As the half-term break approaches, there’s no better time to pick up a new book and embark on an exciting literary journey. Whether you’re choosing your new pieces for our summer LAMDA exams, or taking some well earned relaxation time, this week I wanted to dedicate the director’s note to a lifelong love of literature.
Reading literature and poetry opens doors to new ideas, sharpens the mind, and enriches our understanding of the world. It teaches us empathy and inspires our imagination. Whether you prefer thrilling adventures, heartfelt stories, or beautifully crafted verses, there’s something for everyone in the world of books.
The Benefits of Reading Literature
Expands Imagination and Creativity: Reading fiction transports you to different times, places, and cultures, sparking your imagination and inspiring creativity. Stories allow you to experience life from different perspectives, helping you see the world in a new light.
Improves Vocabulary and Communication Skills: The more you read, the more words you encounter. Literature introduces you to rich language, unique expressions, and effective storytelling techniques, all of which enhance your ability to express yourself clearly and confidently.
Develops Critical Thinking: Engaging with complex characters and intricate plots helps sharpen your analytical skills. Literature challenges you to interpret themes, understand motives, and draw connections—skills that are invaluable in everyday life and academic pursuits.
Builds Empathy and Emotional Intelligence: Books allow you to step into the shoes of different characters, understanding their struggles, emotions, and experiences. This builds empathy, teaching us to be more understanding and compassionate toward others.
The Beauty of Poetry
Encourages Emotional Expression: Poetry captures emotions in a powerful and concise way, helping readers connect with their feelings and experiences. It offers a form of artistic expression that resonates on a deep level.
Enhances Concentration and Interpretation Skills: Poems often use symbolism, rhythm, and unique structures that require close reading and interpretation. This practice strengthens focus and the ability to think beyond the surface of a text.
Provides Comfort and Inspiration: Whether uplifting or reflective, poetry has the power to inspire and comfort. It can provide hope during difficult times and encourage personal growth.
Challenge Yourself This Half Term
Why not use this half-term break to explore something new? Pick up a classic novel, try a book from a different culture, or dive into a collection of poetry.
Whether it’s the adventure of The Hobbit, the thought-provoking themes of To Kill a Mockingbird, or the beautiful verses of Maya Angelou, there’s a book waiting to inspire you. Reading is a gift that keeps on giving—so curl up with a good book, and let your imagination take flight! Wishing you a wonderful half term.
And to start you off… a few poems on the theme of Valentines, as it’s the 14th Feb!
Valentine By Carol Ann Duffy
Not a red rose or a satin heart.
I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.
Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
It will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.
I am trying to be truthful.
Not a cute card or a kissogram.
I give you an onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and faithful
as we are,
for as long as we are.
Take it.
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring,
if you like.
Lethal.
Its scent will cling to your fingers,
cling to your knife.
How Do I Love Thee?
By Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Sonnet 116
By William Shakespeare
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments; love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no, it is an ever-fixèd mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come.
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom:
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
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