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WHB grad Allie Lehrer ('09) with Billy Collins at N.Y.U.
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Welcome to our 2015-16 AP Literature discussion forum!
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This assignments has two parts:
Part 1: In your first blog, respond to the following questions: Which three poems most appeal to you? Why? Comment on Collins's use of figurative language, imagery, diction, tone, etc. Include specific quotes and details from these poems and discuss how they were interesting or meaningful to you. Are there questions you'd like to pose to the class for consideration?
300-500 words Due Wednesday, July 29th.
Part 2: Don't begin your second blog until July 30th, when all students will have completed their first responses. In your second blog, you must respond to one or more blogs that your fellow classmates posted. Feel free to comment on their responses, offer your own commentary on their observations and analysis of a poem, and/or try to answer a question that was posted.
200 words. Due Wednesday, August 12th.
Hello, Class. Initial comments will be visible after approval. I will approve all comments at the same time, after the first deadline has ended on July 29th.
ReplyDeleteThe poem “Piano Lessons” was quite interesting and relatable to me, as a student of piano myself for 10 years. Collins characterizes the piano teacher to be a very quirky person from the very beginning of the poem. It is ironic how the teacher is laying on the floor because of a bad back, teaching the student to have good posture while playing, however, later in the poem it is mentioned that he is “slumped over in my bathrobe, disheveled,”. The teacher is also a funny character to read because of some absurd phrases of figurative language he uses, such the imagery used in the second stanza, where the teacher creates images of what each scale should look like. I really liked the metaphor used in the third stanza that “the scale is the mother of the chords” and that “After all, just the right chord can bring you to tears, but no one listens to the scales, no one listens to their mother,”. It’s a very true and relatable metaphor. A question I had regarding this poem was the use of labeling each stanza with a number. At a first glance, I thought maybe the numbers represented scale degrees, as if the scale was ascending as the poem progressed, but I then realized the numbers could also be the number of lessons the student has had with the teacher. What did someone else think this interesting use of syntax meant?
ReplyDeleteAnother poem that was meaningful to me was “Canada”, because I’m Canadian and I also spend all my summers there. However, the poem made me slightly angry because it really gave in to the stereotypes Americans have about Canada. Granted, the setting of the poem is Ontario. The references to the “cold months”, “lakeside cottage” and “the moosehead on the wall” is what made me shake my head. However, I did like the imagery such as “immensity of the clouds” and the “endless visibility” that shows the appreciation the author has for Canada. The way Collins writes to Canada as if it a person, using “you” as a pronoun adds to this feeling of admiration.
I also thought the poem “Nostalgia” was a very beautiful poem. The line “Even this morning would be an improvement over the present,” is very meaningful. The poem discusses how any time in either the past or future would be better than the state the author was in during the present. It is interesting that the poem starts in the 1340s, a time long before the author was even born. The reoccurring theme of different dancing throughout each time mentioned is also very interesting. A question for the class is why did Collins choose dance to represent each period?
To answer your first question, I believe it is more likely that the numbers represent scale degrees, for the author has probably had more than six lessons with this teacher. Also, if the numbers do represent scale degrees, it could be a way of pulling the reader into the poem, as if it is our own fingers that are climbing their way across the piano alongside his.
DeleteIn "Canada," the reference to the "cold months" also bothered me. Because he mentions Canada as being "the scene of my boyhood summers," so why would he be talking about the winter and the snow, as opposed the summer heat and the sun? The Canada he knows would definitely not have "snow piled up in all the provinces." It is curious how he stereotypes Canada, even though he is obviously very well acquainted with it.
In response to your second question, I think that Collins chose to represent each period with dance because dancing is an expression of freedom. He feels trapped in the present, while everyone else in the past and future is free to leap and twirl his heart out. Especially those who have managed to escape the confines of Collins's own time period.
I was rather intrigued by Billy Collins’s poems Winter Syntax, Introduction to Poetry, and Marginalia. In Winter Syntax, he writes about a sentence that struggles to express himself, even as a winter storm rages around him. This poem was very meaningful to me as a shy introvert. It is almost always a struggle to bring forth my thoughts in a way that makes sense. I like how he personifies the sentence, and has the reader follow him in his journey out in the open until, with relief, he reaches the doorstep (or the thoughts) of the other person. The tone of the poem is one of valor and determination. This is exemplified in words such as ‘struggling,’ ‘persists,’ and ‘deepening.’ I liked the phrase “These cool moments are blazing with silence” because it suggests that silence isn’t just the absence of sound, but a pause full of implications that don’t need to be represented out loud. The connotations of a single gesture can simply be felt, rather than consciously laid out. And this, of course, would be easier. Yet, for some reason, we all choose to labor, like this poor traveler, to send our thoughts out into the open- one word at a time. But I suppose that it’s the journey- not the destination- that truly matters. How would you explain why we use language, rather than gestures, to express ourselves?
ReplyDeleteIn Introduction to Poetry, Collins refers to how people tend to search for the intended meaning of a poem, rather than simply explore their own interpretation. In the phrase “I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out,” we are the mouse navigating our way through the maze of the poem. The author doesn’t want us to force the walls to show us the right path; he wants us to find our own, unique way out. In the sixth an seventh paragraphs, he uses words like ‘tie,’ ‘torture,’ and ‘beating’ to show us how crudely we are forcing the poem to be something meaningful. I think that this relates very well to how we have to pick apart a piece of writing in class, as opposed to having an open discussion, as we are now. Do you think that this is a more effective way of looking at a piece of writing?
In Marginalia, Collins describes the notes he finds in the margins of books. He characterizes the notes, giving them the personalities of the people whom he supposes to have written them. For example: he assigns “Pardon the egg salad stains, but I’m in love” to a beautiful girl. My favorite phrase in this poem was “needing to leave only their splayed footprints along the shore of the page” because it forms an image of a picturesque, sandy beach filled with the quiet conversation of the marginal notes and overlooking a vast, deep blue ocean that is the author’s own writing. I especially like this poem because it makes me look back at- and laugh at- all of the sarcastic comments I left behind while annotating my English assignments.
The way you relate to the character in “Winter Syntax” is very interesting to me. As someone who is more extroverted, it was interesting to read an analysis from your point of view. As for your question, I don’t know if it is true that we use language over gestures to express ourselves. In writing, of course, language is all you can use. But in direct communication with others, body language and facial expression plays just as important a part as language does. Gestures complete what language cannot say, and this is what I interpreted the last line of the poem, “a smile will appear in the beard of icicles, and the man will express a complete thought”, to be.
DeleteYour comments about “Introduction to Poetry” made me laugh. It’s very ironic to analyze this poem for an english class assignment. I particularly liked your thought on the diction “torture” and “beating”, and how we are forcing the poem to be meaningful. It’s very true that we often try to interpret a piece of literature for how it is meaningful to the author, but necessarily how it is meaningful to ourselves. And in reality, the only thing you can ever know for sure is how it is meaningful to yourself. I think that having an open discussion about a text is more effective, because you can pick apart a piece of writing all you want, but without the author telling you exactly how he/she wanted the piece to be interpreted, there is really no right way to interpret a piece.
In Billy Collins’ Sailing Alone Around the Room, myself as a reader was awed at the manipulation of words and complex ideas put together so simply and and fluently. The first poem that appealed to me was one of Collins’ early works from the Apple That Astonished Paris, “The Man in the Moon”. When I was a child seeing the moon gave me a rush of awe and wonder. I was put at ease with the simple knowledge that something so vast and grand hovered over, always watching. Collins in the poem talks about the “enormous” face of the moon, and how it used to frighten him. I felt a connection in the sense that it was the complete opposite for me, instead of feeling fear I felt a sense of calm. Imagery is seen throughout the poem when the man in the moon is described to have a “wide adult face”, showing the dominance it holds over young Collins. When beginning to read the poem the tone used gives the moon a particularly ominous feeling, with his “stern” and “cold” face. As the poem develops the tone shifts to the man in the moon having a more omniscient role in daily life, always there watching with his “melancholy face”, an almost gentle reminder that it is no longer something for Collins to fear. The second poem that appealed to me came from The Art of Drowning, titled “Budapest”. This poem intrigued me by the warped idea of a pen having its own mind disconnected from that of the writer. While beginning the poem I was immediately aware of the cunning use of diction. The author describes the pen as a “strange animal” hungry and frantic in its attempt to put words on a page. Continuing a theme of imagery found throughout the poems I was able to clearly imagine that when Collins stated the pens “nose pressed against the page”, it was fervently writing away. As a fellow daydreamer and travel enthusiast I could relate to the dreaming of undiscovered and distant places, while also recognizing the ability for tasks to be done without the full use of ones attention. Lastly, the third poem that appealed to me came from Picnic Lighting, “Fishing on the Susquehanna in July”. The title contradicts the poem itself, as it very blatantly sways the reader into believing it will be about/take place on the Susquehanna in July. Thought is becomes clear as the poem continues that this is not the case. The poem is about the authors trip to a museum where he gazed on a painting of the river, going to the river is something he “is unlikely to ever do”. The tone of the passage is one of longing, for the “pleasures” of places unknown that differ from the authors “quiet” lifestyle. Collins uses imagery to describe how clear the painting is being depicted - - “cloud ruffled sky”, “dense trees”- - which helps myself as a reader see exactly how the picture perfect susquehanna is to the author. The connection I felt to this poem was similar to that of “The Man in the Moon”, I almost pitied the quiet lifestyle of the person described who obviously yearned for more. Throughout his poems Collins’ use of the elements help the reader to make connections with his stories.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts on the poem “The Man in the Moon”, first off I would like to appreciate the play on words instead of “The Man on the Moon”, but really I totally connected with your feelings on the poem. It is rare I feel opposite to the way a writer is, but I never thought of the moon as an omniscient sprit, but rather something more welcoming and real. Instead of a “stern” and “cold” face I thought of the moon as a part of nature, and part of regular life. I am glad to see I was not the only reader who felt this way about the poem.
DeleteBilly Collins poems invoke a grand sense of personal intimacy when reading them. I was reminded constantly of various memories each time I read a different poem. In his tale, The Lesson, he tells of a person borrowing Histories coat to go to the market and find his furious that his stuff was taken without permission. I enjoyed this poem because it related to an issue I find very problematic. In the poem, Collins uses Histories coat as a euphemism for everything history is about. When the person takes histories stuff for their own use, history becomes flustered and worried, checking to see if anything’s missing. This coincides with the trouble of people using certain parts of history while not considering other parts. I have always fought and debated of the preservation of history with minimal censorship and full detail. Similar to how history searches to make sure nothing of his has been lost. IN Collins tale, Winter Syntax, the story describes how a sentence is created similarly to a traveler in the snow and how some emotions can easily be conveyed through an action or description of a scene. I was very drawn to this poem due to my relationship with English. Throughout my school years, I have usually had trouble writing in vivid details that can invoke the senses of others. It took me a many trials and nights of reading different stories to improve my writing vocabulary and skills. With the poem using the travelers struggles as a synonym for the creation of a sentence. The imagery of the cabin being a warm and final encounter is similar to how I feel being confident enough to enter an AP English class. The final poem that piqued my interests was Dharma. Dharma describes the narrator’s admiration and jealousy of how his dog can live life so free. Every day the dog simply walks out of the house and goes about its day with no cares in the world. He relates the dog’s carefreeness to its lack of material wealth. This is related to many religious belief practices, mainly Hindu belief, that you may reach happiness, inner peace, and eventually nirvana through refusing to worship material wealth. I found the poem fascinating because I have always tried to live life on a “go with the flow” basis. Many people try to plan far ahead and always seem so stressed, and I enjoy just seeing how life will take me without worrying on the path ahead. I feel it is a stress reducing idea that can help many people.
ReplyDeleteThe three poems jumped out to me in particular were, Winter Syntax, Insomnia, and The Best Cigarette. Winter Syntax appealed to me because it described a cold winter day of a man on a journey to his lover’s house, but he compares the winter day to syntax. “Bare branches in winter are a form of writing.” Nature can’t talk, but it can. It’s talking in a way based on the season. It’s not speaking, but you can see it’s story, the words behind it all. I thought that was pretty interesting to describe winter as a form of language rather than “bare branches”.
ReplyDeleteInsomnia was interesting using biblical references to the story of Noah’s Ark. Insomnia means the inability to sleep so it only makes sense he starts to count sheep. Billy Collins takes it to another level, though. “I enumerate the wildbeests, snails, camels, skylarks, etc.,” The sheep didn’t work so why not all the animals in the world? Which tied into Noah’s Ark. It isn’t until he see’s all the animals gone on the Ark in the wee hours of morning that he can finally fall asleep. I thought it was an interesting way to tackle on the counting sheep.
The Best Cigarette was artfully done. The descriptions of when the narrator has a cigarette start off in well know places, while driving, after sex, with wine, etc. Something just about anyone can imagine. Collins foes in to describe when he has the best smoke, which is when he’s at the typewriter. Which is interesting because he compares himself to a locomotive, “Then would become my own locomotive, trailing behind me as I returned to work.” As if the cigarette is his fuel to get him chugging along his river of writing. “Signs of industry and thought, the signal that told the nineteenth century it was moving forward.” This intrigued me as Collins was born in the 1940s, so I’m a little thrown off and curious by the meaning behind the nineteenth century moving forward. Does it have to do with his previous comparison of a locomotive and the age of industry in the nineteenth century? Or am I just overthinking this?
Forgetfulness:
ReplyDeleteAs the years go by and the workload given becomes more intensive, our brains tend to prioritize things for us. Important memories are kept new in the mind, but old information starts to gather dust as we cram more information in our heads. I’ve always had difficulties with my forgetfulness, so it was easy to find this piece appealing and agreeable. He uses detail to allow the readers to comprehend that our brains just can’t remember everything. His use of detailed examples such as “the address of an uncle”, “the capital of Paraguay” and setting those memories into a visualization of “floating away down a dark mythological river” turns the brain that he is describing into an entirely new world. Instead of a complex organ, it’s an entire wonderland overflowing with twists and turns. The old information is lost as you venture further down the path, shedding light on new things that will soon be engulfed in shadows once more as you keep moving forward.
