From the age of 14-17 the young William King studied the classics at an Academy under the tutelage of a Presbyterian minister from Scotland. At the end of this time King himself decided to become a minister and left Ireland to study at Glasgow University. In his autobiography he talks a great deal about the political issues of the day to which his professors introduced him. Emancipation of the slaves in the West Indies caught his attention. “ …I warmly expound the cause of the slave, but little did I think then that in a few years I would be placed in the midst of a slave country..”(16)
What topics from school really caught your interest?
Or
What teacher had an influence on your life choices?
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I loved learning about the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) from Mrs. Strawbridge at Pinecrest Memorial School. It’s no accident that they became a presence in Emma Field, Book Three.
Mrs. Meek Meldrum was an elderly southern woman with a marvelous accent, teaching juniors and seniors English literature in a northern NY school. From her passion and care I grew to love poetry and especially remember Robert Frost’s invitational poem “The Pasture Spring” with it’s final line, “You come too.”
I remember studying W.B.Yeats’ “When You are Old” in first year English class with Dr Morrison, who was a fantastic lecturer — it’s still my favourite poem!