This thesis explores the benefits of using literature, in particular poetry in the EFL classroom. Most present-day texts on the methodology of English language teaching promote the integration of literature into the language teaching programme. It is generally held that literature can provide a basis for enhancing students’ language competence, however, foreign language teachers are averse to integrating literature into the language teaching syllabi. My investigation is based on the teaching of William Carlos Williams’ “This is Just to Say” for learners of English with intermediate proficiency level in a Hungarian secondary school. I argue that William Carlos Williams’ poem proves to be an adequate and useful resource for language learning as it offers an appropriate starting point for skills development, vocabulary enrichment and for imaginative involvement. The larger implications of my findings could be that poetry, and literature in general provides a rich resource for language learning.