WELLBEING
If we are going to take a poem seriously we must think
differently in order to triangulate meaning via our own
limits of understanding, the conventions of language as
we know them through everyday usage and the unique
and creative expression of the poet’s own subjective
experience and sense of the thing described within in the
poem (Taylor, 2003).
Rather than experiencing poetry as a strange and
rarefied language, reading poetry aloud, enlivens and
foregrounds its nature as a living art form or a way of
communicating common human experiences. In popular
psychology literature this feeling is sometimes referred
to as “connectedness” (James, 2007; Gilbert, 2010).
Recognition and appreciation of ‘connectedness’ is
evident in some of the reflections of students engaged in
this VSU activity.
Does reading poetry
aloud to care home
residents have beneficial
effect on students’
wellbeing?
Jon Cheetham, Teacher of English
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.
Chinese Proverb
As part of our VSU programme, a group of students
from Years 10-12, have been reading poetry aloud to
care home residents in the local community. The Poetry
By Heart project is inspired by The Reader Organisation,
which runs community reading projects and conducts
research into the wellbeing benefits of the shared
experience of reading poetry aloud (Billington et al,
2011).
Poetry is more effective than prose for this purpose
because of its use of rhyme and rhythm, and compressed
language, which has been shown to have a unique effect
on cognition (Billington et al, 2012). In my experience,
students regard poetry as the most difficult element
of literary study precisely because it is so radical in the
singularity of its manner and mode of expression.
18
The positive benefits of reading poetry aloud for care
home staff and residents is evident in their feedback
to us. This is expressed in terms of gratitude, humility,
compassion and sincerity; all virtues that attest to an
experience of ‘connectedness’. Exercising virtue, like
the feeling of connectedness, can be interpreted as
evidence of the existence of wellbeing. In the literature
on this topic, an important distinction is made between
eudaimonic and hedonic orientations to wellbeing
(University of Glasgow, 2010).
The terms hedonism and eudaimonia, can be
differentiated according to the emphasis placed on
the individual self and on other people. According to
Broksopp (2018), short-lived hedonistic pleasure is
about “instant gratification” and “hedonic activities
include the ‘thrill’ of buying new things, a ‘like’ on social
media and various other addictive activities that all
form part of what is known as the ‘hedonic treadmill’
meaning that the more we have, the more we want”.
Eudaimonic wellbeing, on the other hand, is about
“finding meaning and purpose in our day-to-day life and
living in accordance with our inner values”. It is “a feeling
of connectedness with yourself, others and the world
around you.” Unlike hedonism which is oriented towards
gratifying one’s self, eudaimonia is outwardly focused
and requires engagement with others and with one’s
environment and willful service of something greater
than ourselves (p.18).
McMahon and Estes (2011) note: “Existing empirical
research suggests… that eudaimonic approaches may
be relatively more important for wellbeing than hedonic
approaches. For example, daily eudaimonic activity was
found to be more robustly associated with wellbeing than
behaviors aimed at experiencing pleasure or obtaining
material goods” (p.6).
Altruism, a source of eudaimonia, is something the Poetry
by Heart students’ value highly. Their written reflections
frequently refer to the value of doing something kind