Not only is this an excellent discourse on teaching the Iliad but on teaching in general. I wish I'd been taught this way and with such enthusiasm and determina

Not only is this an excellent discourse on teaching the Iliad but on teaching in general. I wish I'd been taught this way and with such enthusiasm and determination in subjects that I wasn't particularly fond of - and you've guessed it, poetry was one of them. Teenagers often don't realize the importance of subjects they're being taught and they probably won't until much later in life - and that's probably even more so with subjects that they don't think they'll major in. Having a teacher that can impart that information as well as being able to keep the kids' enthusiasm for the subject means that he or she has to be the best of breed.