On Turning Ten:
This poem makes it easy to see how with growing old really does put a damper on the imagination. He gives examples and with each stanza comes new imagery. In one stanza, he’s a prince, in another, a soldier, and so on and so forth. The last stanza really summed up as to why I feel the strong connection that I did have. “It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light. If you cut me I would shine. But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life, I skin my knees. I bleed.” As an aspiring actress, it has been my goal to figure out a way to replace the blood with light once again. Acting out so many different roles, a soldier, a prince, a wizard, helps piece together all of the broken bits of imagination that have been overshadowed with the responsibilities of adulthood. My dream career is to work with the imagination rather than having it be lost in the abundance of paperwork that most people have.
Snow Day:
This poem was appealing to me on a much simpler level than the prior poem. Even when I’m still in high school, I still get excitement out of hearing the phone call announcing the cancellation of school. In this poem, Billy Collins uses diction to make the images much crisper and more detailed. He says things like “a revolution of snow”, making a snow day seem much more victorious than it actually is. The snow that symbolizes the “white flag” creates the feeling that the school has surrendered their teachings and students are allowed a day of relaxation. He also uses the term “a willing prisoner” which was interesting because it made the poem that much stronger. The author willingly relinquishes all duties and remains a captive in his own home. All of these words make a simple snow day seem like so much more; an entire battle and victory.
I agree with your interpretation of "On turning ten." Growing up as a kid does usually mean that you should put some childish things behind you. On the contrary, I do not think children growing up should be letting go of all the good qualities of imagination. As you have mentioned many adult careers value a keen sense of imagination like acting as you have mentioned. This is why it is a good idea to hold on to your imagination, it becomes a skill in later life and it is why books like "The Lord Of the Rings" are so successful. I also really liked the line, “It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light. If you cut me I would shine. But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life, I skin my knees. I bleed.” It shows how the boy feels about growing up. As he progresses in life he feels all the imagination of his childhood must leave him, but it doesn't have to be this way. I liked what you said about replacing the blood with light once again, the world needs those creative and entertaining minds. Life would be much more mundane without them.
Deletemade a really stupid grammatical error and i can't change it
DeleteKelsey D'Aries
ReplyDeleteThe three poems that appeal to me are Forgetfulness, Days and Jealousy. Forgetfulness appeals to me because it is a relatable poem and people have experienced the poem’s message. Collins uses figurative language in this poem such as personification and imagery. Collins uses personification to relate abstract thoughts to things that people have experienced in everyday life. He writes about how things that once seemed important to us, or things that we once knew well, disappear from our memory and as he puts it “packs its bag”. The thought of something like the quadratic equation packing its bag gives us the image of it leaving our memory without the author stating exactly that. Collins’ also uses imagery when talking about a memory floating away “down a dark mythological river”. He takes an conceptual thought but is able to paint an image of what it’s doing which helps the reader understand. A line in the poem that really interests me is “and even now as you memorize the order of the planets, something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps...”. I find this interesting because with all of the knowledge we memorize in the classroom, is the previous year information just slipping away? The next poem I found interesting is Days because of Collins’ use of imagery and suspenseful tone. He starts with a cliché about how each day is a “gift” but then gets much deeper with what each day really symbolizes. The poem has to do with how each day may be based on the day before it, and that each day is so delicately based on the day before that they could all come crashing down. He uses imagery to convey this point when writing “all the days of the past stacked high like the impossible tower or dishes entertainers used to build on stage”. The suspenseful tone is evident when at the end the author writes that “you whisper, then holding your breath, place the cup on yesterday’s saucer without the slightest clink”. When someone whispers and holds their breath, the reader feels tense and in suspense. I think this poem is very interesting because it takes a simple idea and takes a turn to how all your days ever lived can all be “stacked high” and ready to crash down if you are not careful. The reason I found the poem Jealousy appealing is because jealousy is a really strong, ugly emotion that often overpowers other feelings. In this poem his sarcastic tone is apparent as well as his use of imagery. His sarcastic tone is evident when he writes “...next to me in bed and then expect me to believe you were lost in your own dreamworld...”. When he talks about the other man his woman is with he describes him as a “tall man in a beautiful suit and a perfectly furled hat” which gives the idea of a wealthy and good looking man. I find this poem captivating because the reader can tell that he loves the person when he says “what kills me is the way you lie there in the morning...and that innocent look on your face” but yet he knows that he is not good for her.
My three favorite poems from Sailing Alone Around the Room were The Best Cigarette, Dancing Toward Bethlehem, and Jealousy, all picked because I think they differ from many of the other poems in the collection in their specificity of emotion. I feel that these three showcase Collins at vulnerable times where he confronts and comes to terms with not the universe, but his own feelings. Addiction, love, and jealousy- all very acute and all tackled with both prose and honesty.
ReplyDeleteThe Best Cigarette describes the aching crave that follows addiction as he goes from one situation to another and the details of what music he's playing and the feeling of the “dry rush mix with the dark taste of coffee” that mesmerize and encapsulate what it is to pine. Aside from these descriptions though, the word usage in the piece leaves the reader spellbound. The picture of a cigarette “sparking along the road”, bouncing as the light flits out is as powerful and poetic as that of Collins “holding one with fingers still wet from a swim”. What I find so appealing about the four stanzas is that even someone who has never smoked can connect with the sentiments. The fondness and missing of the “bittersweet... punctuations” are applicable to all sorts of varied emotions- not only addiction. And then when the last, the best cigarette becomes a metaphor for “progress” and “industry and thought”? Breathtaking. Who hasn't been filled with “vaporous hope” before, though unlike Collins, it may not have included the industrial revolution taking place in our study. I'd be interested to know, from anyone who'd like to respond, what your 'cigarette' is. Tea? Coffee? Chocolate? Sleep? What do you miss or crave and where do you see these emotions in the piece?
Dancing Toward Bethlehem is the shortest of the three I've picked, but I don't think that takes away at all from the power of the piece- I fact I like it's briefness. As always, Collins uses particular details to make his writing rich- he doesn't just want to dance, he wants to dance slowly in the “ballroom of a seaside hotel.” The imagery sets us up for the sudden switch from the concrete to the abstract as the poem changes from a sweet admission to perhaps a less-sweet one. As the “past hundred years collapsed into a pile” he shows this longing to cast away the past and his romantic fantasy of everything falling away around him with “no time to... worry about what was never said”. The line that really gets me though is the “orchestra sliding into the sea”. Maybe it's the alliteration that I love, or the connection to the Titanic, but it's such a strange image that it lingers in my mind.
Jealousy I find utterly breathtaking. The first two stanzas are the build up, leading the reader to the meaty portion of the poem where he addresses 'you' (the woman he's jealous over). The imagery in the third though “Slipping around corners, rising in the cage of an elevator, squinting out of the rear window of a taxi” is beautiful and introduces this feeling of her always slipping away from him. Again in the fifth too, the words “what kills me” pull at heart strings along with the image of the woman “curled in a sweet ball of sleep”, acting innocent when she's clearly wasn't really “right there all night”. I love the figurative language in the ending as well and the lines “burying your face in the plumage of an angel”- just the dreamy quality that they're steeped in.
Hi Magali! I really enjoyed reading your response. I like how your selection of poems to include were ones that you believed to stand out from the rest of the Billy Collins collection and I agree that they definitely do stand out.
DeleteThe Best Cigarette was also a favorite poem of mine. It is true how stunning Collins' writing is in a way that he can make us relate to an experience we may not have had ourselves. His writing puts everything in a way that we can also relate and understand as he does. I agree in the fascination in his ability to provoke all of the reader's senses in his writing. I feel not as if I'm reading a poem written by another but reflecting back on a memory of my own. It's a great reading experience! As for your question, I'm not sure exactly what my own 'cigarette' would be. Hm, maybe a certain type of smoothie I order. Not in that I crave it and order all the time, but actually in the way that I only order during certain occasions. Collins recalls very specific occasions in which he would smoke and I think in the way that he can remember those specific occasions I can relate. I can recall the exact occasions where I would only order that smoothie right down to with who, the time of day, where it is, etc. I feel as though the craving feeling can be related to past relationships - whether with old friends or other loved ones; how you crave wanting to go back to how things used to be and can recall such specific memories of them. At least, that's how I see some sort of relation!
I love how you mention that the length of Dancing Toward Bethlehem doesn't take away from it at all, or instead even enhances the poem to even more greatness. I got chills reading your mention of the line “orchestra sliding into the sea." It truly is such a excellent excerpt from the poem and hearing you mention it again specifically just really brought it out more.
I also enjoyed reading your 'analysis' or connection you had with Jealousy. That was another poem that also stood out to me as a favorite. The overall structure of the poem itself really adds to the suspense and overall feeling. I enjoyed the contrasting tone words as the scenario unravels!
Collins’ poem The Three Wishes, appeals to me a lot because it tells a lesson about human nature. Many stories are told where someone is given the chance to make an amount of wishes that will be granted either immediately or over time. Each wish in this poem is an example of human nature. The first wish the hungry woodsman wishes for “a skillet of hot sausages”, his greatest desire. It is a foolish and impulsive decision, a type of decision that humans often make. Next, the wife is “infuriated at his stupidity” so she makes another impulsive and unwise wish out of anger. Another fault in human nature is that anger drives humans to do dumb things that they normally would not. Lastly, the third wish is to “remove the heavy pan from the poor mans face”. This is an example of a human trying to make up for their dumb decisions by facing the consequence of losing something important. The sad fate of these rookie wish-makers is shown throughout the rest of the poem through the use of diction. The author uses words like “muter piously”, “rueful lives”, and “a quiver of sympathy” to instill the sad tone that represents the rest of the couples life.
ReplyDeleteThe poem Days is a cool way to think of life. The poem uses the analogy of the collection of days a person builds up in their life to an unstable stack of plates. The day we are born is the first plate. If that plate(day) does not fall then the next plate(day) may be placed on top of it, and so on. But eventually the pile of plates will fall. The falling of the plates represents death. The imagery used in this poem conveys the analogy that I have been explaining. The author says things like “the impossible towers of dishes”, “hoping to add one more”, and “holding your breath” to show how unstable every day is, and at any time, your tower of plates can topple over.
The History Teacher is a good way to describe childhood. When dealing with children everything that is controversial, harsh, scary, or brutal becomes a euphemism. Everyone is constantly trying to maintain the innocence of children. But is there a point where the euphemisms go to far? Where we should just tell the truth? I think this poem is a good indicator that sometimes the euphemisms get ridiculous. Maybe we shouldn’t tell kids all of the harsh details, but we definitely shouldn't be lying to them. In this poem the teacher, who's wealth of knowledge is quenched by “what the kids should know” flat out lies to the students. He says things like “The War of Roses took place in a garden” and “The Ice Age was really just the Chilly Age”. At the end of the poem the teacher is thinking of his lie for the Boer War. The teacher is wondering if the students would believe that the soldiers “told long rambling stories designed to make the enemy nod off.” This last part of the poem serves as a “final straw” for the reader because the euphemism is just so over the top.
Connor I really like the way you say “The History Teacher is a good way to describe childhood.” I read the poem myself and totally agree with this because the way that the teacher is teaching his kids makes it appeal to the inner child. I also agree with you saying that we should tell the kids the truth because if they grew up thinking the stuff that the teacher told them was true people might look down on them. I also like how you talk about the poem Days and say how you never know when you tower of plates will topple over. This makes me think that you should live every day to its fullest and live life with no regrets. The way you describe the poem makes me wish that I used this poem for myself for this assignment. I like how in your analysis of the poem The Three Wishes you state that “anger drives humans to do dumb things…” in other word anger clouds good judgment. I believe this is true because when someone is angry they act in a matter that makes one think they are a different person.
DeleteThe Dead (Page 33)
ReplyDeleteIn this poem, Collins reflects on the dead, and the notion that they are up in heaven, looking down at us. He uses rich wording to describe heaven as a “sea of eternity” upon which the dead sail. Yet despite the assurance that the dead will remember us and watch us, I find the poem fairly saddening. The second to last sentence really struck me- as we lie awake and stare up, the dead will stare back, “[lifting] their oars and falling silent” as though they had nothing else to do but watch us forever. Collin’s tone is light and calming, as he speaks of the dead rowing along placidly over the sea of heaven, and watching us like parents over a child. But I think that perhaps the dead should look past their legacy on earth and instead into the beyond (whatever that may be).
History Teacher (Page 38)
In this story, Collins creates a vivid picture of both care and hate. The poem is about a teacher who means well but does nothing but harm. He tries to shield his students from the violence and cruelty of others in the past, but he forgets that both aspects are inherent in humankind, and cannot see that they have already taken root in his students. So each day, they leave his classroom to “torment the weak and the smart, mussing up their hair and breaking their glasses.” The wordplay Collins uses really adds to the effect: each example of hideous events in the past is smoothly covered up with lies – “The Spanish Inquisition was nothing more than an outbreak of questions,” “The Enola Gay dropped one tiny atom on Japan,” and “The Ice Age became the Chilly Age.” Each puts another layer of detail in, creating the world in which the teacher and his students live, lined with white picket fences and dotted with flower beds, plastered on top of the ugly truth.
I do have a question for you. When was the last time you thought, “How can I help everyone else?” And if you haven’t until now, (god help you) how would you help everyone else?
On Turning Ten (Page 63)
In this poem, Collins’ character takes a different approach than any other nine year old I’ve known. Instead of waiting ecstatically for yet another birthday, and this time with a bigger number, the child reflects on the fact that he’s always growing older, and that life has lost its innocent luster. Perhaps the most stunning stanza is the last, which summarizes his feelings in a few sentences:
“It seems only yesterday I used to believe
There was nothing under my skin but light.
If you cut me, I would shine.
But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,
I skin my knees. I bleed.”
This poem is really all about disillusionment with life. Collins’ story could be that of anyone- the images of forlorn mementos from the past, like the blue bike leaning up against the shed, drained of speed, conjure up the feeling that life is not forever, and sooner or later, everyone will have to come to terms with it.
Putting down a long explanation of this question,
What do you think about aging and the finite amount of time we have?
