of the poem. It's just an indication of the line no. Cheers.

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thanks for your feedback. interesting discussion you gave there, i guess it is more of a biographical approach that you took. anyway, if one were to read without knowing the background of the poet, the interpretation may still be valid.

yeah...i still can't find the alliteration between Brazil and ????


what do the others think?

Thanks for the response. It's not exactly a biographical approach as such but an understanding of the life and time which she lived in does certainly enhance our interpretation of the poem. At the same time, getting a feel of the tone and the voice of the poet would definitely be a great help.What do you people out there in cyberspace think? Comments welcomed!

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this is lock.studying literature is actually more than just studying a language on its own, it fact it is studying about the human philosophy in living. Human tend to change according to time sequence. That's why literature is important to educate the generations of students to live in a more psychological way, that i feel studying literature is the only tool to mend and nurish our students' way of thinking. as days go by, people on the earth tend to move towards thinking for ownself way of living,(selfish) where i personally feel teaching literature at least will show them what life is really about. forcing the students to study literature is not an appropriate way of teaching literature, but letting them know of what is going to happen in the future through studying literature will at least gain their interest to listen and think of what their teacher will say or teach about literature.in order of making this a success, initially the teachers themselves must know what is the connotative reasons of teaching literature.