Speaker and characters

The main characters in the poem “The History Teacher” by Billy Collins are the history teacher and the collective character of the students. The narrator simply functions as an observer of the events (the lessons in the classroom and children's activities on the playground), but also has knowledge about the teacher’s thoughts and feelings:

while he gathered up his notes and walked home
past flower beds and white picket fences,
wondering if they would believe that soldiers
in the Boer War told long, rambling stories
designed to make the enemy nod off. (ll. 18-22)

The teacher

The teacher’s characterization does not offer details about his appearance; we only know that he is a history teacher and that his way home means walking “past flower beds and white picket fences” (l. 19). However, his inner characterisation is the most important.

The man tries “to protect his students’ innocence” (l. 1), but his methods fail. In fact, his teachings backfire dramatically, as the children are not innocent when they leave the classroom; in fact, they become bullies and aggressors.

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The children

The children can be analyzed as a collective character. Even though their reactions in the history class are not presented, we can assume that they are quite amused by the stories invented by the teacher. We can easily imagine their amused reactions upon hearing that in the Ice Age people “had to wear sweaters” (l. 4) or upon hearing that the Spanish Inquisitions only consisted of a series of questions about Spain.

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