Not that I expect any real and meaningful answers.
I find it very refreshing to find someone who shares a cynical world view that is quite similar to mine. Though I don't expect you to believe or agree with my answer to your question on "Turning Ten", I will assert my honesty. The truth is I find aging very depressing, I believe our disappointments stem from society's expectations. Look at me for example: I'm 17 and I've only now gotten my learners permit, I've yet to have a job, and so forth. I'm not searching for sympathy, I'm merely stating that despite what society is expecting of me, I am in no rush to acquire these adult things. I applied for a job, didn't get it, so I said "you know what? This is my last summer as I kid." let the world grow old without me.(ironically I already feel more mature than most kids my age.)
DeleteI find myself intrigued at your interpretation of "History Teacher" . Most students would accuse their teachers of trying to sugar coat things with the Worst things at heart. The question you pose at the end of your interpretation, I have found myself wondering the same thing. When was the last time we considered how to help everyone?
Billy Collins wrote countless poems in his book entitled “Sailing Alone Around the Room”. While they’re all unique and different, none appealed more to me while reading than “Walking Across the Atlantic”, “My Number”, and “The History Teacher”.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem “Walking Across the Atlantic”, Collins describes the beauty of nature and the mere fact that we haven’t come into contact with all of what we live with. He describes with his diction that he’ll be sleeping on the water’s rocking surface for “tonight”. Nature emits so much to the world that he is able to portray that he doesn’t have to use the same action the next day to remain in touch with it. To humans, “the bottoms of feet appearing, disappearing” on the surface of the beach may seem normal, but to the “fish below” it’s the opposite. The imagery of the footprints arriving and then slowly fading away from a mysterious source gives an idea of what the fish are accustomed to witnessing. They see nature as water, the essential piece of life that allows them to maintain their survival. Fish are limited in their actions, as land isn’t permitted. Humans are lucky enough to be able to interact with both and use nature at large.
“My Number” describes the harsh reality of death. Billy Collins portrays through his diction that no one really knows when their life may end. Everyone can ask all of the questions they want, but no one has all of the answers. Unfortunately, everyday loved ones lose their lives, as Collins writes “Is he too busy making arrangements” with those who aren’t so lucky. The tone used in this poem seems to be one of defeat. Accepting the fact that “Death” will eventually meet him, it forces his life to be focused with paranoia instead of enjoying what he has left. The list of possible causes of death, “tampering with air brakes, scattering cancer cells like seeds, loosening the wooden beams of roller coasters”, should be seen as a testament in living life to the fullest while you can, because on any given occasion you won’t be presented with that opportunity.
Children are born into the world with the most innocence they’ll ever have. Throughout their childhood, they see the struggles of life in minor doses, but will continue to lose that innocence with every passing day. Teachers, as written in “The History Teacher”, are seen as one of the largest influences on the young. One may try to show them life in reality as soon as possible, and one may “try to protect his students’ innocence”. To hold children from seeing the real world only tampers their growth, as one day they will have to come to terms with the fact that they need to fend for themselves. As soon as the “children would leave his classroom for the playground”, they immediately saw what he tried to hide. Interacting with others, they would “torment the weak and the smart”, reflecting the harsh reality that innocence can not be protected. In his poems, Collins shares his opinions on topics that effect our everyday lives. His use of literary devices further his case and provide the logic and reason he desires.
The poem "picnic lighting" appealed to me because it discusses the idea that death can come at any time however it reminds us we should not be too concerned with this concept. Collins mentions (as unlikely as it seems) "it is possible to be struck by a meteor or a single engine plane while reading in a chair at home." The first three stanzas of the poem describe death as sudden and unpredictable, Collins does this through use of figurative language when he says; "the heart, no valentine decides to quit after lunch, the power shut off like a switch." also, "the instant hand of death always ready to burst forth from the sleeve of his voluminous cloak.” The last two stanzas deviate from the dark/ dreary tone of the first three. They contain a much lighter tone as Collins starts to focus more on the good things he sees around him. He uses figurative language to enhance his descriptions. “Then the soil is full of marvels, bits of leaf like flakes off a fresco…” This poem is also arranged in such a way that it starts dark and dreary but ends in a light and hopeful tone. By doing this Collins reminds us to pay attention to the good things in life. Would the poem have a different effect if this arrangement was switched?
ReplyDeletethe second poem that interested me was “The history teacher” Collins tells of a teacher who was trying to shelter his students from the world through use of some interesting wordplay. Throughout the poem this history teacher does this by replacing actual events of history with his much more light hearted stories; “the ice age was really just the Chilly age, a period of a million years when everyone had to wear sweaters.” Also, “the war of roses took place in a garden, and the Enola Gay dropped one tiny atom on japan”. The fourth stanza talks about how, “the children would leave his classroom to torment the weak and the smart, messing up their hair and breaking their glasses…” The irony here is that the children the history teacher wants to protect are growing up to be more contributors of the cruel world he was trying to protect them from.
The third poem that appealed to me was “On turning ten.”It is about a boy who is turning ten. This poem discusses a boy’s feeling towards growing up and putting many things he used to enjoy behind him. Collins uses figurative language to show this boy’s discomfort with turning ten by comparing the prospect with having an illness; “The whole idea makes me feel like i’m coming down with something…” “a kind of measles of the spirit, a mumps of the psyche, a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.” The boy clearly feels that time is going too fast, he acknowledges the fact that many people would say his age is too young to be looking back. However he tells us he can remember every digit of his imaginative past years. the last part of the second stanza uses more figurative language and has more of a nostalgic tone; “At four I was an arabian wizard.” “I could make myself invisible by drinking a glass of milk a certain way.” In the last three stanzas of the poem changes the tone back to give a more depressing feel. The boy feels as though all the joys of his childhood must suddenly leave him; “But now I am mostly at the window watching the late afternoon light. Back then it never fell so solemnly against the side of my tree house, my bicycle never leaned against the garage as it does today, all the dark blue speed drained out of it.” The boy also recognizes this time as the start of sadness. The poem gets more depressing as it goes on, this structure could reflect the boy’s views on getting older. (the more time passes the worse he will feel about it.)
I also really enjoyed "Picnic, Lightning" and got many of the same feelings you got from reading it - such as how we shouldn't be too concerned with the concept of death and how it will approach us. I enjoyed the line, "Then the soil is full of marvels, bits of leaf like flakes off a fresco.." because of what you described in your answer, how Collins uses figurative language to create a light and positive tone towards the end of this poem. To try and answer you question, I think yes, it would have had a significantly different affect. By having the lines about impromptu death at the end and the hopeful ones at the beginning, the poem would be about losing hope, and by the end, the negativity would make you doubt the good things in life instead of appreciate them.
DeleteWhile reading "Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems" by Billy Collins, three poems stood out to me and inspired me to read closer. “Dancing Toward Bethlehem” gave a sense of euphoria when the reader was put in the story. When he states, “my palm would press into the small of your back,” the reader attains a personal relationship with not only the author, but also the story. I admired the theme of mindlessness in the story, as if all that is truly alive is the romance between the author and his love. His diction regarding the actions of the objects around them, like the orchestra or the “floor of the nineteenth century,” enhances the theme of loneliness with words like “collapsed,” “disappeared,” and “sliding.” In the author’s eyes, the only thing that will survive is romance.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite poems that I read was “Some Final Words.” It includes advice intended for the reader, and also for himself. The short syntax of the phrases “leave it behind,” and “but forget Strauss,” gives a tone of seriousness. The sentences show that there are no questions, it must be done. They are also broad, allowing him to expand further on the subjects being spoken of. When he mentions forgetting Strauss, he begins to also address the problems associated with Strauss’ younger brother. In addition, I liked the imagery of surprise in the fifth stanza. “Stunned,” “absurdity,” “sudden,” and “gasp” are all examples of the diction used to portray this image. It allows you to imagine a setting where everything is unpredictable and spontaneous; nothing is planned. Also, he uses the metaphor of taking “your head out of your hands,” meaning not to physically lift your head from your covering hands, but to broaden your perspective of life on Earth. Through imagery and detail, he describes the bright light and plants thriving in the scenery. I was interested in this poem because he is reminding you that even though something may appear important, it may be worth forgetting.
The last poem that interested me was “Sonnet.” It was a very creative and unique way to attempt to describe a sonnet. Within a sonnet, Collins describes important turning points of the outline of the poem. He describes that the first line is useless, and the second line no more important. The third line starts the story, until the ninth line where the story reaches a plot twist. The tenth line starts the resolution, and the last line will end all. This poem stands out because it is not a cliché love story, or a mourning of a death. It is a realist view on a well-known poem. When reading this poem closer, though, it makes me wonder if Collins believed that every life was planned out the same. A sonnet has a distinct rhythm and format, and he describes things that occur in some people’s everyday lives. However, this contradicts “Some Final Words,” because he described that nothing was planned.
We all procrastinate, regardless of context, we have all put something off, saying that we would get to it tomorrow. Advice to Writers (page 8) is a prime example of our unfocused tendencies to waste time while attempting to accomplish a task. The hyperbolic description to “clean the place as if the Pope were on his way” and to “not hesitate to take to the open fields and scour the undersides of rocks…” gave me flashbacks to sleepless nights of stalling. The poem also brought a feeling of nostalgia. As an avid "SpongeBob" watcher I couldn't help but relate the poem back to an episode where Spongebob does everything from over-feeding his snail Gary to cleaning his entire home, instead of working on an essay due the next day. More Importantly, it shows that in solitude, people will revert to sloth and their inner laziness.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, Monday Morning (page 71) continues with this universally relatable behavior, laziness. Collins uses a sarcastic tone to represent the students defeat. she “fears of the mark she might as well get." She hadn't cared about putting in the work all year, but now she cares about the grade. This theme is clear in the idea of “senioritis”, where students quit in any attempts of rigorous school work when they feel it no longer matter. The true testament of a student's strength is not giving up when they think the work doesn't matter, but putting full effort into all academic endeavors, regardless of triviality.
Finally, Insomnia (page 143) related to me on a deep level. The poem itself reflects the trials of the insomniac, specifically the alternating flow between stanzas where the first two are slow and the third becomes more frenzied, the transfer between placidity and mania while trying to rest. The author also refers to insomnia as “my own worst enemy, my oldest friend” enabling the reader to understand that it has been an enduring and arduous issue to confront, yet in a way, comforting. Sleep deprivation is something all students face and unregulated sleep cycles is a common problem in higher education. We have all heard stories of the student pulling all nighters studying for a final exam or staying awake all night because of stress. It’s the realization of unity between all students, that makes this enjoyable to me.
On Advice to Writers;
DeleteI'm not entirely sure if the poem is about procrastination, since it seems to end with the fact that the writing is somehow better after the long hours of cleaning. I note the final stanza- "From a small vase, sparkling blue, lift - a yellow pencil, the sharpest of the bouquet, - and cover pages with tiny sentences - like long rows of devoted ants - that followed you in from the woods."
It seems to me that these ants are the inspiration that cleaning has apparently given the writer. I'm very confused about all the metaphors in this poem, they're making me lose track of what is actually happening to the writer.
On Monday Morning;
I concur that the student is daydreaming, drifting off lazily rather than working, but I don't see a cause for such conviction to say that she has been putting off work all year. All I see in the poem is a bored student who, like all other students, fears her test marks and escapes into her mind.
On Insomnia;
I share your sentiments on the poem insomniac. However, I was confused throughout the poem as to whom he was referring. I believe he's talking about his own imagination, which is causing the insomnia. I also believe that his account of insomnia is like the affliction itself- the more you try to rest, the more restless you become. You alluded to this, noting that the stanzas grow increasingly manic.
We all procrastinate, regardless of context, we have all put something off, saying that we would get to it tomorrow. Advice to Writers (page 8) is a prime example of our unfocused tendencies to waste time while attempting to accomplish a task. The hyperbolic description to “clean the place as if the Pope were on his way” and to “not hesitate to take to the open fields and scour the undersides of rocks…” gave me flashbacks to sleepless nights of stalling. The poem also brought a feeling of nostalgia. As an avid "SpongeBob" watcher I couldn't help but relate the poem back to an episode where Spongebob does everything from over-feeding his snail Gary to cleaning his entire home, instead of working on an essay due the next day. More Importantly, it shows that in solitude, people will revert to sloth and their inner laziness.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, Monday Morning (page 71) continues with this universally relatable behavior, laziness. Collins uses a sarcastic tone to represent the students defeat. she “fears of the mark she might as well get." She hadn't cared about putting in the work all year, but now she cares about the grade. This theme is clear in the idea of “senioritis”, where students quit in any attempts of rigorous school work when they feel it no longer matter. The true testament of a student's strength is not giving up when they think the work doesn't matter, but putting full effort into all academic endeavors, regardless of triviality.
Finally, Insomnia (page 143) related to me on a deep level. The poem itself reflects the trials of the insomniac, specifically the alternating flow between stanzas where the first two are slow and the third becomes more frenzied, the transfer between placidity and mania while trying to rest. The author also refers to insomnia as “my own worst enemy, my oldest friend” enabling the reader to understand that it has been an enduring and arduous issue to confront, yet in a way, comforting. Sleep deprivation is something all students face and unregulated sleep cycles is a common problem in higher education. We have all heard stories of the student pulling all nighters studying for a final exam or staying awake all night because of stress. It’s the realization of unity between all students, that makes this enjoyable to me.
"Forgetfulness": Our brain is the most complex machine that has ever existed and because of that, it has always caught my attention. As every labyrinthine mechanism, the brain has its occasional faults and glitches, forgetfulness being one of the grandest black holes of the mind. Billy Collins takes a different and metaphorical perception of where thoughts go once swallowed up by the depths of the mind’s oblivion in his poem, “Forgetfulness”. To him, a forgotten thought isn’t on the tip of your tongue, it’s long gone, “floating away down a dark mythological river.” For me, it’s peculiar to imagine a physical place where lost thoughts go, which is why this poem intrigues me. His lines are entwined with symbolic meanings as he gives examples of things easily forgotten with time, along with uses of personification and hyperboles that help explain his position on the topic. The line, “It [a thought] is not even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen,” sparks a reader’s wonder as to where thoughts actually go once lost.
