I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not. my wrath did grow.
And I waterd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright,
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.
And into my garden stole.
When the night had veild the pole;
In the morning glad I see;
My foe outstretchd beneath the tree.
In the 1997 school year I decided to introduce students to the Enneagram in conjunction with our unit on poetry. My objective was to enlist Enneagram understanding to help focus discussions of poetry, and to allow poems to raise issues of concern for each Enneagram-type (E-type) of reader. Several considerations prompted this fortuitous decision. After attending the National Educators Institute for Enneagram Studies in July 1997, I was encouraged by Janet Levine and her colleagues to begin Enneagram studies at my school. There is more flexibility in presenting poetry than in other area of our English curriculum, so I felt fairly safe launching an experiment here.
“Together,
over time, we
figured out the
power and paradox
of our experiment.
The Essay on The poetry of A. E. Housman
The Poetry of A. E. Housman Housman was born in Burton-On-Trent, England, in 1865, just as the US Civil War was ending. As a young child, he was disturbed by the news of slaughter from the former British colonies, and was affected deeply. This turned him into a brooding, introverted teenager and a misanthropic, pessimistic adult. This outlook on life shows clearly in his poetry. Housman believed ...
The poems stood as
objective texts
for analysis and
commentary hich
laid back Nine
Peacekeepers
(or introspective
Five Observers)
might need to
filter or channel
the intensity
of personal
interactions.”
I introduced the Enneagram with one class of seventy minutes, which included: a self-scoring indicator test (as a suggestion, not a strict definition); then brief descriptions of each type, starting with my own number Point Nine, the Peacekeeper; some family stories of my husband (Point Five Observer), mother (Point Two Helper), father (Point Six Questioner), so on; and an explanation of the Triads and Arrows. Within the “frame” of teaching the Enneagram, I felt quite free to let my motives and emotions surface. I hoped modeling such open self-disclosure would set a tone for others of trust, respect and safety. Almost all of the students found an E-type to suit them during this class.
Most seemed surprised, intrigued, amused, amazed, and relieved to find their personality described with such clarity. Even the few who were not sure where they fit, wanted to learn more about the system. They wondered whether my Point Nine character required poetry to structure classes on personality. Of course I responded to their intuitions, and admitted the truth of this insight. Together, over time, we figured out the power and paradox of our experiment. The poems stood as objective texts for analysis and commentary which laid back Nine Peacekeepers (or introspective Five Observers) might need to filter or channel the intensity of personal interactions. But the majority of students saw their poem as a mirror which freely reflected their energies, or as a lens through which Enneagram strategies became clear.
Each class was divided into three segments of about 20 minutes: some group discussions, presentation of a poem, followed by observations and questions from the class. The Point Eight Bosses began, and then we followed the path of Enneagram numbers according to Triads: 8-9-1, 2-3-4, 5-6-7. Results from these classes impressed me for a number of reasons, as this report will disclose. In our course “The Bible as/in Literature,” William Blake holds a place of honor, so I picked his poem “A Poison Tree”-a text that often sparks strong reactions-to launch a set of nine lessons.
The Essay on Poem Class Knew Remember
The Road of Life Today we pause, to look into our pastas well as our future. We remember when we were young, starting our trek down the Road of Life. The first place on this long and winding road was the Meadow of Childhood. This is where we met many new people and formed numerous friendships; most of which still exist today. However, we were unable to stay here, and so continued on our journey ...
“I was angry with my friend,
I told my wrath, my wrath did end;
I was angry with my foe,
I told it not, my wrath did grow.”
The students bold enough to admit to being Point Eight Bosses were quick to identify with the narrator. Comfortable with confrontation and the energetic charge of open anger, vengeance and revenge, they were right at home. They agreed that wrath expressed subsides quickly, while plotting revenge is a pleasure best prolonged. Some described a situation where an insult or injury preyed on their minds until they confronted their foe and settled the score. “And he knew that it was mine,” is an important line, as Eights report that the target must know who delivers the fatal blow. The Eight students could relish the narrator’s delight at the results:
“In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretch’d beneath the tree.”
These lines sparked debate around the source of the narrator’s pleasure. Was he glad because his foe was dead, or because his plan had succeeded? Was he pleased at having recognized and exploited the weakness of an enemy (in this case, greed for the shiny, bright apple, the forbidden fruit?) Was he satisfied that he had designed and crafted the perfect weapon, turning his vulnerable “fears” and “tears” into deadly, potent, poison? As students engaged in lively discussion, varying E-types vied for attention.
Students who were cautious, fearful Point Six Questioners found the poem unsettling and they raised some thought-provoking questions around loyalty and safety, quite in keeping with descriptions of this E-type. Sixes focused more on the friend and foe in the poem, rather than on the speaker. They wondered how either one could know where they stood with the poet, since he sent such mixed messages. Can anyone be trusted in a world where friends are greeted with wrath, while enemies are treated to sunny smiles? The Sixes were alert to Blake’s threatening world of hostility and revenge, but they did not join the poet (or the Eights) in applauding the success of his plot.
Those most alarmed by the poem turned out to be Point Nines, not surprisingly as this is the E-type that avoids conflict and in whom anger takes a passive aggressive form. They were bothered by both the initial angry outburst and the seething, vengeful plot. They found the deceit in the poem disturbing. A Nine began to wonder aloud about anger; was it a venom, a poison, a toxin? The poet’s emotion did find expression in a bright, beautiful apple. Was the gardener projecting or working through his anger in a productive way? Was he distracting himself from the conflict rather than resolving it? Nines agreed that keeping the peace requires honest, open communication with others, not wily smiles.
The Essay on Analyzing The Poem "Students" By Tom Wayman
The Poem, “Students,” by Tom Wayman talks about four theories of learning. The first theory presented in this poem is, “The Vaccination Theory of Education,” (line 12). This theory speaks about students who feel that once they have completed a subject, they never have to look at it again. Students who fall into this category develop a sense of immunity once they have ...
