The History Teacher

“Fishing on the Susquehanna in July” by Billy Collins (1998)

Initially, the poem seems to describe an idyllic fishing trip on the Susquehanna river. It becomes clear that the poem is instead a commentary on the power of art and the importance of experience. While art can recall emotions from the experience, it can never fully replicate them. This poem, one of his most critically praised, has been preserved in the United States Native American literary registry as a culturally significant poem. The poem has been widely included in anthologies and has often been used in the Advanced Placement exam for high schoolers.

“Marginalia” by Billy Collins (1996)

This poem explores the different relationships an author can have with their reader by examining the different sorts of comments readers write in the margins, also known as marginalia. Some readers are students leaving minimal comments about literary devices, others express objections and misunderstandings, and still more express approval or disapproval. Ultimately, Collins presents this practice as a reflection of the relationships created between human beings through literature. Like “The History Teacher,” the poem is filled with allusions to support these themes.

“Forgetfulness” by Billy Collins (1999)

Like many Collins poems, this poem has clear and accessible language with comic moments to comment on a wider issue. Here, Collins comments on the forgetfulness experienced as one ages.

“Special Problems in Vocabulary” by Tony Hoagland (2015)

Like Collins, Hoagland uses simple and accessible language in his poetry. This poem, like “The History Teacher,” uses literary and scholastic ideas to comment upon wider societal issues. In this poem, Hoagland describes the breakdown of a relationship.

“Beat! Beat! Drums!” by Walt Whitman (1861)

Whitman is often cited as a stylistic precursor for Collins. Here, Whitman begins the poem with bombastic calls for war that ultimately shift to remind the reader of the devastating toll war has on society. This complexity of tone and point of view also mirror Collins’s “The History Teacher.”