Logic does well at school;
And Reason answers every question right;
Poll-parrot Memory unwinds her spool;
And Copy-cat keeps Teacher well in sight;
The Heart's a truant; nothing does by rule;
Safe in its wisdom, is taken for a fool;
Nods through the morning on the dunce's stool;
And wakes to dream all night.
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This poem is a comment on how people, especially students, are taught to think with their heads, not their hearts. Passion and dreaming is punished, and logic and reason is much preferred. But the heart has the true wisdom.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is a very romantic poem. It states that rather than teaching students to use logic and cold reasoning, students should be taught to follow their heart. The first part of the poem is sarcastic, the second part further explains the theme. I disagree with this poem. We can only advance as people with reasoning and logic. Any "enlightnement" we may get with the heart is purely emotional and will not have any lasting effect. It would only serve to divert us from the true path we should take in life.
ReplyDelete-Zhijian Xing
I think Walter de la Mare is saying that logic can get you far when used at school or work. Everything has a place, and logic's place is in a work environment. Dreaming and creativity, then, also deserves time. Walter also points out that dreaming and creativity is not a bad thing. I believe he is trying to convey that both parts of the mind are equally important, but there is a time and place for creativity and for logic.
ReplyDelete-Kaitlyn Sabourin
I agree with Zhijian. This poem is very romantic. The poem glorifies knowledge and makes it out to be better than what it is, a characteristic of romantic writing.
ReplyDeletePatrick Evans
I agree with Kaitlyn. As pointed out in the poem, knowledge and wisdom serve a very important purpose in our lives and should be glorified. But as wisdom is given praise, creativity and dreaming also are key in one's life. As it says in Ecclesiastes 3, "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven..."
ReplyDeleteI very much like the "time for everything" interpretations presented here. I think this is part of what the poet is trying to get at. The poet obviously values creative thinking and wisdom above the "rote memory" work found in so many traditional education systems. Do you think we still have lots of "rote memory" work in high schoo or have we moved away from that form of education? Which do you think is more important to your education?
ReplyDeleteI think logic is the way to go. even though my heart speaks against myself. i feel as if there are two people inside me. i just haven't learned how to control which one shows yet. and if i suppress my emotional side it comes out way too strong without any logic and gets me into a lot of trouble, as i have found out the hard way. only after i balance them can i finally be at peace.
ReplyDeletePhilip Wolfe
Ms. Smith, I think today's society is gradually starting to accept the creative way of thinking more. However, I believe that logic and reason is still favored, even in schools. I mean, obviously math and science classes are going to be involved mostly with logic. English and History are more involved with creative thinking. Even those classes though, still have plenty of "rote memory" work. I think the school system should find more of a balance.
ReplyDeleteIt's much easier to test rote memory than it is to test creativity, so creativity is taught more.
ReplyDeleteI think this poem is saying that most people think with their brain instead of their heart. It's not right or wrong its just a fact. Students especially think with their hands. It is easier to think with memory then it is to have to come up with a whole new way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteI think this poem shows how a person can use two different parts of their brain. Someone can act completely different at school than after school.
ReplyDelete-Amanda Akridge
This poem reminds me of something we learned in psychology. We were talking about how once children enter elementary school, full of endless rules, children become much less creative. They pretend play much less and think in a more concrete way. If something isn't done by the book it is considered "weird." I think this has a huge impact on our society- if people would stop worrying about being considered 'different,' I believe that our society would benefit so much. Rules are good- but not to the point on infringing on creativity!
ReplyDeleteWell said, Dominique!
ReplyDeleteThis poem is very interesting because it shows that not all things can be taught at school. Yes, knowledge is aquired at school, but social skills, deep thoughts, and dreams are aquired within the heart.
ReplyDeletei think this poem is talking about school and on school work and how you always have to follow the steps exactly right and if you take a short cut you'll get it wrong.
ReplyDelete-Joey Hanson
I agree with the previous thoughts on the poem and romanticism. It exemplifies romanticism because is emphasizes thought other than just what one is taught in school. It is vital to use one's heart too instead of just what has been learned in school.
ReplyDeleteI think this poem is saying that some things need to be separate to function correctly. Your brain and your heart are two separate organs, and logic and daydreams don't always mix. One of the most important things in life is to be able to separate your dreams from reality. I think that this poem really touches on this point, Yet it doesn't say that dreaming is bad, just that its causes sometimes seem foolish. But the heart is an unstoppable foce no matter what you do. And even though they mustn't be confused, you can live with just a heart or a brain alone. you need both.
ReplyDeleteI think today's schools are limited by liability, so to speak. We're too afraid to step on people's toes if we so much as bring up the topic of religion. We've moved down a path that is strictly logic, as far as the school system goes. Creativity is something that the individual student has to look for, rather than being encouraged to be creative.
ReplyDeleteCarley
I think that our school system really doesn't encourage creativity. Just this year we took Alabama's writing test. Unique and overly creative writing is frowned upon by this test, which is designed to go by a specific structure that overlooks true quality. All the tests given by Alabama's school system I have taken encourage cliches and structure rather than creativity.
ReplyDeleteSchools tell us we must have logic and reason to succeed. While this does have some truth to it there is much more. In order to really "succeed" in all aspects of life we must be able to express our emotions and our creativity.
ReplyDeleteAlthough logic and reason are beneficial to many aspects of society, this way of thinking is very limiting. Sometimes reason tells us that our dreams and aspirations can not be attained, but they are still worth working for!
ReplyDeleteI think this poem speaks of logic and resoning over instinct or what our hearts say. That because we are taught to present what we know not what we feel, the logic takes over in all that use in school only to return home to think and feel freely.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Xing- this is a poem written to those who get by in school with mediocre grades, but who have the most stories to tell. The ones who sleep in class and have a depressing facebook status, but who everyone loves to spend time with after school. Although logic and rote-memory will help us with our futures, free thought and, for-lack-of-a-better-word, imagination will make life worth living.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this poem. I feel like I want to follow my heart, but I'm afraid to wear the dunce's hat that may come with it. So I follow logic, which is something I also want to share part in. It's all about keeping a balance and knowing when to use logic or your heart.
ReplyDeleteI think the poem is trying to say that everybody should use logic to succeed in school, but at the same time you should never ever let anybody say that you cannot achieve your dreams.
ReplyDeleteLogic certainly works in school, however when it comes to other things, such as dealing with people, listening to your feelings and what not works much better.
ReplyDeletethis poem talks about how most kids dont read poems with a sense of felling but just to get the meaning. i agree that students are taught to think about poems through their minds and not their hearts. When you read a poem with your heart and not so much logic, you can gain a differnt insight from the poem.
ReplyDeleteI think the author wanted readers to understand that there is more to life than understanding and answering, some things are un-answerable and some things just defy logic and those are usually things that enrich life and should be taken notice of.
ReplyDeleteLauren Payne
I think lauren's right. there are some things in life that we cannot explain. For example, why do we call the colors of the rainbow by the labels we have for them? Why not call them something else? Its impossible to come up with new labels for things that have been hard-pressed into your very being.
ReplyDeletecan anyone please analysis this poem please and stop saying 'i think'.
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