The modern concern of this poem is how the writer or poet can help human beings endure suffering. I mentor are from the Dominican Republic. Over 20,000 Haitians became fodder for the killing fields of this cruel tyrant. It is ironical that this poem is also relevant for the killing fields of Cambodia, Rwanda and now Kosovo. Like a parrot imitating spring.
Gifted students can benefit from responding to poetry in both aesthetic and academic manners.
It can help them to endure present day tragedies. They can see how a poet takes a subject from the past and interjects the concerns of the present. Also, it is helpful for them to understand the different styles and forms of poetry.