Perspectives

The following lines will help you better understand Billy Collins’ style and will help you connect the poem “The History Teacher” with similar literary works.

Current issues

The issue of exposing children to violence is still very relevant nowadays. Even though the lessons at school are not necessarily related to this issue, we still have the media and the video games that present violence to children. The media (including the news, music videos and movies) become increasingly more violent and children...

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Works in the same genre

A Postmodernism poem we recommend you read is “Tich Miller” by Wendy Cope (Contexts, p. 45), which explores the themes of bullying and rejection. As you will see, Cope’s poem is very similar...

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Works with the same theme

The theme of growing up is explored in the short story “The Shining Mountain” by Alison Fell (Contexts, pp. 18). In the story, a young girl wants to rise to her father’s expectations and embarks on a journey that makes her develop as a person, but which also brings her on the verge of death.

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