Poetry Outline: Chapter 7

The History Teacher by Billy Collins

Thesis:

Collins’ clever use of understatement, particularly euphemisms, and situational irony bring humor to this poem, but the utilization of diction hints to a more serious question of the teacher’s integrity.

I. Understatement/Euphemism

            A. “the Ice Age was really just the Chilly Age” (Collins 2-3). Collins substitutes “chilly” in for “ice” to suggest a less offensive or severe term. Instead of telling his students the truth, the history teacher tells them that everyone wore sweaters, perhaps to spare the children of the confusing concept of millions of years of ice.

            B. “The Spanish Inquisition was nothing more than an outbreak of questions” (Collins 7-8). Collins substitutes “questions” in for “inquisition” also to suggest a less severe term. The teacher would rather tell his student that it was a period of asking questions than the truth: it was a period to ensure orthodoxy from those who converted. The teacher wants to protect his students’ innocence from knowing the truth about the cruel world that they live in.

II. Situational Irony

            A. “The children would leave his classroom for the playground to torment the weak and the smart, mussing up their hair and breaking their glasses” (Collins 14-17). The irony is that the teacher lies to his students about the past to protect their innocence, yet they go outside and commit cruel acts, just like that of their ancestors.

            B. “while he gathered up his notes and walked home past flower beds and white picket fences” (Collins 18-19). The teacher sees innocence all around him, specifically depicted in the “white picket fences,” and still tries to protect the children’s innocence. However, no matter how hard he tries and no matter how innocent their families are, children will be children and they will find out the truth about the world in some way or another.

III. Diction

            A. “wondering if they would believe” (Collins 20). Is this history teacher just testing the limits of his authority? If not taken seriously, this teacher has the ability to alter the realities of his students. Although he claims he is protecting their innocence, it might end up better if he tells them the harsh truth of the world.

            B. “long, rambling stories” (Collins 21). These “long, rambling stories” that the soldiers of the Boer War told, somewhat parallel the stories the teacher tells his students; they are both lies. With his authoritative position as a teacher, he captures the trust of his students, guiding them to believe whatever he tells them. The whole poem is ironic in that the teacher thinks he is protecting his students’ innocence by lying to them, when in reality he is doing more harm to them by not telling them the truth from the beginning.