ReplyDelete"Days": Collins, in my opinion, is more of a thinker than a poet in the way he analyzes into the depths of everyday things. In his work, “Days” he literally analyzes every day and what they’ve become to us. This poem gets to me because it emphasizes the reality of how days aren’t promised and how we take them for granted. Collins’ use of an extended metaphor makes that clear to the reader and guides them to the realization that days are as fragile as a tall stack of plates. We’ve grown so accustomed to effortlessly piling each day on top of the next that we forget to appreciate these gifts we are given. In the lines, “but so precariously/ this day might be resting somehow/ on the one before it,” Collins explains through personification that each day may seem the same as we grow acclimated to them, but as time goes on, we carelessly develop tunnel-vision and become oblivious to the changes in the world around us and days turn into “Just another Wednesday”’s. Each day is an opportunity and as the stack of plates dangerously builds more high and decrepit, those missed opportunities could be regretted in years to come.
"Nightclub": Like “Forgetfulness” and “Days”, Collins poem, “Nightclub” also goes against mainstream ways and attacks common themes of modern music and writing, questioning the reader as to why we all think the same way- the answer being perhaps because that’s all we know. To help the reader understand, Collins describes a scene of a nightclub long after midnight, where he foolishly plays the saxophonist’s sax to a just as foolish crowd that loses itself to the beat and through his uses of similes, metaphors, and personification, he proves that when you are yourself, you are your most beautiful. “We are all so foolish…/ so damn foolish/ we have become beautiful without even knowing it,” are lines that stand out the most to me because as the night went on, the night-goers released themselves to the music and became their individual selves; the beautiful fools that only the third hour of the morning has the power to create.
Your analysis on “Days”, was really intriguing, and I completely agree about how we as a society take for granted our long life expectancies, when in reality nothing is truly guaranteed. The way you described the poetry compared to the plates was really great. The metaphor used really clears up the meaning of the poem and adds a newer level of clarity to Billy Collin’s meaning to his writing. During his line, “but so precariously/ this day might be resting somehow/ on the one before it”, the metaphor of stacking the plates really comes to life. Lastly, I also have the same opinions on why Billy Collins chose to add in the part about more “Wednesdays”, and how no matter how long we live we crave for more days to live for.
Delete"Forgetfulness": Our brain is the most complex machine that has ever existed and because of that, it has always caught my attention. As every labyrinthine mechanism, the brain has its occasional faults and glitches, forgetfulness being one of the grandest black holes of the mind. Billy Collins takes a different and metaphorical perception of where thoughts go once swallowed up by the depths of the mind’s oblivion in his poem, “Forgetfulness”. To him, a forgotten thought isn’t on the tip of your tongue, it’s long gone, “floating away down a dark mythological river.” For me, it’s peculiar to imagine a physical place where lost thoughts go, which is why this poem intrigues me. His lines are entwined with symbolic meanings as he gives examples of things easily forgotten with time, along with uses of personification and hyperboles that help explain his position on the topic. The line, “It [a thought] is not even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen,” sparks a reader’s wonder as to where thoughts actually go once lost.
ReplyDelete"Days": Collins, in my opinion, is more of a thinker than a poet in the way he analyzes into the depths of everyday things. In his work, “Days” he literally analyzes every day and what they’ve become to us. This poem gets to me because it emphasizes the reality of how days aren’t promised and how we take them for granted. Collins’ use of an extended metaphor makes that clear to the reader and guides them to the realization that days are as fragile as a tall stack of plates. We’ve grown so accustomed to effortlessly piling each day on top of the next that we forget to appreciate these gifts we are given. In the lines, “but so precariously/ this day might be resting somehow/ on the one before it,” Collins explains through personification that each day may seem the same as we grow acclimated to them, but as time goes on, we carelessly develop tunnel-vision and become oblivious to the changes in the world around us and days turn into “Just another Wednesday”’s. Each day is an opportunity and as the stack of plates dangerously builds more high and decrepit, those missed opportunities could be regretted in years to come.
"Nightclub": Like “Forgetfulness” and “Days”, Collins poem, “Nightclub” also goes against mainstream ways and attacks common themes of modern music and writing, questioning the reader as to why we all think the same way- the answer being perhaps because that’s all we know. To help the reader understand, Collins describes a scene of a nightclub long after midnight, where he foolishly plays the saxophonist’s sax to a just as foolish crowd that loses itself to the beat and through his uses of similes, metaphors, and personification, he proves that when you are yourself, you are your most beautiful. “We are all so foolish…/ so damn foolish/ we have become beautiful without even knowing it,” are lines that stand out the most to me because as the night went on, the night-goers released themselves to the music and became their individual selves; the beautiful fools that only the third hour of the morning has the power to create.
I love your comments about the poem “Forgetfulness”. I share your curiosity with the brain and how some memories just seem to float away over time while we are unaware. Collins explains this occurrence as if the memories are just too old and overworked, therefore they “retire” to a place where we can no longer reach them. The poem is clever and relatable; he lists little facts that we worked hard to memorize such as “the order of the planets” and “the quadratic equation” , but once those facts are no longer needed or necessary, they disappear. By the end, the poem bursts with a hit of reality that we are all “well on [our] way to oblivion” and soon we won’t remember “how to swim” or “ride a bicycle”. Sad, but inevitable I suppose.
DeleteI also loved your point of view on the poem “Days”. This poem was one of my 3 favorites as well. I agree with your point that many people become accustomed to each day and may not make the most of it. Collins brilliantly and clearly sent the message that we must not be careless with our “tower of dishes”, otherwise many consequences such as death will occur. I definitely learned to look at life in a new way because of this poem.
The three poems I find most appealing are: "Winter Syntax", "Introduction to Poetry", and "Reading an Anthology of Chinese Poems of the Sung Dynasty, I Pause to Admire the Length and Clarity of Their Titles". All three are roughly similar to each other in the sense that they all relate to writing poetry; however, each is unique. For example, in "Winter Syntax", Billy Collins creates an extended metaphor to further his goal of explaining how poetry expresses sometimes simple concepts into something more complex and beautiful. The lone traveler, struggling to make his way through a winter landscape, is akin to the author, struggling to write a single line of poetry on a page. In the end, the joy expressed by the traveler when he "expresses a complete thought" is absolute and wonderful. I find this poem pleasant because it contrasts a simple, boring line of poetry ("You lift a gun from the glove compartment") with the struggle and feeling of accomplishment when a real line of poetry is finished. In the second poem I chose, "Introduction to Poetry", I find Billy Collins' satiric tone towards dissecting poetry humorous. I also think the core concept of appreciating poetry for what it is is meaningful. In this poem, the word 'poem' is personified and given a physicality that it does not have in real life; the poem owns a room and is a maze and a buzzing hive and an entire ocean, beach included. These first few stanzas are filled with wonder, and contrast with the diction used in the last two stanzas; "light" vs "torture", "water-ski" vs "tie", and "feel" vs "beating" are perfect examples. Finally, in "Reading an Anthology of Chinese Poems of the Sung Dynasty, I Pause to Admire the Length and Clarity of Their Titles", I find Billy Collins' take on the Chinese humorous and a little surprising, as I hadn't expected his tone to change to what seemed to be critical to an appreciative one. His critique, that "[they] have nothing up their ample sleeves" because they tell us so much in their extensive titles, is both reasonable and just, and yet when he compares them to a title like "Horn of Neurosis", the Chinese choices are clearly more pleasant. In addition, certain elements of diction came through later in the poem, such as "iron turnstile", "beaded curtain brushing", and "thin beard". This poem also ended nice and simple, with a calm and pleasant "cross my legs like his, and listen". Now, the question I'd like to ask the class is: Do you think "Reading an Anthology of Chinese Poems of the Sung Dynasty, I Pause to Admire the Length and Clarity of Their Titles" counted towards my total word count?
ReplyDeleteCameron Falkner
ReplyDeleteThe three poems I chose were, Insomnia(10), Vade Mecum(36), and The Dead(33). I throughly enjoyed reading these poems and I felt as if they carried a lot of meaning. In the Insomnia poem the literary technique that really stood out to me was Collins’s use of detail, instead of just grazing over what he goes through each night trying to fall asleep he lists and goes on and on about how many things he thinks about and sees each night making the reader really understand what it is like for him trying to fall asleep. Collins also uses diction to show the reader the endless cycle of counting animals and trying to fall asleep with the line, “I picture all the fish in creation leaping a fence in a field of water, one colorful species after another.” While reading Vade Mecum I felt that it was telling about how the narrator doesn't want a long choppy and sloppy out from a relationship. They are saying if they person they are in a relationship in with is going to cut them out of their lives for the cut to be quick, swift and clean. The cutting and pasting is a metaphor for removing a person from your life and rendering them as simply a memory in a picture book. Lastly the literary technique that caught my eye in the poem The Dead was the extended metaphor of the after life being a boat that was carried on throughout the whole poem. This enhances the power of the poem by creating a certain image or idea that the reader can carry with them and hold on to. This metaphor is implying that the dead await the living to join them and in their eternity of rowing on, even the idea of another joining their endless row is enough to keep their boat going.
Cameron, the use of detail in the poem Insomnia stood out to me as well. I also enjoy how Collins enables us to feel as though we are inside the characters head -- with him as he tries to fall asleep. It's funny to me that after he counts "all the sheep in the world," he starts counting other animals. He also brings up Noah's Arc, which I found humerus, He says "...I am asleep in a nightmare drowning in the Flood...preoccupied Noah at his wondrous ark sails..." I also enjoy the diction that he uses. His word choice of words really make us realize how hard he is trying to fall asleep, and concentrating on the animals that are helping him do so. I really like your interpretation of the poem "Vade Mecum." The metaphor to cutting someone out of your life and carrying them in a small memory, like a picture book, is very powerful to me. Though it's a very short piece, it's carries a strong meaning. I also noticed that the author, possibly speaking about himself, was asking for "the scissors to be sharp and the table to be perfectly level," in order for the action to not be as painful. Losing someone is always painful, and looking back on small memories of them can be painful as well.
DeleteDays: I love this poem because it changed the way I think about time. This poem reminds me that every day is important, “a gift”, rather. Collins comparison between time and the tower of dishes blew my mind because of its accuracy; I never thought of it that way before. Collins’ use of imagery is apparent right from the beginning of the poem, where the reader can clearly see “the day” being “mysteriously placed” and “set upon” the forehead. This theme of carefully placed objects carries through the whole poem, where another “day” is added to the tall tower of dishes, which could topple over at any moment. This theme is expressed through specific diction such as, “precariously”, “mysteriously”, and “impossible”. At the beginning, the tone seems grateful. This new day is a fresh one with “cold” air, a blanket of snow on the ground, and the “sun glinting off the turrets of clouds”. The tone seems to shift to apprehension or caution when one must add one more dish to the tower. Life freezes as one places just another dish and a feeling of relief washes over the reader when the dish is placed “without the slightest clink”.
ReplyDeleteThe Dead: I love this poem because I often think about the dead and the afterlife, so the topic of this poem definitely piqued my interest. The tone is very calming to me. Collins establishes this tone through diction such as “slowly”, “hum”, “drugged”, and “warm”. I believe that this poem is very different regarding the topic of “the dead”. Usually the living are the ones who miss the dead and go through pain everyday just thinking about them. In this poem, it seems like the dead are the ones who miss life. They miss the simple, common acts of tying up your shoes or “making a sandwich” and they reminisce about the coziness of a couch and the warm afternoons baking into their skin. The last few lines create a feeling of hope and sadness when Collins says “they think we are looking back at them, which makes them lift their oars and fall silent and wait, like parents, for us to close our eyes”. The dead are protectors, like parents, and, in a sense, hope for the moment where we “close our eyes” so we can be reunited with them.
Books: I love this poem for many reasons. The first reason is that I work in a library and witness many people just captured in a good book and the description that Collins gives in the second stanza is extremely accurate. I also love this poem because I love the language Collins uses to describe the books in the library (“choir of authors murmuring”, “humming”). It creates a lively and vibrant feeling for a place where usually everything and everyone is so quiet. The tone is very loving and personal when Collins mentions memories with his mother and his years in college. I feel like this is a poem that we can all relate to.
I was very interested reading your interpretation of “The Dead” because I too question life after death. I agree that the tone is calming. However, I also feel that it is depressing. The dead are looking at us humans, yearning to live everyday life with us again. They are said to move “slowly through eternity,” so they will never escape the boring, dull experience that death brings. Reading the first stanza makes you feel pity for the dead, for they are trapped in a limitless view of happiness that they will never obtain. Then, when we are lying down and looking at the sky, whether to cloud watch or star gaze, they hope that we are thinking of them. This little sense of desire brings disappointment because in reality, the humans are most likely not pondering about the dead. Their intentions are not to look at the deceased. The dead realize that they will never truly experience the intensity and greatness of human life again. So, all that they have to look forward to is us accompanying them in the future. They will watch over us until we soon can join them and watch other people’s lives. By joining them we will too begin to yearn for life again, for the dead are stuck in misery.
DeleteThe three Billy Collins’ poems I found most appealing were “Schoolsville”, “Marginalia” and “Days”.
ReplyDeleteCollins’ “Schoolsville” reflects his teaching experience and the number of students he has impacted. Collins creates a “small town” in which he is the “mayor” and all of his past students are residents. He intertwines his classroom into this “small town” by describing a paper landscape, chalk dust snow in winter and a metaphor that compares nights to a blackboard. He continues to describe how the students in the town are separated by grades “are sewn in their clothes” making it easy to identify the “A”s from the “D”s. He compares these sewn in grades to the degrading scarlet letter Hester Prynne wore in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter. I found this comparison interesting because unlike in Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, Collins’ students are not being persecuted for their grades but are forming cliques with “A”s sticking with fellow “A”s and “D”s sticking with fellow “D”s while in Hawthorne’s Hester receives the scarlet letter and banished from town. I also found it humorous how Collins pokes fun at the troubles of being a teacher, such as the “student knocking on the door with a term paper fifteen years late.” This hyperbole is funny since many students will go to their teachers with late papers begging to have them graded and not lose credit.
