In Pursuit of Didactic Poetry
Why this underappreciated subgenre of an underappreciated style of writing ought to become a fixture of any modern classroom worth its salt.
Before we get started, I feel it’s important to address what some hypothetical detractors may call “sour grapes.” While it’s true that the tribulations inherent to submitting myself to the traditional publishing industry influenced this essay, the beliefs behind it are steadfast. Though students all learn differently, the increased expectations for them to commit things to memory directly contradicts the neglect the education system has shown towards rhythmic mnemonics. The impetus to write that poem/book came from recognizing that deficit, rather than recognizing the deficit after the poem was written.
The ancients knew of the sticking power that poetry had in the human consciousness. Homer’s verses lasted longer in their prose than almost any other written word, and the few clay tablets that persisted because of their medium (rather than their importance) have a multi-millennium gap in between when they were relevant and when they were again able to be understood. W.H. Auden’s controversial definition of poetry as “memorable speech” may seem laughably sparse to critics and detractors alike, but he has correctly identified the core attribute that separates it from common prose.
Generally speaking, the term “didactic poetry” refers to poems that teach deeper lessons than dates or events in history. Horace’s “Ars Poetica” gives the reader lessons on the elements of poetry, Hesiod’s body of work both teaches about good farming and how to please the gods, and Kipling’s “If—“ teaches about the qualities a boy needs to aspire to in order to call himself a man. The definition has no reason to be so myopic, though. “Thirty Days Hath September”1 comes to mind as something that teaches no profound lesson but still ought to qualify as didactic. The song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” came from Billy Joel’s desire to record a series of memorable events in popular culture over the course of his life. If it didn’t, why else would he have written the song? I would even posit that the main reason Columbus Day has become such a bulwark in the face of social backlash is because prior generations have committed which year he “sailed the ocean blue” to memory, and not because of any real passion in favor of his so-called accomplishments. Of all the main dates that children have been expected to memorize in our education system it’s the only one with a popular rhyming mnemonic, after all.
The main hurdle to achieving the goals of broader utilization of poetry is as old as Catullus’ struggles with wide appeal. The median American father’s concerns with getting their child an education go as far as their acceptance at their alma mater, and asking them to go home and commit something that rhymes to memory for a grade will flare up the troubles that a lifetime of steak and corn will cause a man’s heart. At best, poetry is viewed as effete; at worst, it’s infantilizing. We live in a climate where the former has become a minor cultural gripe for the time being, but pride has gotten in the way of the latter. It has proven to be a mistake to make any sort of sweeping generalization about generational behaviors, but “kids these days” have flattened out the bell curve between students too prideful to pay attention in school and those too self-obsessed to bring themselves down to the level that poetry would have the greatest efficacy.
Studies continue to show that children have an easier time learning languages than adults, but it remains an open question whether this is due mostly to attitude, amount of free time, or physiological changes in the brain. All three are undeniably contributing factors, but I would wager the first to be of paramount importance. The more shame we instill in young minds for the crime of being young (hence the caveat about judging generations earlier), the harder it is to keep them in the right mindset for learning in general, and the less they’re willing to try silly and trivial things like poetry to get information to stick. If we let kids be kids (or, as a rule for more general audiences, take ourselves less seriously) then mental retention will inevitably increase. This is all to say, we must make both a conscious and a subconscious effort to appreciate poetry more in the world if any of this is going to work. The evidence for its importance is, frankly, undeniable; it’s more of a matter whether we care about future generations enough to plant these acorns now to turn their minds into mighty oaks.
Telling people to “buy my book” as a solution is small-minded, arrogant, and too niche to apply to all situations. In all honesty I’d much rather see someone else succeed in writing their own bestseller in this genre off the back of this article than necessarily seeing my own explode in popularity, because it would mean that there are more resources for students than there were a year ago. So, have at it.2 Pick up a copy of Horace and learn from an old master. Even mediocre poetry is welcome and useful to the young. Provided that one doesn’t count the vaguely lyrical songs I’ve been translating, it’s been almost 7 years since I’ve written poetry, and I’m happy with how that came out. It’s hard work, but the results are worth it.
Some may qualify this as a nursery rhyme, which is another whole area of didactic poetry we don't have time to get into. I might return to this subject later if there is interest, or readers feel I did not prove my point effectively enough.
Maybe hold off on writing another abecedarian collection of limericks for a couple years, just to avoid stepping on toes. I'm sure you understand.