American poets have, since poems began to be published and preserved on this continent, wanted to speak for many, to many, about many. Yet, as Alexis de Tocqueville noted, American democracy is so varied, so, as Robert Pinsky would say, “polyglot,” that the poet’s specific images have always served individual vision better than large scale or mass communication. Now more American poets than ever try to write didactic poems. In this class, suitable for anyone who is already writing, we will look at poems which carry to the read an atmosphere of History–rather than an argument about it–and what Mark Strand calls “a climate of opinion,” as opposed to say, a declaration or presentation of one. By “climate” Strand means a complete communication in which the feeling or thoughts of the poet swirl among the energies, sounds and images in the poem, and permits readers to wander or dive in as they please.