Abstract
This article examines the educational value of two prescribed poems for Grade 8 Afrikaans First Additional Language (FAL), namely “Swart Karnaval” by Nanette van Rooyen and “Valentynsdag” by Ilze Beukes, with a focus on emotional support for adolescent learners. Both poems appear in the Via Afrika Afrikaans Eerste Addisionele Taal. Graad 8 leesboek (Geldenhuys 2013) and address emotional themes that are directly relevant to the lived experiences of Grade 8 learners navigating the transition into high school.
Adolescence is characterised by profound emotional, physical and social changes. For Grade 8 learners entering high school for the first time, this transition is frequently accompanied by anxiety, uncertainty and a search for identity. Within this complex developmental context, the Afrikaans FAL classroom offers a unique opportunity to support learners not only linguistically but also emotionally. Language teachers are well positioned to use poetry as a vehicle for emotional intervention, enabling them to approach sensitive issues with nuance and care. Although the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for Afrikaans FAL acknowledges that literature study nurtures learners’ emotional intelligence, empathy and social skills, it provides little concrete guidance on how these outcomes should be achieved in practice. This article responds to that gap by demonstrating how two prescribed poems can be used to develop social and emotional competencies in Grade 8 learners.
The theoretical framework underpinning this study is social and emotional learning (SEL), as conceptualised by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL 2003). This framework identifies five core competencies essential to healthy development: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. These competencies serve as the analytical lens through which the two selected poems are examined. The study argues that poetry, as a literary genre, is uniquely suited to developing these competencies in adolescent learners because of its concentrated emotional power, its use of imagery and sound devices, and its capacity to reflect universal human experiences in accessible and memorable ways.
The method of literary analysis applied in this article is the Combrink model (Combrink 1994), which provides a systematic and progressive approach to literary engagement. The model comprises four interrelated levels: emotional response, investigation and description, interpretation, and evaluation. Importantly for this study, the model places the emotional response at the foundation of literary analysis, recognising that cognition and emotion are inseparable in the reading process. This alignment with SEL principles makes the Combrink model a particularly appropriate analytical tool for poetry that aims to develop emotional competencies alongside literary skills. Each of the two poems is analysed across these four levels, with specific reference to how structural, stylistic and thematic features activate SEL competencies in learners.
“Swart Karnaval” by Nanette van Rooyen offers a compelling exploration of emotional masquerade – the way in which people conceal their true feelings behind a performance of happiness. Through the central figure of a harlequin at a carnival who weeps a single dark tear despite maintaining an outward display of joviality, the poem speaks directly to the adolescent experience of social pressure and the tension between public image and private reality. The poem’s title establishes an immediate tension through the juxtaposition of “swart” (black), evoking darkness and melancholy, against “karnaval”, evoking festivity and colour. This oxymoronic pairing runs throughout the poem, reinforced by contrasting imagery, sound devices and structural choices that deepen the reader’s awareness of the harlequin’s hidden suffering. The poem is analysed in terms of its capacity to develop social awareness and empathy in learners – encouraging them to look beyond surface behaviour and remain sensitive to the emotional struggles others may be concealing. In an era of social media, where adolescents are under constant pressure to project curated, positive self-images, this theme is particularly timely and pedagogically valuable.
“Valentynsdag” by Ilze Beukes examines the complex emotions surrounding adolescent romantic attraction and the vulnerability inherent in expressing one’s feelings to another. The poem traces the inner dialogue of a young speaker deliberating whether to reveal romantic feelings to a beloved – an experience that is at once universal and deeply personal. Written in free verse and structured in two octaves, the poem moves from the speaker’s dreaming and longing in the first octave to the moment of decision and action in the second, mirroring the emotional journey from internal conflict to resolve. Sound devices, including assonance and alliteration, are used deliberately to reflect the speaker’s shifting emotional states, while the incorporation of the well-known Afrikaans proverb “Wie nie waag nie, wen nie” grounds the personal dilemma within a broader philosophy of courage and growth. The analysis of this poem focuses on its potential to develop self-awareness, responsible decision-making and self-management in learners, as well as its value in initiating honest classroom conversations about vulnerability, identity and healthy relationships.
Together, these two poems offer complementary pedagogical resources. “Swart Karnaval” directs learners’ attention outward, fostering empathy and social awareness of others’ emotional experiences. “Valentynsdag” turns learners’ attention inward, cultivating self-awareness, emotional regulation and the courage required for authentic self-expression. This complementary focus makes it possible to address multiple dimensions of social and emotional learning in the Grade 8 Afrikaans FAL classroom through the study of just two prescribed poems. Both poems engage adolescent experiences with directness and authenticity, drawing on contexts – carnival, social performance, the school environment, first love – that resonate with young learners.
The article concludes with practical pedagogical guidelines for teachers and lecturers on how to use these poems effectively in the classroom. These guidelines are grounded in the four key elements of effective SEL implementation identified by Durlak et al. (2011): sequenced, active, focused and explicit instruction. Recommended classroom strategies include pre-reading activities that activate learners’ prior emotional knowledge, structured first and second readings that progress from emotional response to analytical engagement, guided group discussions using open-ended questions, and creative response activities such as letter-writing and reflective journal entries. The importance of creating a psychologically safe classroom environment is emphasised throughout, as learners cannot be expected to engage honestly with emotionally resonant material in a space where they fear judgement or ridicule.
This study contributes to the growing body of research on the therapeutic and pedagogical value of poetry in language teaching. This article provides an Afrikaans perspective that accounts for both the language-pedagogical and culturally specific dimensions of poetry teaching in South Africa. In multilingual and multicultural South African classrooms, where learners come from diverse linguistic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, the two poems examined here demonstrate how Afrikaans poetry can serve as a bridge – not only between language and emotion, but between learners who may otherwise feel distant from one another yet share the same universal adolescent experiences. The integration of social and emotional learning into poetry teaching should not be regarded as an additional burden on already pressured teachers, but rather as a necessary dimension of holistic language education that simultaneously develops cognitive and affective competencies. When poetry is taught with intentionality and sensitivity, the language classroom becomes a space where feelings are validated, empathy is cultivated, and literature fulfils its transformative potential.
Keywords: Afrikaans First Additional Language; emotional intelligence; literary analysis; poetry teaching; social-emotional learning
- This article’s featured image was created by Hebert Santos and obtained from Pexels.
Lees die volledige artikel in Afrikaans
Poësie as emosionele brug: ’n ontleding van gedigte vir graad 8 Afrikaans Eerste Addisionele Taal