What does The poem First Grade by Ron Koertge mean?

  • Thread starter Thread starter jbluvr02
  • Start date Start date
J

jbluvr02

Guest
I really don't understand it. What is the main idea and what do you think will happen next in the poem?

Until then, every forest
had wolves in it, we thought
it would be fun to wear snowshoes
all the time, and we could talk to water.

So who is this woman with the gray
breath calling out names and pointing
to the little desks we will occupy
for the rest of our lives?
 
I think the main theme is the flawed school system. I don't mean the school system in a particular area or country. He's talking about school in general and how it kills the individual's creativity and intellectual independence.

He mentions how his imagination was wild and free before first grade:
"Until then, every forest had wolves in it", "we could talk to water". (Until then means until he entered first grade).

But when he enters first grade, he's faced with drab reality: his teacher is a "woman with the gray breath"; he's saying that the state of mind the school creates in you is something that you're stuck with for the rest of your life:
"the little desks we will occupy for the rest of our lives".

So this is what I think... hope it helps.
 
Back
Top