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30 Days to a better man
Almost the entirety of Abraham Lincoln’s education was self-directed.
Lacking formal schooling, he consumed books with an insatiable desire,
reading snatches of them whenever he could. He also committed to memory
numerous passages from his favorite books. It enabled him to learn the
musicality present in great writing. It’s no coincidence that the mind that
produced the Gettysburg Address had at its immediate disposable snippets
from the world’s finest authors.
These days, people have to Google something if they want to remember
the words to a poem or some other famous piece of literature. Heck, we
even need Google to remember the capital of Vermont. In an article in
the Atlantic Monthly, one writer makes the case that Google is making us
dumber. And he’s probably right.
So today, we’re going reverse the trend of having to depend on the Google
crutch by memorizing Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If.” Let’s get started.
Why Memorize Things
There are countless benefits to memorizing great poems and passages. Here
are a few for consideration:
1. Improved writing. As you memorize great poetry and other worthy
pieces of literature, you’ll be begin to internalize the rhythm and structure
employed by some of the world’s greatest writers. Etching these
things into your brain allows some of that magic to make it’s way into
your own writing. Benjamin Franklin was a believer. According to his
autobiography, Franklin set out to improve his writing by memorizing
the works of writers he admired.
2. Increased vocabulary. In the course of memorizing, you’ll undoubtedly
encounter words you’ve never seen or don’t know the meaning
of. By memorizing the word within the context of the poem, it will
be easier to recall its meaning and use it later than if you had tried to
memorize the word alone.
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