I am teaching poetry and the poem “Ode on Solitude” by Alexander Pope creates a wonderful opportunity to study the theme of isolation with students. This poem focuses on the upsides of loneliness and therefore raises interesting questions about what it means to be alone in relationship to the self. The Franz Kafka conversation can be utilized after looking at the poem, as a way for students to connect the perspective of the poem to the quote, “Isolation is the way to know ourselves.”
Level: Secondary English/Language Arts
Subject Area: British Literature, Poetry
Author: Anonymous