THE USE OF POETRY EV TEFL: LTTERATURE IN THE NEW LEBANESE CURMCULUM

In this paper, I demónstrate how the analysis of the language of poetic selections could be the basis for TEFL lessons. To illustrate, I use sample selec-tions from the poetry of two Lebanese-American poets namely Ameen Rihani's The Chant of Mystics and Gibran Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet. Nowadays, more arguments support the relevance of using literature to the teaching of a foreign language, and discuss the usefulness of the linguis-tic analysis of literature for pedagogical purposes. The New National Curriculum of Education put into effect in Lebanon beginning academic year 1998-1999 differs radically from the oíd one in methodology, approach, and distribution of cycles. The new curriculum adopts the content-based approach, which allows for the possibility of using literary texts as one source of content. My major focus in this paper is on the use of poetry in the secondary cycle of the Lebanese English curriculum. The poet-ic selections handled are rich in their vocabulary and structures, which allows for a variety of activities. Whether we are teaching a foreign language or even a native one, literature is a highly recommended vehicle for a number of rea-sons. In such cases, focus on the language pavés the way for a meaningful and rewarding literary appreciation