The point is, just as the second law of thermodynamics can awe us with its inherent beauty and comedy, so can a poem teach us something useful about the structure of the universe. And a study of either can help us reflect on what it means to exist in a complex world. Coming into this term, I've got three goals in mind. Even if it turns out you hate one or two of them, you'll have been exposed to something new, which is the great basis of all education.
Critical reading can be hard work.
Talking your ideas over with other people helps both you and them to think. Writing things down forces you to think them through more clearly, and pushes you to develop your thoughts past that initial glimmer of an insight. Plus, of course, our educational system requires that I have some basis on which to assign you a grade. Texts The Norton Introduction to Poetry, 7th ed. Miss more than three classes, and your karmic score goes way, way down.