From Homer to Seuss: Teaching in Verse

           Though poetry and verse are largely associated with creativity and imagination, they also have historically been used as rhetorical tools designed to relay lessons and accounts. Poems fulfill diverse roles in our world recounting the ancient battles and dynasties that existed long ago, and fostering the knowledge gained by youth. 

           One form of poetry known as the epic is a lengthy narrative intended to deliver accounts or histories. Despite their great lengths and complexities, ancient epics such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey were traditionally memorized and recited by an orator rather than written and read. One reason for this could surely be the lack of modern technology such as the printing press to aid in the manufacture and spread of writings, but the major purpose for the practice of recitation was the importance placed on remembrance and reliance on one’s own knowledge.

            Among the earliest and most famous examples of epics, Homer’s Iliad  and Odyssey were semi-fictitious accounts of the ancient Trojan War and its proceedings. Informing listeners of the story of Helen of Troy and her abduction by Paris, these epics provided insight into conflicts and warfare that are being referred to by historians and tacticians to this day. The concept of the Trojan Horse method of subterfuge whereby a gift is presented or gesture made with concealed intent of betrayal by the contributor was birthed by these epics. These epics and the insight they provide into ancient conflicts are only known today due to the memorable characteristics of verse and rhyme that allowed them to be taught and cherished for generations.

(BritishMuseum)

In reference to this iconic tale, today a computer virus exists also called the Trojan Horse that succeeds by disguising itself as a trusted program that when executed allows a hacker some form of control over the victim’s system. Additionally, similar tactics of deception were employed in modern time during Pontiac’s Rebellion of 1763 in which British soldiers offered Native Americans blankets secretly infected with smallpox as a friendly gesture. Perhaps as a result of this tactic, the disease spread among Native American populations, escalating to an epidemic that erased a significant portion of their population. These examples illustrate the impact of history’s survival and heeding as fostered by verse.

Able to harbor information and package it in ways beneficial to memory, poetry can also be utilized to teach lessons. Formatting lessons into rhyming, memorable verses, poetry packages facts into iconic and recognizable bunches associated with tunes and rhythms. One specific lesson that I recall learning as a child from poetry is the Bill of Rights. By rhyming the amendment number with its conditions, the information is grouped in such a way that recollection becomes effortless. Additionally, pairing the verse with a tune allows it to be sung and reviewed until becoming engrained in memory.

The right to free speech and religion and press
Are guaranteed by Amendment One
Amendment Number Two says it’s true, that it’s all up to you
If you choose to possess a gun

The government can’t force you to house and feed a soldier
Says Amendment Number Three
Amendment Number Four we adore says without a warrant
Your stuff can’t be searched or seized

Amendment Number Five says the court can’t try you
With evidence they already used
It also says that nobody can make you self-incriminate
You’re allowed to stay silent if you choose.

Amendment Number Six won’t let the criminal clock tick
The rights of the accused continue here, and then
Amendment Number Seven gives you one plus eleven:
A right to a trial by a jury of your peers

If it’s cruel and unusual punishment
It’s ruled out by Amendment Eight
Amendment Number Nine says that other rights are fine
And Ten gives the rest to the states.

(Source: BillofRightsInstitute)

            Deviating from normal methods of teaching that are drier in nature and less interactive, poetry and songs are effective teaching tools as they promote creativity and encourage participation. One man who especially understood this concept was Theodor Seuss Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss. In his famous catalog of work including The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham, Seuss makes a point of using colorful and fantastical language and rhymes to cultivate reader’s minds and imaginations. This tactic made reading a practice desirable and enjoyable to children, encouraging them towards a passion for reading and learning.

(TheTJMcCoyBlog)

            In retrospect, poetry’s value extends beyond creativity and expression. Historical accounts and epic sagas unfold and are more easily conferred in verse as demonstrated by Homer’s works that have defied the ages. Lessons and values are more easily memorized and accessed when packaged in rhyme and sound. Poetry and the imagination it inspires also serve as bridges inviting learners to capture the wonders roaming the pages of literature.  

