Kido pouted at the boy who asked the question, looking very childlike as he did so. "Are you taking notes? I just told you that there would be tests, and I expect at least some of you to pass." Seeing that Felice was giving a strange look, he sent a pout in his direction as well, somehow making the boy's eyes widen slightly and look down to the paper he had in front of him. Satisfied that he had gone back to his own notes, whatever those may look like at that point, the shorter boy smiled again and turned to Roxy. 

"Sorry about that, Miss. As for the question: History provides context. It can provide us with an alternative interpretation, a more physically oriented one." He stopped for a moment, seeming to think about something. "Does that make sense? What I mean there is...ah, it gives us the chance to understand possible allusions present as well as better understand the thought process that is behind the verses, rather than only think about it solely through the emotional abstracts we can quickly perceive upon the first few glances. Well, and we can gain clues about the diction choices, but we can get to that part in a few minutes." 

"Since I just mentioned allusions, I might as well make sure you all understand what I mean by that." The auburn-haired boy pointed up to the board again at another word with its definition beneath. "A passing reference, an oblique or obscure reference. In other words, someone trying to mention something without outright saying it. People do this in daily conversation, even, but when it comes to poetry, it usually means a brief nod at another work of literature or an event that the audience is assumed to already have information about." 

"Now, this is why it's important for writers to consider their audiences when creating their works. If there isn't a certain level of knowledge present in the audience, then the allusion becomes meaningless. At least, until it is [i]pointed out[/i]. That's why we study history and literature, though, isn't it? To understand why things like this exist and why people do what they do in general. Of course, skilled writers can probably reference [i]more than just conventional history and literature[/i] if they know their audience well, but those kinds of things are hard to catch if you don't already understand what the writer and the audience have in common. As a result, there are probably possible interpretations and clues about poetry that even seasoned scholars will never understand..." 

The boy closed his eyes and sighed in what seemed like disappointment before smiling up at the class again. "Ah, well. Enough about that for now. If there are no other questions, then I'll start with the history. Oh, but if you think of anything important or get confused about something, feel free to raise your hand. I'm happy to explain anything you want to know about this fascinating subject!" 

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With that, Kido began to launch into the first appearances of the poem and the possible influences that known English history may have had on it. Felice, on the other hand, continued writing on his paper, pausing every now and again to look up toward the front of the room. On the side of his paper, the words were messily scrawled: [i]What is he saying? What is he saying? Test...? Will we have one? Right, schools test people... Do we have condiments in the kitchen? I have to check.[/i]