How To Listen By Major Jackson Literary Devices

The poem “How to Listen,” written by Major Jackson is about stepping back and listening to life. The speaker of the poem is describing how he or she is going to take the night to listen to life around him at a tavern; this person is willing to learn about life in a quiet way. As you read the poem, you will discover that there is not a rhyme scheme. The poem consists of eleven lines in one stanza. In the simile, “I am going to cock my head tonight like a dog,” (Jackson 1) the reader is exposed to the comparison between the speaker and a dog. The simile suggests that the speaker is going to listen like a watch dog who is content to know everything that is taking place. “How to Listen” explicitly outlines the fact that we need to notice and