Committed to Memory: 100 Best Poems to Memorize

by John Hollander

Book Overview

Poet John Hollander has divided the poems into tales, sonnets, songs, meditations and counsels. Published in partnership with The Academy of American Poets. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1885983158
• ISBN13: 9781885983152
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Turtle Point Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.4" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 15 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 10 and higher

Customer Reviews

Quite delightful

This physically handsome book has an excellent concept: a selection of poems that are not just wonderful to read, but also ideal for memorization. While some of the memorization is too difficult -- like other reviewers, I think Frost offers better candidates for memorization than "Mending Wall" -- other poems are well suited to committing to memory, like cummings' "anyone lived in a pretty how town;" Hopkins' "Spring and Fall;" and, yes, Lear's "The Owl and the Pussycat." The act of memorization gives ownership to the poem unlike other reading experiences, and provides sustenance long after the book is read.

ambitious subtitle, but certainly a nice collection

Several years ago, upon learning that a certain young woman enjoyed the poetry of Robert Frost, I began to memorize some of Frost's poetry. While this effort to impress her did not produce the desired outcome, it did introduce me to the pleasurable experience of memorizing poetry. I found that the act of committing a poem to memory brought out many of the poem's subtleties that I missed on previous readings. It's been quite a while since I've seen the lady who inspired my efforts at memorizing poetry, but I still enjoy coming to a closer understanding of a poem through memorization.It's hard for any poetry fan to take someone else's list of the "100 best" without balking at some of the choices, and I certainly had some question concerning many of the poems included in the anthology. On the whole, however, I enjoyed the collection, and found some new insight into some old poems.

Memorization reveals the voice and insight of the poem!

Rote memorization grows into performance, where you find the voice, the cadence, and the character of the poem. This book selects poems which are ideally suited for aural performance.Repetition unlocks the subtle insights, ironies, and delicate perceptions interwoven in the poem. My interpretation and understanding of the poem evolves throughout the memorization process, and sometimes is dramatically changed (even completely opposite!) from my first reading.