Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The School Children" is a poem by Louise Elizabeth Gluck, originally published in her 1968 collection "Firstborn". Gluck is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet known for her sparse and incisive style, often exploring themes of family, relationships, and mortality in her work.

Explanation:

"The School Children" is a brief yet powerful meditation on the nature of childhood and the inevitable passage of time. The poem is set in a schoolyard, where children are playing, shouting, and running around. The speaker observes them from a distance, noting their energy and exuberance, and reflects on the fleetingness of youth.

Poetic Elements:

• Structure: Two stanzas, each with four lines. No consistent rhyme scheme or meter.
• Imagery: Sensory details of the schoolyard setting, such as the "bright ball" and "whistles" of the children at play.
• Theme: The transience of childhood and the passage of time.

Conclusion:

"The School Children" is a poignant reflection on the fleeting nature of youth, captured in spare yet vivid language. Through the lens of a schoolyard scene, Gluck explores the joy and energy of childhood, while also acknowledging its inevitable passing. The poem's simple structure and sensory detail invite the reader to share in the speaker's contemplative mood, underscoring the universal human experience of the passing of time.

Poem Snippet:

"The bright ball shots arrow-like through the air,

its path invisible, save for the white hands

that caught it, and the whistles, and the shouts

of children, that seem to make the ball rise higher."

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