Some eleven plus questions seem to have a range of different
answers. It must be one of life’s sweet moments to be able to find an answer
that is not in the answer book!
The poem, called by some `A Reply’, may have been written by
Coleridge or even by Pope. Either or both of them may have been the author. A
Mr Matthew Prior apparently also wrote the verse.
`Sir, I admit your
general rule
That every poet is a
fool;
But you yourself may
serve to show it,
That every fool is not
a poet.’
He also went on to maintain:
`From ignorance our
comfort flows.
The only wretched are
the wise.’
In a quiet and reflective moment at the traffic lights you could
ask your child to read the two quotes, analyse them, reflect on them and then
explain the overt and the covert meanings.
The exercise may prove to be the subject of a lively and
informative debate.
