Explication of "The History Teacher" by Billy Collins

The poem “The History Teacher” by Billy Collins uses a series of understatements to show Collins’ belief that society undermines the seriousness of important events. The poem starts off by saying that the teacher is trying to “protect his students’ innocence” (1). While it is important to safeguard the innocence of children, Collins also believes that it is the duty of society to teach children the world’s history. The teacher tells the students that during the Ice Age people had to wear sweaters and the Stone Age was named after gravel driveways. Clearly, these are understatements that have nothing to do with those periods of time. The teacher also tells the students that the airplane dropped “one tiny atom on Japan” (12-13). This is another example of word play; transforming an atomic bomb into an understated atom, which can cause no harm. Many of the events casually mentioned by the teacher, such as the Spanish Inquisition and WWII, are important events that shaped history. Collins is criticizing the teacher for outweighing historical significance with his own preconceptions about the world.

            The next stanzas transition into the students’ lives outside the classroom. Whereas the other children are well-rounded individuals, this teacher’s students suffer from a lack of education. They tease the other children because they have not been taught the results of cruelty in the world. The children have also been taught that humans can do no wrong, and they thus feel no responsibilities for their actions. The last stanza further illustrates the naïve nature of the teacher, as he walks “past flower beds and white picket fences” (19). This stroll illustrates the teacher’s ideal society. The teacher wants to believe the world is kind and perfect. However, this is not entirely the case. This stanza ties the whole poem together, as to say that the teacher does not address hardships of the world because he does not want to face them himself. Collins believes that it is important to teach children history, so people can learn from the mistakes of others and learn respect. It angers Collins that society dismisses what can be learned from significant events in history, and he thinks that it is time for a change.