The War of the Roses occurred in a garden, while the Enola Gay dropped a single atom on Japan. The children would go from the classroom to the playground to bully the weak and intelligent, messing up their hair and breaking their glasses. Meanwhile, the teacher gathered his notes and walked home past flower beds and white picket fences. He wondered if the children would believe that soldiers in the Boer War told long stories to lull the enemy to sleep. The poem is called The History Teacher and raises questions about its subject matter and what the poet wants us to alter.
What aspects do you not comprehend? Is it the vocabulary? The allusions? The structure? Or is it something else? What visual images can you identify within the poem? What examples of word choice do you notice? Are there any alternative words that could have been utilized instead? What inquiries can you pose to yourself about the text that will help you unlock its meaning? (Unlocking questions are prompted by the text and can be answered through analysis. By answering them, you will gain a deeper understanding of the poem.) For instance, why does Collins emphasize that the teacher passes by a “White picket fence”? Or, “Why is the teacher attempting to shield his student’s innocence?” Where does the poem shift?
The author argues that education should make us aware of humanity’s capacity for evil and destruction. To support this claim, three specific examples from the poem are provided along with explanations of how each example supports the claim. The response can be written using the form below:
Specific example one. Explanation of HOW this example supports the claim above.
Specific example two. Explanation of HOW this example supports the claim.
Specific example three. Explanation of HOW this example supports the claim above.