I enjoyed “Marginalia” because when he writes about the need to write in the “white perimeter as our own” “if not to show we did not just laze in an armchair turning pages” I was reminded of last years English and how annotating helped us actively read and “talk” with the text, pointing out literary devices and being “fans who cheer from the empty bleachers” who write comments. At the end of the poem when Collins writes about reading Catcher in the Rye in high school I found this humorous because here he is reading the book and feeling extremely lonely and there is a stain in the book from egg salad and an apology written next to it by someone “in love.” Collins then goes to claim the apology is from a beautiful girl who is “in love” with Holden and he will never meet bringing out his loneliness.
I enjoyed “Days” because it reflects everyone’s wish to have one more day to live. I like the metaphor of life as a stacked pile of dishes because like a stack of dishes, life is delicate and can be ended quickly, so you have to be careful. Everyone hopes that today will not be their last and that they too will have “another Wednesday” to live. Like the pile of dishes, we are carefully stacking up our days until the pile can hold no more and then it will fall. This metaphor makes it seem like we have more control of our lives since we are building the “tower of dishes” of days.
In “Schoolsville,” Collins’s metaphor in which his small town represents his classroom was also very interesting to me. I enjoy the detail in which he described this metaphor, with the paper landscape and chalk dust snow. These small details that you mentioned really add to the intricate extended metaphor. I am glad that you too thought the comparison of the students’ letters to Hester Prynne’s was in a contradicting way- the students were grouped together by their letters while Hester was isolated because of hers.
DeleteIn “Marginalia,” I found it interesting how Collins was able to determine both the gender and physical appearance of a person who had only written “Pardon the egg salad stains, but I’m in love.” Also, when I read the last line, I saw someone who had fallen in love with the book itself, not someone who had fallen in love with Holden Caulfield (though now I see it could go either way).
I also really enjoyed the metaphor in “Days,”- life is fragile and can end in the blink of an eye, just as a tall tower of dishes can be fine one second and topple over the next. In this metaphor, you can take care to carefully stack your dishes, just as you can choose to live you life carefully, giving us more control over our lives.
“Sailing Alone Around the Room”, selections of Billy Collins poems throughout his many collections, was a captivating read as I was taken to the simplest of subjects only to see the true depth hidden beneath them. Billy Collins enthralls his readers with his carefully picked words, creating the perfect tone for his work. Picking from the most simple to the most complex aspects of life, Collins is able to inspire our minds with a variety of thoughts on any topic; allowing us to step away feeling like we understand ourselves and the world around us on just a bit more personal level than before.
ReplyDeleteThe first poem I connected with was “Marginalia”. As a student who has been captivated by literature; the thoughts it can provoke, people it can connect, change it can make - this poem drew my attention right away. This poem did not discuss the typical structure of a novel or a poem, it discussed the personal connection that readers have when reading and the visual mark left behind when that connection is made. Even the simplest of comments along the margin of a page show a personal association somebody has made and Billy Collins enhances just how important and meaningful that is as he talks about the different types of comments by all the different types of people. My favorite line is “[w]e have all seized the white perimeter as our own and reached for a pen if only to show we did not just laze in an armchair turning pages; we pressed a thought into the wayside, planted an impression along the verge.” When a book is passed down, history is left on its pages through the different comments and stains left behind - each one a marking of a connection somebody has made.
The next poem that stood out to me was “Morning” - a poem I can only really describe as being like a fresh breath of air. While many of us complain about the struggles of being pulled from our nightly dreams, the sting of the air as we remove ourselves from the warmth and comfort of our beds - Billy Collins instills a feeling of wonder and possibility. His choice of words are simple yet relate to us on such a personal level. What most dread, he shines a light on as “the best.” “[T]hrowing off the light covers, feet on the cold floor... maybe a splash of water on the face, a palmful of vitamins--but mostly buzzing around the house on espresso,” there are no fancy words to enhance what mornings are, yet I still feel a greater sense of understanding and appreciation as I read this poem. Everything being laid on in simplicity, already how it is, yet I have a new fondness for mornings already.
The poem “Piano Lessons” is the last one that captured my eye. As a heavily invested music student, I was entertained by the personification of all different aspects of music. How a scale is “the mother of chords” with her rowdy children, how “just the right chord can bring you to tears but no one listens to the scales, no one listens to their mother.” I enjoyed the visuals for the different scales, foundations of music, “C is an open book. D is a vase with two handles. G flat is a black boot. E has the legs of a bird.” Each personification is so in depth, working so perfectly to what they are portraying. Lastly, I loved how Collins speaks of his left hand, being dragged into the music as “[t]his is the revenge of the one who never gets to hold the pen or wave good-bye, and now, who never gets to play the melody”. The playful line draws a small smile from me as they speak of fighting to get cooperation from their non-dominant hand for the piece to sound right -- as if their hand feels true neglect and is rebelling. The entire poem has a playful, light tone which gave me a great sense of enjoyment when reading.
I strongly agree with each and every analysis you made of your poem choices. However, your overall opinion on the book itself is what I find myself most intrigued by. I do believe that Collins offers a variety of works that can speak to the reader in ways they've probably never been spoken to before. Collins certainly touches upon topics that not every writer is able to express properly and effectively. In the poem, "Marginalia", Collins' subject is the reader and the effect literature has on them, which isn't an idea most writers ever acknowledge yet it remains a huge part of the significance of writing. The use of out of the box topics continues with his poem "Morning." There always seems to be very few people who can actually appreciate the morning time for what it is. For most, it's been tainted by schedules and routines that start their day in exhausting and dreadful ways. However, Collins offers a different idea of what the morning could mean to the reader; he opens our eyes to the beauty that dawn can truly be. His uniqueness is not lost in his writing, especially concerning "Piano Lessons." His diction and comparison of music to life is truly masterful. He uses his control of words in a powerful way to explain and express the impact music has on the character of a person. Collins' writing certainly aids in the comprehension and understanding of our very own world, which cannot be said about every poet you may come across. He keeps his tone light yet a strong message is sent and it's extremely effective in the most important ways.
DeleteOn Tuesday, June 4, 1991, Collins spontaneously begins to write this uncustomary poem about his daily routine, which also showcases interests in ontology, which I found to be intriguing since ontology is an obscure field to mention in a piece of poetic literature. Collins incorporates figurative language into the piece by comparing his still fingers, that are about to write, to stenographers in a courtroom with their "miniature machines", anticipating each word to come. Collins assimilates imagery into this piece as well, as he imagines "Eos" with her "four-horse chariot aimed at the zenith of the sky about to pull the the sun up" to create dawn. Collins' high knowledge of mythology was interesting to learn about as Eos is the goddess of dawn. The specific integration of words such as "amnesiac" serve to emphasize the chaotic and dark event of the Great Fire of London which eventually were recorded by Pepys and the hell that consume London during those times. This piece's literary vice is mostly melancholy throughout as Collins wakes, and his wife has gone to her botany final, however, the end of this piece is comforting as he portrays dawn as a "barefoot and disheveled woman with a handful of birdsong and a small cup of light" that Collins accepts willingly. What I liked about most about this poem was that it broaden my interest in the topics of ontology and the English Restoration.
ReplyDeleteMarginalia is defined as marginal notes around the text of the story, which students casually doodle or write profanities in. Collins' poem called Marginalia maintains the continuity of this topic as he uses historic figures in this piece of poetic satire. Collins' use of figurative language appears when he talks about a marginal note that he remembers "dangles from him like a locket." This means this one note made a impression on him that he's most likely not to forget. The Irish monks scriptoria is a exemplary use of imagery as the monks "jotted along the borders of the Gospels a bird singing near a window." This quote is interesting because they had a whole separate room for writing and how that even Irish monks can relate to the restless 9th graders jotting down absurdity in Homer's Odyssey. When Collins talks about A Modest Proposal, the use of the words "splayed" and "scrawl" emphasize how these kids were doing repetitive tasks that were painstakingly mundane, as they wrote down the same adjective for one piece of literature to maintain their credibility . Marginalia's tone is one of a satirical nature in that Collins exploits the likes of Eliot, Paine, and Kierkegaard's literary and philosophical nature as a showcase of repetition and annoyance throughout the piece. Personification is used in the beginning of the piece when Collins says "Sometimes the notes are ferocious…", when in reality notes cannot have that trait. At least not physically. What I liked most about this poem is the ending which Collins finds a marginal note that says, "Pardon the egg salad stains, I'm in love" after reading Catcher in the Rye, which I can totally relate to.
In Workshop, Collins critiques a poem he reads what he likes about it and poems in a general sense. Figurative language is present in the third stanza as he "likes the image of clouds flying like lozenges." This also creates an obscure image as you see rhombus shaped projectiles flying about in the sky, which is Collins unravelling in an absurd fashion. Collins' use of diction creates texture, as he uses casual and blue jeans to bring out the contrast within the poem's attitude of standoffish and professorial. Personification is prevalent as "the poem blew pipe smoke in his face", where the poem got a little feisty. My favorite part of this poem was Collins' perspective of what a poem should and shouldn't have and how a poem's structure makes a big difference between a good and bad poem.
The first poem I would like to talk about is “Aristotle”. Firstly, was curious what Aristotle had to do with this poem. The only mention of him is in the last part where the author puts “This is the end, according to Aristotle/ what we have all been waiting for/ what everything comes down to.” Aristotle believed that the end had the potential for change and that goes along with the poem. What I liked about this poem was his symbolism of the beginning, middle, and end. He describes the start of the world, of life, of a story without directly saying it. He describes the chaos of the middle by talking about misdirection and random objects. Death and the end are described using “the empty wheelchair” and “you closing the book”, which is appropriate since this poem was originally the last poem in Picnic, Lightning.
ReplyDeleteThe second poem I want to talk about is “Schoolsville”. He uses this made-up town to describe how teachers are trapped in a sort of limbo, teaching the same things every year, the only thing changing is the students. He may not remember every student’s name but he remember’s their personalities and has come up with imaginary lives for them. The fact that the students walk around and have lives while he is trapped in his home symbolizes students moving on and graduating while he’s still doing the same thing each year.
The last poem I want to talk about is “Introduction to Poetry”. I think it shows how sometimes people may look too far into a simple poem to find a meaning that’s not there. A poem is an expression of feeling, a fictional story, a true story, or maybe just a mesh of words with no real purpose. What matters is what the reader gets out of it, what he or she thinks it means. There is no “true” meaning to the poem. You have to listen to it and explore it to find the meaning, not tie it up and torture it.
I think that was a clever idea of Billy Collins to put “Aristotle” at the end of his Picnic, Lightning. I was also curious what Aristotle had to do with the poem considering he was only mentioned once. I thought it was interesting in what he compares the beginning to. You have the beginning of cavemen, “The profile of an animal is being smeared on the wall of a cave.” And then he compares the beginning to the first time you spend a night with your girlfriend, “This is your first night with her, your first night without her.”
DeleteI agree with your take on “Schoolsville” and thought it was a very clever way of describing a teacher’s life. I’ve never truly realized that until reading this poem. It’s funny because it’s true that teachers don’t remember names (as there are too many of us), yet they remember our personalities depending on the impact of our personalities. I enjoyed reading about the imaginary lives he created.
I feel like “Introduction to Poetry” would have been better suited in the beginning of this poem book. This way readers will hopefully read the rest of the poems without “beating it with a hose.” Like you said, “there is no ‘true’ meaning to the poem.”
Cameron Redmond
DeleteI also noticed the poem Aristotle and its use of symbolism to show the passage of time. I thought it was interesting to see how the author showed the progression of time with the rise of cities and the evolution of life. What I really noticed was not the imagery at each step but the continued imagery throughout the poem. In the beginning there was a “heavy curtain rising” and “climbers studying a map”. In what the author calls the middle we see the “climbing party stuck on a ledge” and the play gets into the thick of the plot with “letters under a pillow” and “Miriam does not want Edwards’s child”. Finally in the end we see the climbers “in their graves” and “the stage littered with bodies”. I think this use of individual stories within the poem was the most effective way the author showed the passage of time. Each one of these stories clearly defines the point of the beginning, the middle, and the end. At each section of the poem the imagery of the climbers and the play is the most easily understood portion and helps the reader to understand the rest of the poems imagery.
The poems “Earthling,” “Forgetfulness,” and “The History Teacher” were the most interesting because together they show us step by step why our humanity prevents us from realizing the full truth. As humans we strive to fit the norm, and through this desire our methods sometimes become a summarized version of the full story. People who are trying to achieve the average human weight are forgetting to give as much to others as they have given to themselves. Through self-obsession they forget the things that really matter like “the address of an uncle.” All selfishness does is quicken the speed in which we forget. After we forget, that is when the truth starts to change. Through the combination of worrying what others think of us and forgetfulness, history teachers and historians begin to alter the past. After that history just turns into a never ending game of telephone, passed down from generation to generation.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem “Earthling,” Collins views our planet from the perspective of a being that is not originally from Earth. He pretends to be a creature that is studying humans and thinking about how they would act on other planets. He acts like he has actually been to those planets and is grateful to be on Earth and not anywhere else. All he needs is a comfortable pull of gravity and a decent distance from the sun. He is not self-conscious about his weight because compared to being five tons on Pluto or only an ounce on Mercury, Earth isn’t so bad.
Later on in the book Collins uses nostalgic tone and diction in his poem “Forgetfulness.” He starts by explaining how a book that you read can completely disappear from your mind, with all the lessons and genius that came with it. Books leave us the same way that people do. Try and remember the voice of a person you loved, but haven’t seen in 3 years. No matter how badly you wish you could remember it, you cannot. In a sad way, everything that makes you into the person you are is slipping away, and it effects everyone that you meet in your everyday life.
Shortly after the latter poem, Collins displays his work known as “The History Teacher.” This poem is the icing on the cake in the corruption of truth. Everything has led to this final act of lying to the next generation. As the teacher worries what his students think of him, he lies in order to protect their innocence. He euphemizes major events such as the Stone Age and The War of Roses. This may not seem so bad in the short term, but in the long term this undermines the legitimacy of the history we know. As it changes more and more, no one will know the real truth and history will just become legend. Through the good intentions of the History Teacher the truth has been compromised.
