This report studies the potential function of poetry as a literary genre to be used in language instruction. Strategies and tactics which are designed to develop the four basic skills, advanced as fundamental objectives of audiolingual programs, are delineated through a section on guidelines for teaching language through literature. The author examines three phases of classwork which involve study of the poem's surface, inner, and personal meaning. Poetry selection, methodology, and the use of the target language are discussed. Special emphasis is given to the need to adopt a Socratic method for the study of poetry. (RL)