--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans are not brought up with meter…" description: "\"Americans are not brought up with meter. They're not brought up with poetry. If you try to get them to recite, they're too embarrassed.\" — Derek Walcott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/derek-walcott-2220_embarrassed_americans-are-not-brought-up-with-meter_1477092.jpg" --- # Americans are not brought up with meter. They're not… ![“Americans are not brought up with meter. They're not brought up with poetry. If you try to get them to recite, they're too embarrassed.” quote by Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/derek-walcott-2220_embarrassed_americans-are-not-brought-up-with-meter_1477092.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/derek-walcott-2220_embarrassed_americans-are-not-brought-up-with-meter_1477092.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/derek-walcott-2220_embarrassed_americans-are-not-brought-up-with-meter_1477092.jpg) > “Americans are not brought up with meter. They're not brought up with poetry. If you try to get them to recite, they're too embarrassed.” [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Americans lack familiarity with meter and poetry, feeling embarrassed to recite, reflecting cultural gaps. **In simple terms:** Americans shy from poetry. Key Takeaway Encourage poetic exposure. Themes culture education poetry Mood reflective hopeful Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - classroom curricula - community workshops - media programming Key Concepts Literary tradition public speaking Questions to Reflect On - How can poetry be made relatable? - What role does education play? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑seated cultural attitudes is slow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Embarrassed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassed/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) ## Related quotes > [“Maybe the Americans should have brought baseballs instead of bombs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-e-burg/maybe-the-americans-should-have-brought-baseballs-instead-of-bombs/) [Ann E. 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Feast on your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/peel-your-own-image-from-the-mirror-sit-feast-on-your-life/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [I don't feel I've arrived home until I get on the beach. All my life, the theater of the sea has been a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/i-don-t-feel-i-ve-arrived-home-until-i-get-on-the-beach-all-my-life/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [“As human beings we’ve certainly suffered the loss of awe, the loss of sacredness, and the loss of the fact that we’re not here—…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/as-human-beings-we-ve-certainly-suffered-the-loss-of-awe-the-loss-of/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [“I shall unlearn feeling, unlearn my gift. 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