OhioMomof3 Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 I am getting ready to compile a list of beautiful poems and historic speeches for my daughter to read and, perhaps, memorize this year. Do you have a favorite, not-to-be-missed title to recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 (Not specific titles, but our family has really enjoyed Andrew Campbell's Living Memory compilation over the last several years!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor_dad Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 (edited) I really like Kennedy's Moon speech at Rice, http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/ricetalk.htm ...especially : William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage. If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space. Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolutions, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it--we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding. Yet the vows of this Nation can only be fulfilled if we in this Nation are first, and, therefore, we intend to be first. In short, our leadership in science and in industry, our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves as well as others, all require us to make this effort, to solve these mysteries, to solve them for the good of all men, and to become the world's leading space-faring nation. We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people. For space science, like nuclear science and all technology, has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the United States occupies a position of pre-eminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war. I do not say the we should or will go unprotected against the hostile misuse of space any more than we go unprotected against the hostile use of land or sea, but I do say that space can be explored and mastered without feeding the fires of war, without repeating the mistakes that man has made in extending his writ around this globe of ours. There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others... Despite being born in '73,I can't hear the quote about choosing to do things not because they are easy but because they are hard except in that nasal Kennedy accent. Rereading it now, I'm struck that Lindbergh's flight was only 35 years before... truly the heroic age of space flight. Edited July 27, 2016 by raptor_dad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 We've been doing this for a few years now. The poems, since the beginning. We love it, and have found that it's well worth the time and effort. The kids feel much more culturally literate because of it. My favorites are many of Malcolm X's speeches and Lou Gehrig's farewell speech. My 17yo really liked Malcolm X and Socrates' Apology 14yo says MLK's I Have a Dream and The Pleasure of Books, by William Lyon Phelps Last year we got a lot out of the blog The Eloquent Woman: https://www.theguardian.com/books/series/poemoftheweek This year I'm using this site for a few speeches: http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/ztpqxsg And for poetry: https://www.theguardian.com/books/series/poemoftheweek I add in links to bios, films, youtube clips, blogs, websites, recorded readings etc. We've done good guys and bad, some film speeches as well. Lou Gehrig is probably everyones fav. We watched the movie as well. It's a real tear jerker. This year so far I have: Lucy Parsons, I Am An Anarchist Patton's Speech to the Third Army Churchill's We Shall Fight Them on the Beaches Kennedy's Inaugural Address We do one poem and one speech per month. I think I'll add in letter or two with the speeches. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amateur Actress Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Preamble to the Constitution "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioMomof3 Posted July 27, 2016 Author Share Posted July 27, 2016 Lucy the Valiant, Thanks for reminding me about Campbell's book. Raptor_Dad, Thanks for suggesting "We Choose To Go to the Moon." I am adding it to the list. Amateur Actress, My daughter will be reading a collection of Robert Frost's poems this year; I believe "Nothing Gold Can Stay" is included. Thanks for sharing! Helena, Thanks for your many suggestions and the two links. I will consider them. You said you focus on one poem and speech per month; do you have a specific method for memorization and review or do you just read each title a certain number of times per month? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 The Song of Wandering Aengus by Yeats Invictus by William Ernest Henley The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 (We love to memorize things together, and also enjoy a challenge: Last year, 3 of my dc memorized the entire "Paul Revere's Ride" - generated a lot of discussion, historical recreation of timelines, and other fun questions. They worked really hard, but learned that it's FUN to memorize longer poems, even when younger.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 Lucy the Valiant, Thanks for reminding me about Campbell's book. Raptor_Dad, Thanks for suggesting "We Choose To Go to the Moon." I am adding it to the list. Amateur Actress, My daughter will be reading a collection of Robert Frost's poems this year; I believe "Nothing Gold Can Stay" is included. Thanks for sharing! Helena, Thanks for your many suggestions and the two links. I will consider them. You said you focus on one poem and speech per month; do you have a specific method for memorization and review or do you just read each title a certain number of times per month? No specific method. They go over them everyday. They break up the longer speeches (and sometimes the longer poems) so that they don't start zoning out. :) They used to be very good about memorizing the poems, but I've never asked them to memorize the speeches. We like to do dramatic readings, sometimes one will read and the other will act out. Jabberwocky is a great example of that! Also, you can focus on random recitations of the most famous part of the speech or poem at a clever and appropriate time or place. When they can do that, I feel like they've bonded with the words. KWIM? We have a poetry and speech bulletin board. I print of the work, an iconic photo of the writer/speaker, a few quotes, maybe a bit of historical/political cartoons. General Stuff like that. I try to make it so that it's not a time suck. We have a packed schedule. We're the tortoise. Over the course of a month I hope they feel a more intimate connection to the person and work. It's not so much about memorization anymore. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 Here's some old posts of mine on the subject: Speeches http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/476692-id-like-to-find-10-famous-speeches-to-study-next-year-any-suggestion-update-i-have-one-more-question/ http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/477613-a-little-more-help-on-my-famous-speeches-unit-study/ Poetry http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/400863-im-hunting-for-poems-suggestions/ http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/559546-looking-for-poetry-thats-a-little-more-thought-provoking-intense-mature/ And an old favorite for finding nature related poems and quotes: http://www.gardendigest.com/winter.htm hope something here is helpful :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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