The Forsaken Merman
(Volume VII, page 180)
One of the satisfactory poems for study in the middle years of school life is the one whose name heads this paragraph. It is a great favorite with most children who know it, but it has not found its way largely into school use. For both of these reasons it is worthy of study.
I. Preparation and General Plan. Let the children read in turn, each taking one stanza, and if a second reading seems desirable let them exchange stanzas so that each will have a part new to himself. Be sure to have a final reading, by yourself or by the best reader among the children, which shall be continuous and without interruption; otherwise the beautiful unity of idea and the relation of the different parts will be overlooked.
II. Words and Phrases and Sentences. It is well to begin with the study sentence by sentence. See that the meaning is clear. The following suggestions may be of assistance:
Page 180, line 6. “Wild white horses”; the breakers, where the waves are beaten into foam and flying spray.
Line 7. “Champ”; gnash their bits.
Page 182, line 4. “Stream.” The ocean currents resemble streams of water on land.