I am teaching poetry and the poem “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by John Donne is the perfect poem to use when looking at the theme of interdependence. The Erik Erikson conversation could be interspersed around the work with the …
In “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes, I could teach the theme of perspective by examining the message the speaker gives her son– to never give up when times are hard. Before reading the poem, I could use the Theodore …
Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, “The Raven” sets a grieving lover against the silhouette of an aloof raven whose only answer to his increasingly despairing questions is, “Nevermore.” The Theodore Roethke conversation on perspective will allow students to consider whether darkness …
One of the most analyzed poems in American literature is “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Most students cannot understand that the choice made by the speaker can be viewed from different perspectives. I would look at the conversation …
Bruce A. Jacob’s poem “Home Training” talks about how he did not understand the quotes his mother hung up at home, or her “laying on of hands,” or her warning “fence line of red roses” because he didn’t know the …
The poet Emily Dickinson is famous for her cryptic verses, but in the poem “Success is Counted Sweetest“ she tells us specifically that those who appreciate success the most are those that have not had it. I would connect this …
Before reading the poem “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” by Walt Whitman, I would use Chief Joseph’s conversation about communication to discuss the concept of truth and the idea that simplicity and silence often lead to deeper understanding in …
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 …
The theme of self-expression is very evident in the Walt Whitman poem “I Hear America Singing.” After a class reading and an analysis of the multiple expressions presented in the poem, I would connect to the Confucius conversation about how …
Emily Dickinson’s poem “There’s a Certain Slant of Light” describes the effect of light in “winter afternoons” as a subtle, invisible “affliction,” something imperceptible yet real; something not unlike solitude. Franz Kafka states, “Isolation is a way to know ourselves.” …
One short and meaningful poem I enjoy sharing with my students is “I’m Happiest When Most Away” by novelist Emily Brontë. The speaker in this poem enjoys taking time alone to disengage from the world and contemplate life. This poem …
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