Our bosses tell us to.
That’s the reason teachers “force” students to study anything, really. It’s in our contract. It’s what we’re paid to do. We’re paid to do a job, and that job, for English teachers at least, includes teaching students about poetry.
If you’re wondering why poetry is included in the curriculum (a decision which usually has very few teachers involved, believe it or not), there are many reasons. Some students like poetry. It’s a part of the “cultural capital” that all students should know something about.
But mainly, like many subjects you’re taught after 5th grade or so, it’s not so much about content so much as it is about method.
To be blunt: you’re learning how to learn.
You’re taking something that’s new to you (in this case, poetry), studying it, breaking it down into its parts, and reassembling it mentally until it makes sense to you. That’s a skill you will use throughout your life: learning new things.
Think of learning poetry like it’s doing squats.
The chances of you ever needing to lift a lot of weight by squatting under it and pushing up are very, very low. But that’s not why you do squats. You do them to improve your leg muscles, which benefits your life in a variety of ways, some of which can be very enjoyable.
So it is with poetry. If you like it, great! If not, oh well. You still need to work your brain, so that it will be ready for other things that you do enjoy doing.
Picture Source Wikipedia
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