Poetry: an integral part of learning

While reading the article ``Of Pilfering, Pears, and Poetry,'' Nov. 17, I realized, sadly, that poetry has been downgraded in the educational curriculum being offered to today's young. The author was ``dumbstruck'' when he found that one-third of his class had never heard of Robert Frost.

Our students are denied the rich legacy of growth and learning that poetry provides. The bully who memorized and recited ``The Village Blacksmith'' was a good example of poetry's power to influence human behavior. Lefteris Lavrakas, Costa Mesa, Calif.

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