The poems by Freneau this week reflect his maturation as a poet. In "The Power of Fancy" we find a young poet sitting in his dorm room at Princeton exploring the world through his imagination. In "To Sir Toby" we find a Freneau coming face to face with an aspect of the world. Discuss how you see these changes reflected in his poems? How do they differ in the world described ? Lastly, consider our present day, and how realities (inequity, racism, sexism) sometimes challenge ideals (equality, justice, opportunity). As we face a difficult moment as a society, how do you see the relationship between ideals and reality?
