Should we force kids to memorise poems? Part 1: Poetry is hard

Note: This series has been a few days in the writing.  It is a total, though perhaps timely coincidence that I wrote this around the same time that the new NC listed reciting poetry as a component.

Poetry: the final frontier

I left school a staunch scientist, straight down the line.  My A Levels were woefully lacking in breadth, and Shakespeare was boring.  I always liked classical music, some of it, the stuff that was easy to listen to.  I occasionally went to museums and art galleries, and attempted to appreciate what was there, as best I could.  Five years ago, I had the good fortune to actually be able to study the history of music and art to some degree.  The lecture courses were remarkable, and almost strange; in the music course I found I was learning as much about European history as I was music.  The lecturer’s…