Literature

Literature is a term that includes written work from several genres. The definition of literature has varied over time. Poetry extracts are a type of literature similar to small paragraphs or parts of a poem. An extract can be defined as a passage from some literary work or an excerpt.

Meaning of Poetry

Poetry is a form of literature that is open and static by nature. In simple words, the term poetry can be defined as words that arouse emotions. Poetry is a collection of words that intend to broaden the reader’s mindset. Poetry has the quality to evoke imaginative expression in the readers.

Prose/Poetry Extracts 

The term prose includes any writing such as short stories, novels, scripts, etc. Poetry extracts are small parts of a poem. Poetry extracts can also be called excerpts or stanzas as poetry is incomplete in nature. Such extracts are unable to convey the poet’s complete message. 

Examples of Poetry Extracts 

1. I saw my mother,

beside me

doze, open mouthed, her face

ashen like that

of a corpse and realised with

pain

that she was as old as she

looked but soon

put that thought away,……

This extract is from ‘My Mother at Sixty Six’ by poet Kamala Das. In this poem, the writer tries to capture the complications of relationships within human beings. It depicts bonds in human nature, especially those between a mother and daughter.

2. On sour cream walls, donations, Shakespeare’s head, 

Cloudless at dawn, civilized dome riding all cities.

Belled, flowery, tyrolese valley. 

Open handed map awarding the world its world.

This extract is from ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’ by poet Stephen Spender. In it, the poet describes common inequalities in society through the situation of students of an elementary school. The school is located in a slum area. The poet wishes to bring everybody’s attention to these children from slum areas.

Meaning of Literary Appreciation 

Literary appreciation is a form of reading, understanding, and making a critical judgment over the theme and style or use of figurative and non-figurative language along with other elements in the literary work. 

Importance of Literary Appreciation 

The enhancement of literary appreciation skills enables students to gather a higher level of knowledge in literature reading. Literary appreciation allows readers to understand human emotions, themes, insights, ideas, and several other human experiences conveyed in the literary text. 

Comprehension 

Reading comprehension, in simple words, can be defined as one’s ability to make meaning out of a certain text. To determine the meaning of a text, readers must make personal connections with the text. The person must know the meaning of the vocabulary used. The reader should be clear about the purpose of reading and the text structure.

Types of Reading Comprehension 

Reading comprehension can be divided into two broad categories: factual passage and descriptive passage. 

Factual passage

Passages involving some background knowledge are called factual passages, and the discussed topics are clearly stated in them. Factual passages convey information about one particular subject in a direct manner. Case-based unseen factual passages are those that have never been read before. Such passages are to be read on the spot and then answered. 

Descriptive passage

A descriptive passage talks about several unconnected topics at random.

Conclusion 

Literature is an umbrella term that is used to refer to a multiplicity of ideas and written works. The term poetry extract can be defined as a small paragraph or part of a poem. Literary appreciation is a term used to evaluate, understand, and to make critical judgments of the theme or style of the literary work. The term comprehension defines one’s ability to read the text and interpret its meaning. It is of great importance for a student to understand the different forms of literary works to appreciate and value the diversity of literature.