Compare And Contrast A Barred Owl And The History Teacher
Lanier Langdale
AP Literature and Composition
Essay III
Poetry Analysis
Wednesday, February 25
Both “A Barred Owl” and “The History Teacher” present the idea of conveying information to children but focus on different results. In “A Barred Owl”, a child’s parents use a personified explanation to make the outside world less scary. In “The History Teacher”, the teacher ironically tries to protect his students’ innocence by playing down history. Each poem is an example of how humans are affected by words. “A Barred Owl” uses imagery to depict a child scared of the unknown noises coming from outside. Wilbur describes the scene as “the warping night-air having brought the boom of an owl’s voice into her darkened room” (1-2). The details
bring the reader directly into the situation. The narrator explains the scary noise to the child as “an odd question from a forest bird…’Who cooks for you?’” (4,6). The narrator prompts the reader to question the power of words; “words, which can makes our terrors bravely clear, can also thus domesticate a fear” (7-8). In this story, parents can comfort their children and shield them from the outside world. The contrast of the second stanza reinforces the idea that the parents are protecting their child from the horror of the wild. The reality is described as “some small thing in a claw borne up to some dark branch and eaten raw” (11-12). Adults want to shield children from the bad in the world, so they stay innocent and are not scared. “The History Teacher” uses irony to present the negative outcome from trying to guard children from the reality of the world. The teacher oversimplifies the history lessons “trying to protect his students’ innocence” (Collins 1). He “told them the Ice Age was really just the Chilly Age…where everyone had to wear sweaters” and “the Spanish Inquisition was nothing more than an outbreak of questions” (2,4, 7-8). The dramatic irony is that the reader knows these historical events are a lot more gruesome and important than the teacher tells his students. The irony continues when the narrator reveals that “the children would leave his classroom for the playground to torment the weak and the smart” (13-15). The innocence that the teacher is working so hard to preserve is already gone; his students are bullies to the kids that are actually learning. In a way, the teacher is ensuring that history will be repeated by depriving his students of knowledge. The teacher “gathered up his notes and walked home past flower beds and white picket fences”, symbolizing that the teacher is also oblivious to reality (17-18). The overall irony reinforces that sugarcoating information can be really negative for children as well. “A Barred Owl” and “The History Teacher” portray examples of adults wanting to hide reality from children. While in both poems the act is done out of love or good intentions, the outcomes are very different. “A Barred Owl” shows the positive of the child sleeping soundly without fear while “The History Teacher” demonstrates the negative of the children making poor decisions because they do not know any better.
AP Literature and Composition
Essay III
Poetry Analysis
Wednesday, February 25
Both “A Barred Owl” and “The History Teacher” present the idea of conveying information to children but focus on different results. In “A Barred Owl”, a child’s parents use a personified explanation to make the outside world less scary. In “The History Teacher”, the teacher ironically tries to protect his students’ innocence by playing down history. Each poem is an example of how humans are affected by words. “A Barred Owl” uses imagery to depict a child scared of the unknown noises coming from outside. Wilbur describes the scene as “the warping night-air having brought the boom of an owl’s voice into her darkened room” (1-2). The details
bring the reader directly into the situation. The narrator explains the scary noise to the child as “an odd question from a forest bird…’Who cooks for you?’” (4,6). The narrator prompts the reader to question the power of words; “words, which can makes our terrors bravely clear, can also thus domesticate a fear” (7-8). In this story, parents can comfort their children and shield them from the outside world. The contrast of the second stanza reinforces the idea that the parents are protecting their child from the horror of the wild. The reality is described as “some small thing in a claw borne up to some dark branch and eaten raw” (11-12). Adults want to shield children from the bad in the world, so they stay innocent and are not scared. “The History Teacher” uses irony to present the negative outcome from trying to guard children from the reality of the world. The teacher oversimplifies the history lessons “trying to protect his students’ innocence” (Collins 1). He “told them the Ice Age was really just the Chilly Age…where everyone had to wear sweaters” and “the Spanish Inquisition was nothing more than an outbreak of questions” (2,4, 7-8). The dramatic irony is that the reader knows these historical events are a lot more gruesome and important than the teacher tells his students. The irony continues when the narrator reveals that “the children would leave his classroom for the playground to torment the weak and the smart” (13-15). The innocence that the teacher is working so hard to preserve is already gone; his students are bullies to the kids that are actually learning. In a way, the teacher is ensuring that history will be repeated by depriving his students of knowledge. The teacher “gathered up his notes and walked home past flower beds and white picket fences”, symbolizing that the teacher is also oblivious to reality (17-18). The overall irony reinforces that sugarcoating information can be really negative for children as well. “A Barred Owl” and “The History Teacher” portray examples of adults wanting to hide reality from children. While in both poems the act is done out of love or good intentions, the outcomes are very different. “A Barred Owl” shows the positive of the child sleeping soundly without fear while “The History Teacher” demonstrates the negative of the children making poor decisions because they do not know any better.