Introduction
What is ekphrasis, and why introduce it in the second language classroom? This was the question that I posed to myself upon learning of ekphrastic poetry. If your students are anything like mine, their reaction to poetry may be one of intimidation, they might feel lost or quite possibly inept; most poetry seems mysterious to them. Now add into the mix poetry in another language, a language in which a great deal of the vocabulary is unfamiliar to them. Approaching a poem in the second language may seem quite daunting, almost impossible for first or second year language learners. Ekphrastic poetry can ease the introduction of poetry in the target language to students by providing a means for them to enter into a poem, very similar to reading illustrated nursery rhymes as a child. Provided with the visual, the language learner begins to believe that understanding the poem at a very basic level is possible. Poetry written in response to a work of art invites discussion about the components of the poem, its structure and its function and for language learners it provides plenty of opportunity for growth in and practice using the target language vocabulary aurally, verbally, and written. In this unit I strive to demystify target language poetry for my students through the study of the poem “Catrina,” by Xánath Caraza written in response to La Calavera Catrina in Diego Rivera’s mural “Sueno de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda.”
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