Keats Recitation

[BrokenLyre]

Tonight, my 19 year old son had to read a poem to his college "Communications Class." All the students were required to do the same - read any poem they could find to the whole class. The teacher was very critical of the the two students who read their poems before my son, so he got up, and though very nervous, decided to recite "Chapman's Homer" from memory. The teacher was stunned and actually said to the class, "Now THAT is the way you should do it!" If you knew how difficult college is for my son, you'd understand how wonderful this is. But Keats saved the day! Once again, the poetry of Keats is put to use to help my kids in their classwork and in their confidence. The other poems read to the class were like contemporary drivel compared to Keats. Awesome. Getting my young kids to memorize some Keats poems was one of the best decisions I ever made. And Keats got some much needed "air-time" tonight in the college. It's a good day today in my house and had to share it with somebody.

[Saturn]

Congratulations to him! And how lucky of him to have a parent that knows good poetry

[Saturn]

Congratulations to him! And how lucky of him to have a parent that knows good poetry

[Raphael]

That's brilliant Broken Lyre! I couldn't recite it from memory.

[Ennis]

That's brilliant Broken Lyre! I couldn't recite it from memory.

Maybe the first verse. . . !!

[BrokenLyre]

Glad you can enjoy this vicariously. Memorizing a poem just takes some time learning each line. Fortunately, Keats flows really well for some of his sonnets ("When I Have Fears", "Chapman's Homer" , "To One Who Has Been Long in City Pent", or even "A Thing of Beauty")
That helps. But it just takes some work. At any rate, my kids get great mileage in school on Keats, especially so since nobody really memorizes poetry anymore.

[Ennis]

Glad you can enjoy this vicariously. Memorizing a poem just takes some time learning each line. Fortunately, Keats flows really well for some of his sonnets ("When I Have Fears", "Chapman's Homer" , "To One Who Has Been Long in City Pent", or even "A Thing of Beauty")
That helps. But it just takes some work. At any rate, my kids get great mileage in school on Keats, especially so since nobody really memorizes poetry anymore.

I will admit to having memorized, believe it or not, "Ode to a Nightingale," "Bright Star," "La Bell Dame sans Merci," This Living Hand," " some stanzas, including the last, of "Ode On a Grecian Urn," and most of "When I Have Fears." My goal is to complete the "Grecian Urn", "When I Have Fears,' and "To Autumn." I'm working on the first stanza of "Hyperion: A Fragment." I love that verse: ":the Naiad 'mid her reeds/Pressed her cold finger closer to her lips." "On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer" is on my list.
It's sad, isn't it, when all one has to do is to sit around and read this kid's poetry; it just kind of sinks in as you do do, doesn't it.

[BrokenLyre]

I think that's great Ennis. It's mandatory in my house to memorize some Keats. My daughter and I memorized 10 poems (sonnets & odes) and she wants to quote "To Autumn" with me at her wedding this Aug 4th. I think that would be great.

A real conversation between my 7 year old daughter and me in the car last week:

"I will never memorize John Keats!!!" she protested.
"Why not?" I asked her. "Everybody in our house has memorized at least one poem!"
"Cuz, it's weird!" she yelled. "It's too hard to understand! I just don't understand what he's talking about!!"
"Well, you'll understand in about 7 years."
"I still won't do it!!" she insisted.

"OK...OK.......But a thing of beauty is a joy forever" I offered.

"Dad!!!"

That's how it tends to go in my house.

[Raphael]

I made a robot say the first verse of Ode To A Nightingale today!

http://www.fact.co.uk/news-views/2012/0 ... -tonight!/

You can see it in the picture on the right-you text it what you want it to say- its eyes light up and it plays a funny tune before it speaks!
It doesn't pause for breath and its mouth is a smiley flashing light and people were stopping and staring at it recite the poem.