Declaration of intellectual independence

Hope you like it :)

What arrogance makes you think you can

Subdue me to your intellectual tyranny?

Why should I read Pirandello*,

Aren't there other writers worth to be read?

Bossy teacher, I'd rather read Shakespeare,

Enjoy Romeo and Juliet's secret love,

Hear the eloquent words of the merchant*.

Isn't Shakespeare worth to be read?

Cruel teacher, I'd rather read Plautus*,

Praise him at the end of every act,

Rejoin my laugh with ancient ones.

Isn't Plautus worth to be read?

Bossy teacher, I'd rather read Racine*,

Share the sorrow of the unlucky Phedre*,

Feel the pathos hidden in every rhyme.

Isn't Racine worth to be read?

Cruel teacher, I'd rather read Martins Pena*,

Laugh at the singularities of 19th century Rio

So brilliantly penned by our Brazilian Moliere*.

Isn't Martins Pena worth to be read?

Bossy teacher, I'd rather read Vittorio Alfieri*

And strongly support his tragedies' protagonists

Against the tyranny of their evil enemies.

Isn't Vittorio Alfieri worth to be read?

There are more worthy tragedies' and comedies'

Writers than the stars of the firmament,

Let me choose, then, who to read.

The brain is mine, so is its knowledge.

Pirandello = He's been an Italian drama writer, his plays are still played and studied nowadays

The merchant = Of course, I'm talking about the merchant of Venice, the protagonist of the Shakespearian tragedy.

Plautus = He's been a Latin comedy writer. He's comedies were the most popular ones in ancient Rome

Racine = A french tragedy writer, his tragedies were in verses and his rhymes were just sublime !

Phedre = His most popular character, based on an ancient greek tragedy, Racine has written about Phedre's secret and forbidden love

Martins Pena = The best brazilian comedy writer of 19th century, he used to be called "the brazilian Moliere" to point out the quality of his comedies, Moliere has been one of the most outstanding french comedy writer of all time

Vittorio Alfieri = An Italian tragedy writer, most of his tragedies deal with the concept of tyranny.

Author's Note

Wrote this as a kind of "rebelion" against my Italian/Latin teacher's order to read a writing by Pirandello. I have nothing against Pirandello, I just hate to be forced to read something. I believe we should decide what we read. To show how dumb forcing someone to read a specific writer is, I decided to compare the chosen writer (Pirandello) with others of equal talent that have written in the same field (in this case, about theatre), coming from the literatures I have more confidence in (Brazilian, English, French, Latin and Italian ones). Then the last stanza is self-explanatory.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

I tell people. Read, read and read some more. You want a great book. "Read The best of Dyden". He told us writers what we should be. I read 50 books a year. Keeps my mind healthy and strong. I like the poem. Teacher should balance education and allow the student to run and learn with knowledge. No weakness in the outstanding poetry.
Coyote

[Leslie Philibert]

Fine write, and I love all the literary references, Pena I don`t know, and I have never read Racine, so the kind of work I love, that sends me off to my books and computer..great.

[Inda]

Loved it! The anger here is clear and your rebelious side shines through here.

[Vidya Bacchus]

Excellent rant there my friend.You pen spoke mightily of your ire at being denied your right to read what you want and not what you are told to read.

[Sami Khalil]

A rant and rave on forcing and not be given freedom of reading your faves. Excellent...:)...........