Reading how you interpreted “The History Teacher” reminded me of how I also had seen the poem. While I agree that the teacher is doing his best job to protect the innocence of the children from the real world and truth about history, I am not sure it is because he wants them to admire him. I feel that he has taken a much larger role and decided that it was his job to allow them to mature into the world in their own way, one that wouldn't be forced upon them. While he may lie about what happened during certain historical events, he is still allowing the students to know that they did happen, so as to show he doesn’t want to just be portrayed as a liar. Perhaps he is trying to have the young students become accustomed to a certain side of the story, one in which they will believe and pass on to even younger generations, like you said. In our lives now it may seem like a silly idea due to the fact that books and internet sources are accessible at almost any given time. Sometimes doing the thing you feel is right isn’t always the best thing for you to do.
DeleteTo Dan,
DeleteEarthling and The History Teacher were two of the standouts out this collection of ingenious poetry, in my opinion, and I'm glad you share the same morals and ideals about these two pieces as myself. Within Earthling, I completely agree that this whimsical examination by Collins is a way to reflect upon the overtly obsessive habits that we "Earthlings" do in which winds up not mattering in the end when we discover then core roots of life itself; simplicity. Collins use of fictional observation is truly a great way to get his own point across, which you pointed out cleverly.In the poem The History Teacher, I'm glad you brought up the corruption that runs a mock in this poem and how in reality there are some people that would mishandle the youth of today to just forced their idealistic of forced knowledge upon the innocent and the naive. The pure audacity of trying to create your own historical stories would ruin the education system and would cause a totalitarian rebellion within schools across the country. In conclusion, I'm glad I got to talk about these two poems and the circumstances around them. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.
From,
Nicholas Auletti
To the victor goes the spoils of war. The greatest spoil, beyond wealth or territory is history. The winner has dominated history books. We saw how in George Orwell's 1984 and Ayn Rand's Anthem that history can be lost and altered with very little opposition but people will continue to search for the truth and further develop their horizons. What these totalitarian dystopias have in common is that they propagate to the population messages of obedience and conformity. Prometheus' righteous search for individualism and self truth results in his with a new life with Gea and his quest to spread “I”. Alterations to history is the natal stage of dominance of preceding generations. However one’s perception of event is relative to so one may stay true to themselves and not to reality. Take your example of weight, the statement “he’s heavy” may be true to an earthling but not to a martian. Neither part is wrong in believing their statement to be true due to their perception of the situation. Your interpretation of the poems were a refreshing take on lying, the teacher did it to protect the student’s innocence. Its entertaining how the presentation can alter the reader’s interpretation, lets take courage for example. The courage to lie to a lover may seem that you’re lying or their sake but does not change the fact that you’re deceiving an intimate individual. The courage to betray your comrades, it seems that you are committing the transgression them to protect them but in reality you are committing treason.However, this is just my take on the matter. Everyone is entitled to their own interpretation and I look forward to further development in this discussion.
Delete
ReplyDeleteQuestions About Angels
This poem appealed to me due to the intriguing questions the author thought to ask about angels. His use of rhetorical questions throughout the poem makes the reader really speculate on the ideas the author brings forth. The vast amount of rhetorical questions highlights the authors point that all these question about angels have never been explored because there is one questions that dominates everyones mind. This poem brings to light our single mindedness to questioning the unknown, we tend to fixate on one question and try to solve it fully or speculate it fully before we even think about the other billions of questions that we want to answer. The line “No, the medieval theologians control the court” interested me because it really ties into the idea of human natures single mindedness. We are accustomed to staying to our traditions and beliefs, like the quote, we tend to stick to whatever people in history have said about our world. We don’t deviate from their questioning and reasoning for things, we stay true to whatever the people before us say is true about our world.
Some Days
This poem appealed to me because it is very relatable to real life situations. This poem can relate to school because of the way we follow the same schedule, sit in the same seats, eat at the same lunch table, and talk to the same people every day like we are stuck in a loop. This poem brings to light the question of whether it would be easier to plan out every day or wonder what you were going to be doing each and every day. The authors appeal to imagery throughout the poem highlights the idea of people being like dolls, having one positions that they stay in. The imagery illustrates the concept of humans just being pawns in life's game, we don’t deviate from out schedules or behaviors. The poem shows how predictable our society can be, we don’t want to wonder what could happen the next day we like to be prepared for whats coming. The quote “Some days I put the people in their places at the table, bend their legs at the knees,.., and fix them into the tiny wooden chairs” brings to light the belief that people mimic doll qualities, we are set where we should be at a specific time each day and repeat our routine every day.
Jealousy
-This poem appealed to me because the author conveys an emotion of anger throughout the poem that helps further her writing. Her choice of words paint the picture of her feelings towards the subject matter. The authors use of tone furthers the ideas expressed in the poem. The author conveys the feeling of being fed up with the actions of her partner. The quote “What kills me is the way you lie there in the morning, eyes closed, curled into a sweet ball of sleep and that innocent look on you face” puts forth overall idea of the poem. It illustrates how this women has put up with her husbands sneaking around, but she can not tolerate him lying to her face and acting all innocent. The tone throughout the poem gives light to the woman's feelings toward her husband.
-Kaila Gagne
The poem "picnic lighting" appealed to me because it discusses the idea that death can come at any time however it reminds us we should not be too concerned with this concept. Collins mentions (as unlikely as it seems) "it is possible to be struck by a meteor or a single engine plane while reading in a chair at home." The first three stanzas of the poem describe death as sudden and unpredictable, Collins does this through use of figurative language when he says; "the heart, no valentine decides to quit after lunch, the power shut off like a switch." also, "the instant hand of death always ready to burst forth from the sleeve of his voluminous cloak.” The last two stanzas deviate from the dark/ dreary tone of the first three. They contain a much lighter tone as Collins starts to focus more on the good things he sees around him. He uses figurative language to enhance his descriptions. “Then the soil is full of marvels, bits of leaf like flakes off a fresco…” This poem is also arranged in such a way that it starts dark and dreary but ends in a light and hopeful tone. By doing this Collins reminds us to pay attention to the good things in life. Would the poem have a different effect if this arrangement was switched?
ReplyDeletethe second poem that interested me was “The history teacher” Collins tells of a teacher who was trying to shelter his students from the world through use of some interesting wordplay. Throughout the poem this history teacher does this by replacing actual events of history with his much more light hearted stories; “the ice age was really just the Chilly age, a period of a million years when everyone had to wear sweaters.” Also, “the war of roses took place in a garden, and the Enola Gay dropped one tiny atom on japan”. The fourth stanza talks about how, “the children would leave his classroom to torment the weak and the smart, messing up their hair and breaking their glasses…” The irony here is that the children the history teacher wants to protect are growing up to be more contributors of the cruel world he was trying to protect them from.
The third poem that appealed to me was “On turning ten.”It is about a boy who is turning ten. This poem discusses a boy’s feeling towards growing up and putting many things he used to enjoy behind him. Collins uses figurative language to show this boy’s discomfort with turning ten by comparing the prospect with having an illness; “The whole idea makes me feel like i’m coming down with something…” “a kind of measles of the spirit, a mumps of the psyche, a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.” The boy clearly feels that time is going too fast, he acknowledges the fact that many people would say his age is too young to be looking back. However he tells us he can remember every digit of his imaginative past years. the last part of the second stanza uses more figurative language and has more of a nostalgic tone; “At four I was an arabian wizard.” “I could make myself invisible by drinking a glass of milk a certain way.” In the last three stanzas of the poem changes the tone back to give a more depressing feel. The boy feels as though all the joys of his childhood must suddenly leave him; “But now I am mostly at the window watching the late afternoon light. Back then it never fell so solemnly against the side of my tree house, my bicycle never leaned against the garage as it does today, all the dark blue speed drained out of it.” The boy also recognizes this time as the start of sadness. The poem gets more depressing as it goes on, this structure could reflect the boy’s views on getting older. (the more time passes the worse he will feel about it.)
I apologize for the confusion. Apparently the assignment copy you picked up had last years class info on it. Our new info is as follows: Class ID #: 10099394 and Password: Dawson.
ReplyDeleteWhen you get a chance (no rush on this), please use this to upload your response to turn itin.com.
Thank you, and I look forward to reading your thoughts on Billy Collins poetry.
Mr. Dawson
Madeline Neuberger
ReplyDeleteThe first poem that I found interesting in Sailing Alone Around the Room by Billy Collins is Advice to Writers. What I think makes this poem interesting is that it takes an idea that you would think of as minuscule and showcase it. The idea of cleaning your workspace doesn’t ever come to mind when thinking about writing. When he says “spotlessness is the niece of inspiration,” you would have thought that something else would relate to inspiration other than a clean workspace. The last stanza of the poem is very descriptive and full of imagery. When talking about the vase, he explains it through sight by saying it is a sparkling blue and small. He also uses simile in the last stanza to describe the words of the work. He explains how they look like ants that are as devoted as the author himself.
The second poem that I found interesting is Workshop. In this poem the author is explaining what goes on in his mind as he reads a poem, such as this. Once I read this I found it very relatable and yet it is something that I never realized that I did. I feel like his poems bring out small topics that aren’t very recognizable in life, but once he points them out, you realize you do the same things. The tone of this poem is analytical because he is breaking up a poem and describing each part in great detail. This poem contains a lot of similes throughout. Similes such as, “the poem has my attention, like the Ancient Mariner grabbing me by the sleeve” and “clouds flying like lozenges,” show his descriptiveness and help you picture what is happening in the poem that we cannot read.
The last poem that I found interesting is Piano Lessons. I found it was interesting when he was describing how he learned how to play his instrument and what went through his head. In most of his poems you get to see how he views things, such as learning how to play an instrument. He uses analogy describe how he relates his scales to a house, just as his instructor taught him. He also uses personification when talking about his left hand. When saying, “my left hand would rather be jingling change in the darkness of my pocket or taking a nap on an armrest,” he gives the arm a mindset and makes it human like.
Cameron Redmond
ReplyDeleteThe first of three poems that appealed to me is The Man in the Moon. A poem that utilizes personification and descriptive diction to make the moon seem alive as it follows the author. The author accomplishes this view of a solitary moon by using words such as “stern, “loneliness”, and “coldness”. Which are there to describe the “wide adult face” seemingly glaring at him from the moon, as it “sinks behind stands of winter trees”. That is not why this poem strikes me as interesting though because this poem is about perspectives and how you views things. Once the author views the moon in its entirety above “open fields” and not barren “winter trees” instead of a body which frightened him as a child he sees a “well groomed” face one “who has fallen in love”.
The second poem I noticed was Aristotle, which uses imagery to show the progression of time from the dawn to the very end. We see the imagery of each perspective era showing what each contained. The poem starts with “the creation of light “, “fish wriggling onto land”, and “profiles of animals being smeared on the wall of a cave”. This is only the beginning or as the other puts it a “heavy curtain” rising to reveal a “bare stage”. To further the passage of time the author next jumps to what he calls the middle; a time “teeming with people”, a world with a “million schemes, a million wild looks”. The imagery for the middle makes it seem like a hectic place bustling with life but also a place too busy for its own good. Causing “too much to think about” as we see “the guitars of Spain”, “Russian uniforms”, and place where we are “stuck on a ledge”. The imagery used to show the end is “the river losing its name in an ocean” and “the last elephant in the parade”. This poem hit me as interesting because it is about the phases of time and their passing. Just like we are going on to the next stage as we finish high school.
The last poem Idiomatic is a man or women thinking about what they should be doing. A point I think to be extremely prevalent as we go on to the last year of high school, and onto the next phase of education. As the author daydreams his use of imagery and detail vividly portrays his thoughts. As he stares into the sky he sees clouds flying by “the face of the earth” and rockets “leaving behind rich gowns of exhaust smoke, long, smooth trajectories”. The author also gives more details to the poem by including what other call the images in his thoughts, with the ocean becoming “the water machine” and the horizon “the big line”.
After finishing Sailing Around The World you fail to grasp the impact that Collins poem have had. Collins has a simple yet melodic tone when he writes his poems, you never feel as if he is talking down to you. I really enjoyed Some Final Words it's the last poem in The Art of Drowning section. The poem begins with Collins telling the reader "the past is nothing, a non memory, a phantom." Collins thinks it is important to tell s that the past is meaningless and that we are worrying over something that psychically doesn't even exist. He continues and advises us to "leave it behind" and to "Forget the past" it is out of our control and their is no sense in dwelling over it. Instead Collins would rather have you live in the present and he shows us that he lives in the present with the second to last line "just me", in the beginning he addressed everyone now he ends with bringing it back to himself. Another highlight is History Teacher unlike Some Final Words History Teacher puts emphasis on the importance of the past and our history. Collins uses humor and diction to undermine the consequences of repeating history such as "The War of the Roses took place in the garden" and "The children would leave his classroom for the playground to torment the weak and smart." He uses the last sentence to emphasize that if we do not learn from the past we will eventually repeat the heinous events of our past. Another Collins poem I have grown fond is Tuesday,June 4, 1991. Tuesday is a poem about the passing of time but Collins talks about it very subtly. It talks about how easy it is to become stuck in a routine and that the arts are able to free certain people of this routine. "A breezy and sun riddled Tuesday that would quickly be forgotten were it not for my writing these few things down." I feel this is one of the most important poems in the book not because of its long subtle style but because of the subject matter. Collins believes we should live in the present and that time is in some cases the enemy. He has a lot of rules such as don't dwell in the past, learn from the past, and live in the present. This goes for all 3 poems I think they are all important due to their messages I think people should always strive to live in the present and aim to better their futures.
