This gave us a possibility to introduce the most popular modern American poet - Robert Frost. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. He was an inaugural poet for President Robert Kennedy. Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime and received four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. We watched a biographical video about R. Frost.
As a sample of his poetry we have selected a popular poem “Mending Wall”. In “Mending Wall,” the narrator and his neighbor have a conversation over an old, New England stonewall, in which the neighbor extols the merits of building walls to keep others out, and through their symbolic extension, all sorts of boundaries. The neighbor resorts to an old adage: “Good fences make good neighbors.” In our discussion we touched upon the current political situation in Ukraine, problems with a powerful neighbor, absence of a “good fence”.
The other poet (songwriter) that was introduced to the group was a popular in the 1960s rock musician Bob Dylan. His Ukrainian Jewish roots were a surprise for many. We read and translated Dylan’s lyrics to his song “Like a Rolling Stone” and watched the video of the world famous “Rolling Stones” rock band performing it.
At the end of the session we talked about the importance of books and reading in our life. The session was very educational to all participants.
Number of participants – 21.
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