Evangeline was a standard assignment in the 8th grade when I was a kid. It was long and had big words but we read it because it made us better people. This is the story of this poem, and of my experience with it.
It is also the story of Longfellow, the most popular poet of his age, and of his poems. The Village Smith, Paul Revere's Ride, Haiwatha, and the powerful Christmas poem/song, "I heard the Bells on Christmas Day."
Longfellow had a painful life, but he kept writing those wonderful poems.
Have you ever read a single poem by Longfellow? This is your chance to encounter his creativity.