Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Traveling Poet
Vachel Lindsay
Reading Comprehension for November 10
Abraham Lincoln is revered as the most famous resident of Springfield, Illinois. Who is Springfield's second-most famous resident? It could be someone you never have heard of. In his lifetime, he was famous for the walking tours he took throughout America. He exchanged his poetry for room and board. He was not merely an author of poetry, but a performer of that same poetry. At times he would chant it, shout it, or sing it. His gestures further enlivened his poetry. He was born Nicholas Lindsay in November 1879, but he chose to go by his unusual middle name - Vachel.
Vachel Lindsay had studied art before choosing poetry as his creative outlet. His parents wanted their son to become a doctor, and he struggled in his medical studies for three years at Hiram College in Ohio. Then he dropped out to attend art school in Chicago, where his drawing was judged to be second-rate, and later in New York City, which was just as unsuccessful. It was during this time that he sold his first two poems. At times he would artfully illustrate his poems.
His first walking tour occurred in 1906 and covered 600 miles. His second, in 1908, covered 800 miles. In 1912 he made his third trip, covering 1,400 miles! This eccentric poet gained a lot of publicity for traveling on foot with only the clothes he was wearing and his poetry. A magazine published one of his poems in 1913. By the early 1920s, he was a popular American poet.
