Where the ground-nut trails its vine;
Where the wood-grape’s clusters shine;
Of the black wasp’s cunning way,
Mason of his walls of clay.
—The Barefoot Boy. Whittier.
But how can we get the true expression from one who knows nothing of the joy we take in contemplating the pictures of this stanza? By reminding him that our joy is not far different from his when rejoicing in a beautiful book, a lucky hit at baseball, or a pretty Christmas gift. Let us remember that it is not enough that he shall get the pictures: he must get the joy. And if he cannot get the joy from the pictures of the poet, he must get it from the memory of his own past joy, no matter under what circumstances. It is simply a question of transferring his own past emotion to the present moment.
Summarized, our points are:
First, choose emotions near to the child’s experience.
Second, transfer his past experiences and emotions to the particular poem or stanza to be read.
Third, use direct discourse, in drill work, as far as possible.