“repetition is the mother of learning.”
there is an old proverb that rhymes when you say it in russian. that’s probably why it caught on a little easier over there. rhyming phrases are easier to remember because they practically repeat themselves. and really, it can’t be a coincidence that the evolution of recording materials has a negative correlation with the prominence of rhyme and rhythm in poetry and storytelling throughout history. homer told stories in verse because he had to remember them. if he’d been born a modern man, he probably would’ve written ulysses instead. if he’d been born in Our time, he probably would’ve gone to college, found an insignificant but moderately well-paying job, married a woman he didn’t really love, and retired unhappily with two ungrateful children and a loyal dog. and then we would have forgotten about him entirely. but because of his rhyming tales of gods, warriors, battleships and gay sex, and because he shares his name with a popular cartoon character, we will remember homer forever. repetition is the mother of learning.