A Green Light Somewhere

             Celebrating its 200^th birthday in 2014, the United States national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner” was originally penned as a poem commemorating the defense of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. Though the poem was originally titled “Defense of Fort M’Henry,” it lost three of its four stanzas and adopted the tune of the popular British social song “"The Anacreontic Song” and became known as “The Star-Spangled Banner,” (Smithsonian). Perhaps the removal of these additional stanzas was essential in transforming the poem into a song, particularly in reducing the already steep difficulty in remembering and reciting the lines.

 Adopted as the national anthem in 1931 by a resolution signed by President Herbert Hoover, it has since become an international symbol of American patriotism representative of triumph and spirit, (Smithsonian). It is now traditionally sung in arenas and stadiums prior to major sporting events and ceremonies as a continuous reminder of American freedoms and opportunities

Boarding a ship from Baltimore on orders to exchange prisoners of war with the British, composer Francis Scott Keys had a great vantage to observe the bombardment of Fort McHenry. Noting the brilliance and magnitude of the enormous American flag that stood atop the battlements, a British officer guaranteed Keys that the flag would not last the night. Despite the officer’s surety, Keys observed the triumph of the American flag as it still stood illuminated by the dawn’s light. To Keys, this sight proved inspirational and formed the basis for his poem that has encapsulated American resolve and determination:

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

(Smithsonian)

            As a token for American determination and will to survive in the face of opposition aiming to oppress, the vision of the enormous banner of the American flag proved inspirational to all fighting and living under it. Surviving bombardment and siege, the defiant waving of the flag that still stood summarizes the American spirit of freedom and bravery.

            Though intending to secure a legacy in his chosen field of legal practice, Francis Scott Key’s legacy ultimately lies as a poet and creator of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The fame garnered from his work afforded him prominence and recognition, securing him high profile clients as an attorney and later a position as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. Key’s success proves that brilliance may sprout in the poetry of anyone in possession of a potent muse. Muses may range from spectacular scenes such as the defense of Fort McHenry to any other vision or thought of grandeur existing in all corners of the world.

            Born in 1896 and named for his famous distant cousin, Francis Scott or F. Scott Fitzgerald took the literary mantle of his relative and brought it to greater heights. Rather than capturing the patriotic aspects of Americanism as Keys had, Fitzgerald instead expressed aspects of the splendor and extravagance of the Jazz Age. During this period of the 1920’s, America established itself as the wealthiest country in the world for the first time in its history. This  contrast in ages is reflected in Fitzgerald’s writings that emphasize the fact that the strength and power of human emotion cannot be suffocated by lavishment.

(Princeton University Library)

            One such short story penned by Fitzgerald that exemplifies a shift in American culture and literary values is “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz.” In this story, a disgustingly wealthy family holds and hoards lands rich with a number and size of diamonds capable of supplying the world’s population with a supply sufficient to increase their availability to everyone. However, instead of introducing these diamonds to market, the family obsessively and cruelly protects them from outsiders, even to the lengths of murdering valued guests to secure the knowledge of their location. This act of conservation may reflect Fitzgerald’s belief that the freedoms and potential wealth afforded to America are a concept, and that beholding and believing in them do not bring them to realization.

            Perhaps most famous of Fitzgerald’s work, The Great Gatsby is an additional cautionary story concerning the American Dream and what can be lost in the pursuit. Similarly eschewing Keys emphasis of American triumph, this novel reveals the emotional hardships wrought by the endeavor for value and identity. Jay Gatsby is a man who achieved his dream of acquiring vast riches and a mansion, but when his wealth is insufficient to win the affection of his flame he is condemned to a sorrow as deep as those whose dreams never came true.

            Ultimately, what inspires us to write and erect monuments of thought contained within poems and writings that defy the ages vary in manner, but not in power of revelation. Just as Key’s inspirer was the pride of a flag and Fitzgerald’s the trials of a dream, the one thing that is certain is that everyone has a green light somewhere.

Source:

http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/a-moment-of-triumph.aspx