Poetry discussion on The Best Of School by D. H. Lawrence.

Poetry discussion on The Best Of School by D. H. Lawrence.

" The Best Of School"

I recently studied " The Best Of School" by D. H. Lawrence. I made

this piece my choice as I found it not only poetic but also

informative. It gives you some insight as to how some teachers

possibly think in their day in school. D. H. Lawrence was once a

teacher and therefore had prior knowledge to the theme this poem was

based on.

The poem was written in the early 1900's but still would be

appropriate in present day schools. " The Best Of School" is written

through the eyes of a teacher. It is an optimistic view of young boys

learning in the classroom

I was impressed by the way Lawrence made many references to soothing

natural imagery and that is what made this poem my first choice. He

uses water imagery to explain his relationship with the boys. He

refers to the teacher as " Sitting on the shores of the class," saying

that the boys were like the seawater coming into the shore. The second

and third lines are a contrast to each other. The second line says

that " The boys and the room in a colourless gloom." The classroom is

described as a dark and gloomy place but " Bright ripples run." The

second line gives a negative description of the gloomy classroom but

the third line gives us a positive contrast for although the room is

dark the boys are bright.

" The Best Of School" gives us a sense of children growing which I

felt was very optimistic and positive. I could feel that the teacher

had great admiration for these boys. Words such as "Sweet" and

"Ripening", gave me a sense of the boy's knowledge growing as time

goes on, just like the fruit they are ripening and becoming sweeter.

The boys are focused on the task t...

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...s backgrounds, which meant they were destined for

dead end jobs. " The teacher seems to lose hope in the pupils " I will

not waste my soul or my strength for this." Which is a total contrast

to how the teacher in " Best Of School" felt about his pupils.

The writer's use of language, such as " cling" and " cleave" suggests

the closeness between the teacher and his pupils. The structure of the

poem is based on the pupil's willingness to learn and also the

teachers joy at watching them learn.

" The Best Of School" was an exceptional poem, which left me with a

warm feeling. It made me think more about the teachers I encounter

every day and how unfulfilling it must be when they encounter pupils

who have no intention of listening or learning. It has made me value

my teachers more to realise it's just as rewarding for them to teach,

as it is for me to learn.