ReplyDeleteAfter browsing the various pages of poetry written by Billy Collins, I was able to bookmark three particular poems that caught my attention. The list would consist of Vade Mecum, Not Touching and lastly, Bonsai. Vade Mecum was short yet powerful and a realistic expression of relationships. It certainly shows how people deal and sort out past ties, the diction is one of it’s strongest points. An example of that would be “sharp” and “level”. The tone of the poem is spiteful, remorseful and bitter, all of which is supported by Collins’ use of diction. His skillful incorporation of the title, Vade Mecum, helps add to the meaning of the poem. A Vade Mecum is a handbook or guide that is kept constantly at hand for consultation. This suggests that the “book you always carry” refers to the subject using past relations to help deal with new ones. Not Touching compares life to art, which has been done many times before and will continue to be used in poetry. Life imitates art and Collins certainly portrays this with his words. The way he describes the knife and the plate, all floating mere inches from the table they’d typically be placed on, suggests detachment. Another example of Collins’ masterful use of diction would be “poorly” and “refusing.” These two words suggest feelings of inadequacy and a separate image of free will. It expresses that people are always moving; they have things to do and places to be. The window of “perfectly realistic” sunlight portrays that nature is reality and all of the objects drift to reality. Lastly, I was drawn to Bonsai simply for title. There’s something certainly peaceful about the addition of a bonsai tree. The tree is a little piece of nature yet “all it takes is one to throw a room completely out of whack.” The tree is a noticeable, significant difference. Collins suggests that the bonsai is throwing the room “out of whack” yet it’s an item of importance. The tree is definitely in the spotlight, it draws author in, a window of nature and beauty and strength. The tree gives the author an aura of powerfulness and the true energy of nature, it’s “leaning away from a fierce wind.” My questions for the rest of the class would be: What do you believe Collins’ literary strengths are? Are his messages always clear? Does Collins’ have a certain subject he focuses on?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your interpretation of "Not Touching" and the comparison between art and life. The detachment between the knife and the plate and the table is an interesting way to describe the detachment that some people feel between themselves and others. I also liked Collins' poem "Bonsai" and how offended he is by the small addition of a bonsai tree to a room because it throws the proportions of the room off. I don't think that Collins sees the tree as a powerful or beautiful thing because of the wayne portrays his disgust, however my interpretation could be off because, in response to your question, his messages aren't always clear. He will disguise his intended meaning behind humor or something so others interpret his poems differently. However, there isn't usually a set message in writing pieces, readers often add their own view and the meaning of the poem gets altered by this and even the time the reader is living in. Collins does seem to focus his poems on writing, he talks about how he writes and his students in his writing classes. Maybe he finds inspiration in just the act of writing and believes it to be a pure act of expressing one's thoughts.
DeleteIn the book Sailing Alone Around the Room by Billy Collins, the three poems that most appeal to me are “Insomnia,” “Picnic, Lightning,” and “Lines Lost Among Trees.” “Insomnia” appeals to me because the surprising ending really made me think. Collins ends the poem with, “I picture all the fish in creation leaping a fence in a field of water, one colorful species after another” after talking about his dream of Noah’s Ark. I had never thought about fish or any other oceanic creatures in terms of that religious story, but realized that I should have, because ocean is the origin of all life in a scientific perspective. In this poem, Collins contrasts discouraged diction against cheerful diction to separate the hopelessness he feels towards the “only boat on earth [that] is disappearing” and the hopeful scenario in the end where fish are “leaping a fence in a field of water.” “Picnic, Lightning” appeals to me because of the message it portrays, that life is unpredictable and anything bad can happen, but the good things make it worth living. Collins uses imagery to thoroughly describe situations in order to convey his point that even though it is possible to be struck by a “single-engine plane while reading in a chair at home,” “the soil is full of marvels,” and so is life. The last sentence of this poem was interesting to me because Collins seems to realize the true value and importance of life while gardening. I think that’s meaningful because something so small and seemingly routine can cause someone to have deep and inspired thoughts. The last poem that appeals to me is “Lines Lost Among Trees” because in it, Collins talks about an amazing poem he wrote while walking in the forest and couldn’t remember it when he had the opportunity to write it down. Traditionally, when a person forgets something they become extremely frustrated and annoyed, but what appeals to me about this poem is that Collins seems to be very at peace with the prospect of having lost the words he wrote, which is something I respect. In this poem, Collins uses figurative language to describe his words that were “dropped through the grate of memory,” and his peace with losing them “to some airy limbo, home to lost epics, unremembered names, and fugitive dreams.” One question I had while reading this poem was why would Collins decide to write a poem about forgetting a poem?
ReplyDelete"Candle Hat" was the first poem to catch my attention. Simply the title itself was enough to make someone pause,especially when Goya is mentioned. With Collins's use of the rarely used second person point of view, I felt personalized. Like Collins was speaking directly to me, asking me to "imagine him surprising his wife" and I was able to imagine it due to his use of imagery. Creating the scene in one reader's mind of a man coming to his house, only to be confronted by a man holding a "wand of brush" wearing his "famous" hat stating, "come in...I was just painting myself". This comedic imagery in this, highlights Goya's lighthearted ways and good humor. Which, in my opinion, was what Collins was admiring in his poem. The other painters mentioned were so serious,and yet Goya can be distinguished by his amusing candle hat. This has set him apart and that is what Collins wanted to express.
ReplyDelete"Snow Day" was a joy to read. As I read, I found myself submerged into the mood of carefree wonder of a snow day. That anticipation, patiently waiting "glad as anyone to hear the news" that the schools are closed. The placement of the intergenction "-some will be delighted to hear-" expressed the joy of learning your school was closed perfectly. The syntax of the poem, following the course of events that accompany a snow day: waking up to the world being a different place, the excitement of learning that there was no school today, the fierce grip of imagination as the eager students are now warriors wondering "which small queen is about to be brought down." . The poem flowed like a day like this would. Collins managed to capture my childhood. Do you guys agree?
As a fan of Science fiction movies myself, I naturally found myself drawn to "Man in Space". Finding myself giving a knowing smile as Collins describes the female character's "breasts protected by hard metal disks". I found myself intrigued at the sarcastic tone he portrayed, considering that one of his poems in the book was describing in peculiar detail, what the Victoria secret models were wearing.
The three poems that most appealed to me were “My Number”, “Forgetfulness”, and “Days”. I enjoyed the personification of Death in “My Number”, even though Death is commonly seen as a tall, dark figure in a cloak that carries a scythe, Collins’ portrayal of Death makes him more human, as though driving a black car and carrying a scythe in the trunk is a common occurrence. I especially like the last lines and the humorous tone the author uses when he is asking Death if he had “any trouble with the directions” as though Death were a friend coming to visit him. He then casually mentions “talking [his] way out of this” as though he were merely in trouble with a parent or a teacher rather than dying, as though this understatement were a natural reaction to your time being up. The poem “Forgetfulness” is another one that I enjoyed due to the fact that it is something that happens to everyone. We all commonly forget things and Collins captured that perfectly with the imagery of memories that have “decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain, to a little fishing village where there are no phones,” as though they are people that one day decided they were bored by their everyday jobs and wanted a change of scenery. These memories that have abandoned us, leaving us with only the feeling that they are poised on the tip of our tongues even though they are “not even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen.” The third poem that appealed to me was “Days,” it is interesting to think about how we take days for granted even though we are constantly asking for just one more to add to the pile we have already accumulated. The imagery created when Collins is describing the precariously balanced dishes helps to solidify the idea that we are hoping that the tower does not fall before we can place just one more day on top. My favorite line is, “Just another Wednesday, you whisper, then holding your breath, place this cup on yesterday’s saucer without the slightest clink,” as though our souls spend our whole lives perched atop a ladder, balancing teacups on saucers and begging them not to fall. Maybe sometimes people cheat and glue them together, maybe those are the people that do terrible things in life who every now and then balance a cup to make them feel like they aren’t so bad.
ReplyDeleteKelsey D'Aries
DeleteI am really happy that someone else had similar ideas towards “Forgetfulness” and “Days” as I did. Although we had similar ideas for both, I am really intrigued by your last sentences towards “Days”. I was captivated by the last line in that poem but the way you interpreted it was much different than the way I did. I like how you related it to our souls and our actions are the cups and that some people “glue” the actions together to try and cheat to make sure everything stays in place. I think that in life everyone needs “glue” to keep their lives in place and to prevent everything from crumbling down. But some people might not be as good as keeping all of their actions balanced and those are the people who lives are in constant chaos. We did share similar days in “Forgetfulness” too but I also feel that the way Collin’s described it was that the memories did not abandon us but just move to a different part of our brain that we are out of touch with. The things that once seemed really important to us, become not so important and retreat to that part of our brain to make room for more useful information.
The poem “Introduction to Poetry” appealed to me because it contradicts the usual way that poetry it read and analyzed. It makes the poem seem a tangible thing that the reader must get to know. When the poem is a hive, the reader must “press an ear against it.” When the poem is a house, the reader must “feel the walls for a light switch.” When the poem is water, the reader must “water-ski across the surface.” The poem should be explored calmly and gently, as opposed to “[beaten] with a hose to find out what it really means.” It is easy to follow these instructions with Billy Collins’ poems especially, since his voice is so straightforward and easily enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteThe second poem that appealed to me was “Days.” In this poem Collins was able to show how fragile life is by comparing it to an “impossible tower of dishes entertainers used to build on stage,” each day being another dish to place on top of the pile, each day bringing you closer to the tower’s fall, to death. It makes you realize that we should treat each day like it’s precious. We should be “holding our breath” to “add one more” day to the ever-growing pile.
The third poem that interested me was “Lines Lost Among Trees,” a poem about the fleeting nature of creativity and ideas. A poem that came to the man while on a walk through the woods was lost “to some airy limbo” because he didn’t have pen and paper to write it down. As soon as he returns to the house and has access to “jars jammed with pens” and “notebooks and reams of blank paper,” the poem has escaped like “a handful of coins dropped through the grate of memory.” The casual tone of this poem makes this seem a usual and inevitable occurrence, which the author has resigned himself too. He is not bitter or regretful of his lost poem, but instead sends it off to the “home of lost epics, unremembered names, and fugitive dreams.”
I love your perspective on the poem “Introduction to Poetry”. Not only is a poem a thing the reader must get to know, it is almost a game the reader must learn how to play. This poem is kind of an ironic, one-page “how-to” guide to writing/reading poetry and your viewpoint on it only enhances this idea. Like you said, Collins' instructions are so clear to follow and can be ensued by anyone if, of course, interpreted correctly. After reading your thoughts and linking them with this poem, you helped me come to the conclusion that if one wants to understand the poem, one almost has to become the poem.
DeleteYour thoughts on the poem “Days” also appealed to me because we had such similar understandings about the delicacy of each day and how precious they truly are. I like your point that the inevitable fall of the tower of plates walks hand in hand with the inevitable fall of our lives. However, when Collins say that we “hold our breaths” to “add one more [plate]” to the tower, I believe he meant that we have foolishly mastered the occupation of longing for tomorrow, only because the next line (“without the slightest clink”) implies that we have grown immune to stacking the plates and don’t appreciate the gift of life that we are given every day. In all, your views on both these poems have expanded the limits of my comprehension and have helped me understand and connect to them more.
1) The three poems that appealed to me most were; The Brooklyn Museum of Art (page 17,) The Man in the Moon (page 34,) and Morning (page 100.)
ReplyDeleteThe Brooklyn Museum of Art
To me, this poem is about a person who is visiting the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and has found himself completely lost in the art. Not figuratively, but literally. He's taken a step over the "soft velvet rope" that barricades museum-goers from getting close to the art. He has gone inside the paintings and began a journey through centuries prior to the one that he is previously in. After walking into a painting of the Hudson River, he has "become lost, without hope," because he becomes worried that he will never be able to find his way back to the museum. In this poem, Collins uses repetitions by beginning each stanza with the phrase "I will." He also uses a lot of imagery, by explaining "the bluffs in nineteenth century clothes, a dwarf among rocks, hills and flowing water." I enjoyed this poem because it was kind of funny to read about someone literally "getting lost in images."
The Man in the Moon
This poem begins by saying "he used to frighten me in the nights of childhood," meaning that he was once scared of the face of the man in the moon. "The man in the moon" being the "wide adult face" that is seen on the moon, watches over everyone, including the man that is speaking. As the man grows older, he sees the man in the moon as his friend, lighting the night skies "as I drive home over these hilly roads." He sees him as a "familiar face" and has a different outlook on him as he has had in years prior. The moon starts to remind him of himself, being "a pale bachelor." The "man in the moon" is almost like the idea of God. He's always watching, and there as a companion to light the night skies. In lines 5 and 6, Collins uses personification when he says "him sinking" and "rising to show his familiar face." Collins also uses different examples of alliteration. In like 5 he says "sinking behind stands" and in line 8 he says "looks like love." I enjoyed this poem because I liked the idea of "the man in the moon."
Morning
The poem Morning is about, well, the morning. It's saying how it's the best possible part of the day, and is explaining the reasoning behind that thought. Collins begins the poem by writing "Why do we bother with the rest of the day," which gives us an insight on what he believes. We now know that the morning is his favorite part of any given day. He loves "throwing off the light covers," having his "feet on the cold floor," and "buzzing around the house on espresso. I relate to this -- because I feel the same way. I personally enjoy the beauty of the start of a new day, a new beginning. He feels as though his mind works best in the early morning, being that "the typewriter (is) waiting for the key of the head." While reading this, I found repetition. He talks about "buzzing around the house on espresso" twice, which emphasizes his love for that. I also found the simile "the lawn steaming like a horse."
In the Man in the Moon, I felt the same in the way which you described the change in the moons impact on the narrator of the poem as he grew older. What was once something to be feared as a young child turned into something of comfort as one leaves childhood behind. The moon becomes a “companion” or “friend” as you put it. I really liked and found it interesting how you said that the moon reminded the man in the poem of himself, almost like a reflection. When I was reading Sailing Alone Around the Room, “The Man in the Moon” jumped out at me the most. I think it appealed to me the most just like you said, because I have always like the idea of the man in the moon as well.
DeleteWe are total opposites because of the fact that I am not a morning person. Which is one of the reasons I did not choose Morning, to write about in my blog. I like how you explained why you like the mornings, because of the feeling of a new beginning. And while I can’t agree with you on the love of mornings I can agree with you on loving starting new things and beginnings.
