Geography Lesson
by Brian Patten
The Poem :
"Our teacher told us one day he would leave
And sail across a warm blue sea
To places he had only known from maps,
And all his life had longed to be.
The house he lived in was narrow and grey
But in his mind's eye he could see
Sweet-scented jasmine clinging to the walls,
And green leaves burning on an orange tree.
He spoke of the lands he longed to visit,
Where it was never drab or cold.
I couldn't understand why he never left,
And shook off the school's stranglehold.
Then halfway through his final term
He took ill and never returned.
He never got to that place on the map
Where the green leaves of the orange trees burned.
The maps were redrawn on the classroom wall;
His name forgotten, he faded away.
But a lesson he never knew he taught
Is with me to this day.
I travel to where the green leaves burn,
To where the green leaves burn,
To places our teacher taught me to love -
But which he never knew."
The Summary of the Poem :
The geography teacher used to tell them that he wished to travel all the places those he had only known from maps. The house of the teacher was very narrow and simple. But he imagined of sweet-smelling jasmine hanging from his walls and green leaves burning on an orange tree. He also used to talk about those lands where it was never drab or cold. But surprisingly he never went there leaving the continuous duties of the school.
Then once halfway through his final term, he fell ill and perhaps died. He never returned to school. He could not reach those places he used to talk about. There came new teacher and that previous teacher was gradually forgotten. His name faded away. But unknowingly he had given the poet the lesson of visiting new places. The poet has got the passion of visiting those places the poet used to talk about. The poet travels to those places their teacher taught them to love.
Making Connections
1. Complete the following.
a. The teacher talks about leaving and sail across a warm blue sea to places he had only known from maps.
b. The teacher's house was narrow and grey.
c. The speaker couldn't understand why the teacher never lest and shook off the school's stranglehold.
d. Halfway through the final term the teacher took ill and never returned.
2. Read the lines given below and answer the questions that follow.
a. "But in his mind's eye he could see
Sweet-scented jasmine clinging to the walls,"
i. Who is he in the above lines?
= He is the geography teacher of the poet in the above lines.
ii. What do you understand by 'the mind's eye'?
= 'The mind's eye' is the imagination power of the poet's geography teacher.
iii. How was what he saw different from his routine life?
= The house of the teacher was very narrow and simple. But he imagined of sweet-smelling jasmine hanging from his walls and green leaves burning on an orange tree.
b. "I couldn't understand why he never left,
And shook off the school's stranglehold."
i. Where did he want to go?
= He wanted to go to the lands where it was never drab or cold.
ii. Why do you think he never left?
= I think he never left as he was more engaged in his duties in the school. He was aware of his responsibilities towards his students.
iii. What does stranglehold mean?
= Stranglehold means a grip around the neck of another person that can kill by asphyxiation if held for long enough.
c. "But a lesson he never knew he taught
Is with me to this day."
i. What was the lesson that he taught?
= He taught to explore all the places which we know about in the books. He put the passion of travelling in his students.
ii. Why does he not know what he taught?
= He does not know what he taught as he left the school due to his illness. He never returned to school. Perhaps he died. Gradually time passed and the teacher was forgotten gradually. But his teachings remained in his students.
iii. How is the lesson still with the speaker?
= Now the poet has grown up. He has got the passion of travelling. He is travelling all those places the geography teacher used to talk about in their classes. He travels to where the green leaves burn and to where the ocean is glass clear and blue.
3. When the maps were redrawn, do you think the speaker really forgot his teacher?
= I think the speaker did not forget when the maps were redrawn. As he kept in mind the lesson his teacher never knew he taught. The lesson was with the poet on the day when he was no more. He has got the passion of travelling to the places which he read in the books.
4. Do you think the speaker's teacher taught him a valuable lesson? Justify your answer.
= Yes, I think the speaker's teacher taught him a valuable lesson. The geography teacher had influenced his students a lot. The teacher felt that what we learn from their teacher is much more important than the books they teach them with. The teacher used to tell them to leave for the places of glass-clear, blue ocean and the places where the green leaves of the orange trees burned. The is no more today. But his teachings are still in the poet. He travels to the places where the green leaves burn and where the ocean is glass-clear and blue.
About the Poet :
Brian Patten (b. 1946) was born in Liverpool and grew up in a working class neighbourhood. His first collection of poems was Little Johnny's Confession, published when he was twenty-one years old. Patten is also well known for his best-selling poetry collections for children, most famously Gargling with Jelly (1985) and Juggling with Gerbils (2000) from which this poem has been taken.