Longfellow's Picture "Evangeline"
Use this wonderful picture of Longfellow's. Let each word perform its intended function and each sentence form a complete picture.
"Firmly builded with rafters of oak, the house of the farmer
Stood on the side of a hill commanding the sea; and a shady
Sycamore stood by the door, with a woodbine wreathing around it.
Rudely carved was the porch, with seats beneath; and a foot-path
Led through the orchard wide, and disappeared in the meadow.
Under the sycamore tree were hives overhung by a pent-house,
Such as a traveler sees in regions remote by the road side,
Built o'er a box for the poor, or the blessed image of Mary.
Far down, on the slope of the hill, was the well with its moss-grown
Bucket, fastened with iron, and near it a trough for the horses."
Read again the first three lines, have the child describe the picture. An artist would spend hours to paint this picture, yet we with our wonderful mental faculties can see it in an instant. Add to this picture, and when finished have the child give a prose description of it. Other examples for younger children are given in the Second Book on The Memory.
Application of Visualization Limitless
By clear visualizations you can carry any amount of detail in your memory. This faculty can be applied to all kinds of information and study. All ideas do not suggest simple pictures, some are more difficult to visualize than others. Some pictures are inspired by a single word, some may be the result of a paragraph or even pages of description.
Helps for Learning Verbatim
To learn prose or poetry should not be difficult for children who have been trained in visualization. In some schools they will be urged to use the fallacious method of repetition, some of it is always necessary, of course, but most of it can be eliminated by the use of visualization and the additional helps following.
It is the parents' duty to see to it that the child uses the methods suggested in these books in all his school work. Help him at home to apply them to his lessons so as to get results. At school he will, of course, have to follow the teacher's instructions, and can silently add the aids that you have given him.