“나는 가능성 안에 살아요”: 심미적 감성 교육과 시의 역할

“I Dwell in Possibility”: Education of Aesthetic Sensitivity and the Role of Poetry

This essay delves into the value of engaging with poetry as a mechanism for cultivating aesthetic sensitivity. It questions, first of all, “What is the role of poetry within educational frameworks, encompassing both academic and non-academic environments in terms of English education?” Drawing on Emily Dickinson’s line, “I dwell in possibility,” this paper posits that poetry not only creates but also shapes the field of ‘possibility’ thereby fostering the active development of an education rooted in narrative-based aesthetic sensitivity. By examining the interplay between our tumultuous lives and the very acts of reading and writing poetry, this exploration reveals that the literary practices done through poetry reading are intrinsically connected to our worldly existence. Through leveraging the essential nature of narrative, poetry emerges as a quintessential medium to enhance aesthetic sensitivity, engagement and empathy. Reading a few poems from the realm of American poetry, poems of Emily Dickinson, Louise Glück, and Joy Harjo, I argue that poetry serves a crucial role in an English education classroom as a potent tool for nurturing critical creativity, aesthetic sensitivity, and a sense of global citizenship.