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Happy Valentine's Day! Today we talk about our Fine Arts Focus for the month, and what goes better with Valentine's day than poetry? (Okay maybe chocolate, but poetry is good too…)
The poem of the month for February is The Slave’s Dream by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Refer to page 42 of your book, Classic Poetry.
On the eve of the American Civil War, Longfellow penned Paul Revere’s Ride as a call to courage (page 46 in Classic Poetry). Nearly 100 years after the Revolutionary War, Paul Revere’s bravery was inspiring Americans facing a new conflict. Listen to this reading and imagine you are an American whose grandparents told you stories of their struggle for freedom. You’re facing another threat to the Union, this fragile new experiment in democracy and you need some inspiration. Would Longfellow’s words move you to courage?
The incomparable storytelling of Andy Griffith is also worth watching.
But we digress…now back to Longfellow…
He also wrote a modern epic poem entitled Hiawatha (read an excerpt here). SLOCA alumni students will remember other epic poems from previous years of study such as The Odyssey, The Iliad, and Virgil’s Aeneid.
Remember, SLOCA scholars, the Classic Poetry anthology required for Intermediate, LMS and UMS students is your first resource for poetry at SLO Classical and anything you do in addition is above and beyond.
Have you found a resource you and your students are excited and inspired by? Feel free to share in the comments or e-mail us at [email protected]!
