One of the things I really enjoy about teaching Literature is all the pieces of literature that remind me of pop culture experiences from my past. I was looking for narrative poems (poems that tell stories), and I stumbled upon “Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson. It seemed like a respectable poem, so I read it. One set of lines caught my attention:
Cannon to the right of them,
Cannon to the left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d
In my mind, I heard someone saying the words dramatically. I must’ve seen it in a movie or something. I went to the internet. The internet did not disappoint me. It was from the “Fresh Prince of Bel Air”. I sort of even remember the episode. Geoffrey the classically trained butler was being recognized for poetry or something, but since he was black, people expected a certain style of poetry from him. All he wanted to do was recite “Charge of the Light Brigade”, but people wanted him to do gritty street poetry instead. The result is the video clip I found on YouTube. HERE it is.
They’re good stories.
We also read “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll (the “Alice in Wonderland” guy). It was fun to read, but even more fun to hear Christopher Lee read it while watching scenes from the recent Alice in Wonderland movie. HERE it is.
Well, that was fun. The Fresh Prince clip was hilarious! I’ve not seen the Alice in Wonderland movie, so that Jabberwocky was frightening breakfast entertainment. I can’t decide which was scarier – the dragon-y Jabberwocky or Johnny Depp’s bizarre dance moves.
I’ve never liked any version of Alice in Wonderland. None. They are all creepy. All of them. Creepy.
I 2nd that.
Nobody said this yet?! Here goes:
* So Lord Tennyson was the inspiration for “Stuck in the Middle with You” by Stealers Wheel?! Who knew..
* Christopher Lee could read me the phone book and my blood would chill. He. Was. Awesome.