Analysis Introduction To Poetry Billy Collins
“Introduction to Poetry” Billy Collins S-Subject Poetry P-Paraphrase The poem, “Introduction to Poetry”, by Billy Collins, begins by comparing a poem to a color slide and says that to understand it, you must “listen” to it’s sound. He paints a picture of a mouse finding it’s way through the maze that is the poem, and you groping through the poem’s room to find the light switch (the light switch indicating understanding). Collins says that to discover meaning, you must water ski across a poem, or have fun with it, be whimsical and acknowledge the author. Although most people (they) want to beat the answer and comprehension
out of a poem, to get a profession of it’s meaning. O-Occasion In the poem, it would seem that this could be taking place just about anywhere. The author creates relatable imagery throughout. So it’s happening out on a lake, or in a dark ambiguous room ect. T-Title “Introduction to poetry”, the reason he chose the title is very obvious. The point of Collins when he wrote this, was to show someone how to read poetry to understand it. Therefore; “Introduction to poetry”. T-Tone Excited, compelling & frustrated. T-Theme Collins is centralizing his poem on the idea that to truly find definite meaning in a poem, you mustn’t just skim the surface. You must actually have fun and explore the poem itself. S-Speaker In this poem, Collins portrays an English teacher who is preaching to his/hers students to analyze poetry. It is written in first person form. Commentary In the poem, “Introduction to Poetry”, the author Billy Collins, uses relevant rhetorical devices. One example that I specifically liked, was the comparison of the poems dark room to the confusion and misunderstanding of the meaning, and feeling on the walls was a representation for evaluation of the poem to find the light switch or importance. This metaphor used helped Collins put his point of understanding the poem across to the readers by literally comparing each part of the phrase to analyzing, and finding the meaning of a poem.
out of a poem, to get a profession of it’s meaning. O-Occasion In the poem, it would seem that this could be taking place just about anywhere. The author creates relatable imagery throughout. So it’s happening out on a lake, or in a dark ambiguous room ect. T-Title “Introduction to poetry”, the reason he chose the title is very obvious. The point of Collins when he wrote this, was to show someone how to read poetry to understand it. Therefore; “Introduction to poetry”. T-Tone Excited, compelling & frustrated. T-Theme Collins is centralizing his poem on the idea that to truly find definite meaning in a poem, you mustn’t just skim the surface. You must actually have fun and explore the poem itself. S-Speaker In this poem, Collins portrays an English teacher who is preaching to his/hers students to analyze poetry. It is written in first person form. Commentary In the poem, “Introduction to Poetry”, the author Billy Collins, uses relevant rhetorical devices. One example that I specifically liked, was the comparison of the poems dark room to the confusion and misunderstanding of the meaning, and feeling on the walls was a representation for evaluation of the poem to find the light switch or importance. This metaphor used helped Collins put his point of understanding the poem across to the readers by literally comparing each part of the phrase to analyzing, and finding the meaning of a poem.