"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
Sona exhaled, as she read aloud that final passage of Robert Frost's famous poem The Road Not Taken. Her nerves started to relax as she realized she had just recited an entire poem in a completely foreign language. Like most Armenian teenagers, reciting works of poetry isn't an everyday activity for Sona but here she was on stage, reciting a famous American literary work from memory, that earned her first place in her grade level in a national poetry competition.
High school students learning English like Sona, traveled to the capital, Yerevan from every region of Armenia to participate in the Annual National Poetry Recitation Competition this past May.
"The best thing about learning and reciting poetry is finally being able to understand the poems in English and then sharing that poem with others. Something I've learned is that there is beauty in every poem and then you get to enjoy and share that beauty," said Sona.
The Armenian high school students competed against their peers to recite famous American poems by Maya Angelou, Robert Frost, and other poets after practicing for nearly two months to perfect their voice and articulation, dramatic effect, and accuracy.
The competition was an opportunity for over 200 students across Armenia to practice speaking English, while also exercising creativity and learning about American literary culture.
About the Project
The Annual Poetry Recitation Competition is an initiative of Peace Corps Armenia and the English Language Teacher's Association of Armenia, with support of American Councils Armenia.