And his merry bosom swells Keeping time, time, time, To the rolling of the bells; -- To the moaning and the groaning of the bells. Writing this poem was almost like a game to Poe. He wrote it to see how nearly he could make the words of the poem sound like the bells he was describing. Note that in each stanza he describes a different kind of bell. He gives the keynote of each bell in the first line, and then describes the scenes that he associates with it, all in a sort of orchestral effect. 1. How is the mood of each stanza different from the mood of every other? 2. In which stanza do you think Poe succeeds best? 3. Be ready to read aloud your favorite stanza so as to make it sound as much like the bells as possible. 4. How do you like this poem as compared with "The Raven" (page 228)? A GLANCE BACK OVER THE POEMS 1. What different kinds of subjects do you find poets writing about today? Do they all write of springtime in the country, as some people say? 2. Group the poems in this section entitled THE SINGING HEART (pages 295-342) according to the subjects with which they deal. Write the titles in groups in your notebook. 3. Which subjects in these poems appeal to you most? 4. Which is your favorite among the poems in this section? Learn it by heart and recite it to your classmates. 5. Which of these poems express an idea worth remembering? 6. Which poems do you like for the following reasons: (a) because of the beauty of the pictures they present? 7. List in your notebook the names of ten poets mentioned in this section whose names you think worth remembering. See how many of their poems, besides those in this book, have been read by members of your class. 8. Which of the poets represented in this section grew up in the city and which in the country? How do you think this affected the themes of their poetry? 9. It would be interesting to compare the poems in this book with those written by boys and girls which are published in Creative Youth and Singing Youth. (These volumes are in the list on page 298.) 10. What subjects for poetry are there in your school and community? Why not write a poem about them and have an Original Poetry Day? MANY opinions prevail in the world. Who does not have them? From the smallest child who wishes to direct his playmate with words of command, to the great statesman who would influence a nation or even the world with elaborate argument, the tendency to express personal opinion in words is universal. When a person commits his opinions to writing, the resulting prose may be called an essay, even though it may not occur to him to dignify his effort with such a high-sounding title. The essays most of us write are informal ones dealing with personal experiences and judgments, and most frequently are in the form of letters to friends. Not all letters, to be sure, can properly be called essays. Some of them are stories, tales of events; others are descriptions of places we have seen or persons we have met. The letter becomes an essay when it seeks to interpret or explain events or to pass judgment upon persons or things. Such essays all of us have written, even though, like the man in the French story who did not know he was speaking prose, we did not realize that our letters could be properly designated as essays. Speeches also may be thought of as essays, and also editorials in newspapers and magazines. Clearly, the essay may concern itself with any subject upon which one wishes to express an opinion. It may deal with the most serious problems of life, such as morals or government or world peace. The lighter topics of personal preferences and pleasures, the character or conduct of a man, the value of physical possessions, or a social practice - all these too come within its scope. In the following pages you will find a wide range of topics delightfully treated by several authors. WHAT DO YOU THINK? BOOKS TO READ ONE of the choicest fruits of friendship, according to Sir Francis Bacon, is the intimate exchange of ideas which it makes possible. In the books listed below, you may be friends with some of the great men of our own and other days. ADDISON, JOSEPH. Sir Roger DeCoverley Papers. E. P. Dutton and Company Incidents in the life of a quaint English country squire of the eighteenth century. BARTON, BRUCE. The Book Nobody Knows. The Bobbs-Merrill Company BENNETT, ARNOLD. How to Live on Twenty-four Hours a Day. Doubleday, Doran and Company Practical advice from one who knows the busy life of a great city. Your United States. Harper and Brothers Experiences of a first visit to the United States. BLACK, G. H. Paths to Success. D. C. Heath and Company CHAMBERLAIN, ESSIE (editor). Essays Old and New. pany Harcourt, Brace and Com Essays that have proved popular with boys and girls. GRAYSON, DAVID (Ray Stannard Baker). The Friendly Road. and Company "Write me as one who loves his fellow men." Great Possessions. Doubleday, Doran and Company Doubleday, Doran What are your great possessions in life? David Grayson has no doubt as to what his are. GRIGGS, EDWARD HOWARD. The Use of the Margin. B. W. Huebsch Good advice on making the most of one's time. IRVING, WASHINGTON. The Sketch Book. G. P. Putnam's Sons Sketches of rural life in England and a Christmas celebration in the olden days. JEROME, JEROME K. Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow. Henry Holt and Company Good humor, good sense, and an intimate acquaintance with human foibles. LEACOCK, STEPHEN. My Discovery of England. Dodd, Mead and Company A good laugh from cover to cover. Leacock good-naturedly gets even with the Englishman who, after two hours in New York City, "discusses America." MILNE, A. A. If I May. E. P. Dutton and Company Not that It Matters. E. P. Dutton and Company Delicate, witty, and entertaining essays by one of the editors of Punch. MORLEY, CHRISTOPHER. Mince Pie. Doubleday, Doran and Company Semihumorous thoughts on life, especially the life of a columnist. Pipefuls. Doubleday, Doran and Company More semihumorous thoughts on men and manners. SAUNDERS, A., and CREEK, H. L. The Literature of Business. Harper and Brothers. Prominent business men analyze the character and personality necessary to success in the business world. SHARP, DALLAS LORE. The Hills of Hingham. Houghton Mifflin Company Magical Chance. Houghton Mifflin Company All about books and how a writer finds something to write about. SMITH, C. ALPHONSO. What Can Literature Do for Me? Doubleday, Doran and Company Personal thoughts on the value of reading and the influence of literature upon life and character. TANNER, W. M. (editor). Essays and Essay-Writing. The Atlantic Monthly Company A collection of very human essays, mostly short and many of them humorous. TWAIN, MARK (Samuel L. Clemens). Mark Twain's Speeches. Harper and Brothers A fund of wit and good humor tempered with common sense. VAN DYKE, HENRY. The Van Dyke Book. Charles Scribner's Sons |