Jefferson, Poetry, and Dialogue:
Jefferson, Poetry, and Dialogue:
A Look into the Influence Behind Jefferson’s Writing of
“A Dialogue Between My Head and My Heart”
During the earlier stages of my research, I danced around with many topics, all surrounding Thomas Jefferson and poetry. I thought to write about several scrapbooks of his that have been shelved at U.VA’s library for decades. I thought it would be an intriguing topic, when I discovered that a professor at DePaul University, Jonathan Gross, published the collection and titled it, appropriately, Thomas Jefferson’s Scrapbooks, Poems of Nation, Family and Love. These were poems that Jefferson had clipped from the newspaper, for the most part. While focusing on Gross’ scrapbook findings (which included the work of great poets from Melville to Milton to Shakespeare to Shelley and Keats and Wordsworth,) I also learned that Thomas Jefferson has written a poem of his own, titled, “To Ellen.” His granddaughter is named Ellen Coolidge, but the poem, in a broader sense, is about heroism and true love. I also learned that he wrote a letter in the form of an essay: Thoughts on English Prosody. In this letter, he offers his theory about the principal characteristics of English verse - - quantity versus accent as its basis. Jefferson sided with the latter, stating “[w]hat proves the excellence of blank verse is that the taste lasts longer than that for rhyme.” Jefferson details a comparison of accentual and syllabic scansion, which he believes that any “well-organized ear” can detect. I never knew much about Jefferson before I enrolled in this class, nor do I think that I cared to know. However, I have come a long way, from then to now, in understanding him - - and therefore, appreciating him. When I was trying to wrap my head around my paper topic, I had thought about participating with most others by writing about Jefferson’s political platform, his money issues, or his contribution of the Declaration of Independence. In the end, I
A Look into the Influence Behind Jefferson’s Writing of
“A Dialogue Between My Head and My Heart”
During the earlier stages of my research, I danced around with many topics, all surrounding Thomas Jefferson and poetry. I thought to write about several scrapbooks of his that have been shelved at U.VA’s library for decades. I thought it would be an intriguing topic, when I discovered that a professor at DePaul University, Jonathan Gross, published the collection and titled it, appropriately, Thomas Jefferson’s Scrapbooks, Poems of Nation, Family and Love. These were poems that Jefferson had clipped from the newspaper, for the most part. While focusing on Gross’ scrapbook findings (which included the work of great poets from Melville to Milton to Shakespeare to Shelley and Keats and Wordsworth,) I also learned that Thomas Jefferson has written a poem of his own, titled, “To Ellen.” His granddaughter is named Ellen Coolidge, but the poem, in a broader sense, is about heroism and true love. I also learned that he wrote a letter in the form of an essay: Thoughts on English Prosody. In this letter, he offers his theory about the principal characteristics of English verse - - quantity versus accent as its basis. Jefferson sided with the latter, stating “[w]hat proves the excellence of blank verse is that the taste lasts longer than that for rhyme.” Jefferson details a comparison of accentual and syllabic scansion, which he believes that any “well-organized ear” can detect. I never knew much about Jefferson before I enrolled in this class, nor do I think that I cared to know. However, I have come a long way, from then to now, in understanding him - - and therefore, appreciating him. When I was trying to wrap my head around my paper topic, I had thought about participating with most others by writing about Jefferson’s political platform, his money issues, or his contribution of the Declaration of Independence. In the end, I
Cited: Gross, Jonathan. Thomas Jefferson’s Scrapbooks.: Poems of Nation, family & Romantic Love. New Hampshire: Steel forth Press 2006. Van Pelt, Charles “Thomas Jefferson and Maria Cosway,” American Heritage Magazine. Volume 22, Issue 5. August 1971.