How I Taught "Song of Myself" after 15 October 1987

I am moving this up from January because it is getting hits from a blog and I want it to be convenient.

Once I gave up on talking about
sections of "Song of Myself" and
taught it as a STORY I had great
success. I was never a great
teacher of Melville. I was a
good teacher of Emerson and
Thoreau and a great teacher of
Hawthorne and Dickinson. After this 1987
session I always finished "Song
of Myself" absolutely convinced
that no one in the world was
teaching it so powerfully. Here,
for others to consider, is the
secret formula.

If you are not happy
with the way you are teaching
the poem, please give this a try.