Gabrielle Keller
ReplyDeleteOn Turning Ten
Using complex metaphors and repetition, Collins portrays the transition of aging through a ten year olds perspective. Using the repeated use of the word “something in the first stanza, its clear it’s a child speaking who doesn’t know how to describe the loss of innocence that he’s experiencing. Comparing this feeling to a “stomach ache”, Collins reinforces the idea that the child hasn’t experienced enough to know what’s occurring, but later using complex metaphors like “measles of the spirit”, and a “disfiguring chicken pox of the soul” to represent the harsh truths of life that come with age. The complex metaphors then transition to the author throughout the years as the “Arabian wizard”, and the “soldier”. The metaphor possibly isn’t one to the child himself as he really nice felt he had the ability to become invisible. These are memories fro him and metaphors for the reader. Towards the end of the poem it’s obvious how sad the child is by clearly stating it. He has lost the creativity and trouble free life he had. To me the bike represents the adventures he used to embark on, but now as his imagination vanishes, the bike leans against the garage, as it never had before.
Jealously
The poem describes a man who wife is currently cheating on him. He followers her relentlessly through blind alleys and tilted buildings that evidently lead to nowhere, such as the answers he’s been searching for from his wife. He knows his wife is cheating on him yet she won’t come forth with the truth. The metaphor of endlessly searching in an “unfamiliar city with a ring of a thousand keys” represents him looking for answers. Watching her sneak around isn’t what bothers him the most though; it’s the lying she does in their most intimate moments in the morning that bothers him, her unbelievable alibi and more importantly, that he honestly doesn’t know the whole truth. She thinks she’s getting away with it like a dream, and although he knows about her cheating, she sort of is. It’s killing him not knowing the details of her affair. He’s jealous of the truth the cheater knows that he doesn’t.
Some Days
The poem itself is an extended metaphor using diction to create its points on control and being controlled. Starting off as the one controlling the dolls, he uses diction to describe the dolls as “perfectly behaved” and having to “fix” them by putting the “people in their places”. Demonstrating the control he feels by using complete sentences in the first stanza, the need for control of others transitions to the need fro control of the instability of his own life. In stanza three he starts to “sit with the others” which seems very passive in itself but then becomes angry at those trying to control him, ridiculing them with rhetorical questions like “how would you like it”. The last stanzas become single sentences to demonstrate the instability
I am intrigued by your interpretation of "Jealousy". What troubles me throughout this poem is that the husband doesn't have the courage to leave his wife or make a stand about her infidelities. I feel like we can interpret that the husband either has insecurities about himself and doesn't want to face reality, or maybe he sees his wife as the best thing he’s ever had and feels like without her he has nothing. When I was first reading this, I felt sympathy for the husband when he was describing his wife’s constant running and “slipping around corners”. However, the overuse of commas in the syntax of the poem actually made me feel like this whole marriage, including the cheating aspect of it, has been dragged on.The husband should've just ended it by now and face reality. If the man really loved his wife in the first place, then he would not be able to handle her lies and late night outings. When you marry someone, you vow to be loyal and faithful, and clearly the wife isn't being loyal, but I also think the husband isn't being true to the marriage by allowing this all to happen. If the author didn't separate all the paragraphs and also didn’t use a lot of commas, I think I would've gotten the impression that this has been only going on for a short period of time or that he just found out about it. Then, I would feel more sympathy for the husband. However, since this is expressed as an ongoing issue, I believe they are both in the wrong.
DeleteThe three poems that most appeal to me are “My Number”, “The History Teacher”, and “Vade Mecum”. My Number most appeals to me because the author uses personification to describe how death works and how “he” will come to bring death to you. The History Teacher most appeals to me because the author uses sarcasm and humor to tell events in history to his students. Vade Mecum appeals the most to me because although the poem is light in words the message it carries is very heavy.
ReplyDelete“My Number” most appeals to me because throughout the poem the author uses many different ways to describe how death will eventually come for all of us. The author uses a simile to compare the spreading of cancer cells to “the scattering of seeds”. This line is most meaningful to me because my family has had more than enough experience with the disease. The line compares a deadly disease to the simple action of planting harmless seeds in a garden. Towards the end of the poem the author alludes death to the iconic figure of the grim reaper with his scythe. What I find so interesting about this poem is at the end the author asks a rhetorical question to death and then follows up with how he is going to try and talk his way out of dying and trying to attempt to live forever; almost showing that he will do the impossible and overcome death “himself”.
“The History Teacher” most appeals to me because the author uses a tone of humor and sarcasm to describe the way the history teacher teaches his students. The teacher in the poem changes the names of historic events and what happens in the events themselves to help get his students more interested in history and make it more fun to learn about. The teacher would do such things as change the “Stone Age” to the “Gravel Age, named after the long driveways of the time.”, this is one of the ways the teacher would try and intrigue his students. What I find most interesting about this poem is that the downside to this is that all of those students are learning the wrong things in history and however they are being taught now will lead to their downfall later on in their school careers. The authors tone throughout the poem helps reinforce the sarcasm of the teacher.
“Vade Mecum” appeals most to me because of the message that is hidden in the words. The author uses a metaphor to compare death to “cut me out of my life”, and using scissors as what caused the death. What I like best about the poem is the message it is bringing along with it; to me the message is that even though someone dies you need to take the perfect and happy memories you have of them and carry them with you for the rest of your life. This is so that even if you are hurting because of the loss you can think back to those memories and help you feel a little better.
Shawn, I really like the way that you linked the personification in the story "My Number" to how death works. What a simile too am I right? That was very dark but very descriptive and packed with figurative language. It really shows how easy and simple it is for such a devastating thing like cancer to get to you. I also found it pretty eerie how the author refers to death as a person, like he's just around the corner waiting to get you.
DeleteI myself also did "The History Teacher in my writing. I like how you describe the things he says by saying he uses humor and sarcasm, but I described this differently, and I was wondering as to why you didn't describe it the same way. What the teacher does in his describing of events is use euphemisms. To describe crucial parts of history without harming the young kids innocence the teacher is using the euphemisms. So like the example that you used, "gravel age" instead of "stone age" was so that the teacher didn't have to describe the uglier and more gruesome parts of the stone age.
Why do you like stories about death so much? Kidding. This was another good one. I also picked up on the same metaphor that described how the scissors were the cause of death. We felt the same about the message from this story. When somebody dies and you are feeling sad and down, just think of all the great times and memories you had with that person. Eventually everyone dies. Death isn't all about sadness and depression, but rather celebrating what the person once was.
Shawn, I really like the way that you linked the personification in the story "My Number" to how death works. What a simile too am I right? That was very dark but very descriptive and packed with figurative language. It really shows how easy and simple it is for such a devastating thing like cancer to get to you. I also found it pretty eerie how the author refers to death as a person, like he's just around the corner waiting to get you.
DeleteI myself also did "The History Teacher in my writing. I like how you describe the things he says by saying he uses humor and sarcasm, but I described this differently, and I was wondering as to why you didn't describe it the same way. What the teacher does in his describing of events is use euphemisms. To describe crucial parts of history without harming the young kids innocence the teacher is using the euphemisms. So like the example that you used, "gravel age" instead of "stone age" was so that the teacher didn't have to describe the uglier and more gruesome parts of the stone age.
Why do you like stories about death so much? Kidding. This was another good one. I also picked up on the same metaphor that described how the scissors were the cause of death. We felt the same about the message from this story. When somebody dies and you are feeling sad and down, just think of all the great times and memories you had with that person. Eventually everyone dies. Death isn't all about sadness and depression, but rather celebrating what the person once was.
Shawn I agree with everything you said about History Teacher it is also one of my favorites. However I interpreted The History Teacher substituting humor for actual history to as not just him trying to be funny for the sake of being funny, but as an attempt to preserve the children's innocence. With the children being young and subjected to these lies they do not know the mistakes their ancestors created and henceforth are forced to repeat the same mistakes they did. I would also like to point out a couple things about Collins poem Vade Mecum. First Vade Mecum is defined as a book used for consultation. Also if you translate it from Latin to English it literally means "go with me". With this poem in particular it is so short yet we could hypothesize several different meanings leaving it up to the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. For you Shawn you might speculate that he is talking about death and that he is talking about becoming a memory in someone else's mind. But for me I see it as a failed love or a friend you have grown so far away from they have only become a memory.
Delete“Purity” represents the importance of focusing on one controlling idea and not dwelling on another. If one completes a task using specific details without wavering on the topic, it will invoke relevance, sincerity, and pure meaning to an idea. Collins uses extreme diction to enforce this idea. He creates a situation where a man “removes each organ” and becomes nothing but a “skeleton and a typewriter”. This extreme idea emphasizes that this writer will only focus on his stories of death and sex and allows himself to “exist in a universe where there is nothing but sex, death, and typewriting”. I think the use of such an extreme idea shows readers how important it is to focus specifically and only at the task at hand when it is important.
ReplyDeleteCollins uses syntax to help guide a reader to an understanding of the hidden moral behind “Center”. His use of multiple short paragraphs helps the reader to visualize the character walking through their house and gaining euphoria from everything they see and experience. For example, Collins expresses how the character is “moving from room to room” and then starts his next paragraph stating that the character “stopped and stood in the middle”. The continuous onset of ideas makes the reader understand the emotions by making them feel as if they are going through the house with them. Collins extensive use of commas also forces the reader to continue on until the moral of the poem is revealed. When I read this poem, the commas made me want to keep reading on, helping me understanding that the character is feeling “on top of the world” due to being wide awake and feeling pride in how they have decided to live their life.
“Winter Syntax” teaches a lesson on the importance of using details to express one complete thought. I personally believe that Collins is saying that everything that happens all relates to one big idea, and the more you show and express details, the better the understanding will bel. Collins expresses this importance by using events during winter, such as “passing crows” and a “vine of smoke rising from your chimney”. The passing crows at one point will stop traveling, symbolizing ideas in literature being expressed with detail but always leading to a final overall idea. Also, the smoke from a chimney disperses into the air and will not be visible. This represents the little details in literature that help develop an idea being often overlooked or not viewed as important. I believe it is important to pay attention to describing adjectives and literary elements being used that help describe an overall idea. For example, if Collins started his poem with portraying the lone traveler entering a blizzard at night but never saying he was shielding his face, readers would’ve never realized he was so persistent in a final destination, and therefore readers would’ve not understood the lesson on importance of detail in literature leading to an overall moral.
I thought it was really interesting that you chose "Purity" because I personally couldn't find a connection with it. Not until you wrote about it here at least. His diction in the poem itself was a bit too extreme for me and I thought it was unnecessarily so. But when you described it as a way to focus specifically on the task at hand, I realized it wasn't just about being a good poet, it's about shaking off the weight of the world just for a moment and seeing the world through the eyes of a newborn; totally new and exciting. His diction may be extreme as you said, but it's necessary to get it into the readers' heads just how difficult it really is.
DeleteI like the quotes that you pulled from the poem because they're the most extreme ideas he has. Removing each organ one by one sounds like something from a Hannibal Lecter movie when taken out of context, but in the poem itself, it makes sense. I'd also like to point out that describing the disgusting feat of removing body parts in such a way kind of counteracts the sense of 'purity' that he was aiming for. I thought it was interesting that in order for him to achieve absolute simplicity, he has to take the most gruesome of steps that those who are considered pure wouldn't even consider. I have much more of an appreciation to the poem and was able to pick at it further and more fully thanks to your post.
Out of all the poems in Billy Collins’s Sailing Alone Around the Room, Insomnia (page 144) was one of my favorites. While this poem is written about an insomniac, it really could appeal to anyone who has ever had a restless night. Because the poem set the scene – a dark, silent room, with an unnamed exhausted person lying in bed – it is able to accurately portray how frustrating it is to not be able to sleep, especially when one should be able to. The imagery in the second paragraph helps to show how familiar the narrator is with this “tricyclist,” and how torturous it must be to stay awake all night due to something inside your own head. The narrator is upset that the “tryciclist” will not let him sleep, yet sees him night after night and has grown very familiar with his habits; I find it interesting how this “tricyclist” has is such a paradox, with the narrator stating that he is “my own worst enemy, my oldest friend.”
ReplyDeleteEarthling was also among my favorites of Billy Collins’s compilation of poems. This particular poem appeals to me because it accurately captures a particular problem in society today – people being so concerned with being an “ideal weight” that they overlook the consequences of gaining/losing that weight. Living on another planet is a metaphor for the outrageous things that people sometimes do to become an ideal weight. In Earthling, people imagined living on another planet in order to be the perfect weight; they did not consider how lonely or impossible it would be to live “…in the wasteland of Pluto, … wondering what to do with your ounce.” The poem also appeals to me by ending on a happier note, reminding the reader that it is far better to be happy with yourself on Earth than unhappy and an “ideal weight.”
Another one of my favorite poems form Sailing Alone Around the Room was Nostalgia. The poem begins with a rhetoric question – “Remember the 1340s?” – as if anyone reading the poem in the year 2015 could recall the 1340s. Despite depicting decades in which the reader could not possibly recall, the first four paragraphs still summon a strong sense of nostalgia. It is through this familiar sense of nostalgia that the poem appeals to me. How is it that a reader feels nostalgic over this time period that happened nearly 7 centuries ago? There is a bit of humor added at the end of the first paragraph – “Everything was hand-lettered then, not like today,” as if things were hand-lettered due to personal preference, not simply because there were no computers or machines to letter things – that also appeals to me. Such detail was used to describe the time periods that it seems as if they really were just yesterday.
In the poem “Insomnia” I felt that Collins’ imagery of the “tricyclist” was used to personalize his thoughts and how it was his constant thoughts that kept him up. Instead of it being a train of thought, it was a “tricyclist” going around and around in his head. I also found the paradox of the “tricyclist” being his “worst enemy” and “oldest friend” interesting.
DeleteIn the poem “Earthling” I also found it appealing how Collins mocked society’s ideals about peoples’ weights. Collins makes it seem ridiculous to stand on one of these scales because if you were on another planet such as “Pluto” or “Mercury” you still would not be content wondering what to do with the “five tons of you” or “your ounce”. He instead claims that it would be better to just stand on a “simple bathroom scale” with the “familiar ropes of gravity” and be content with your “157 pounds” from “a respectful distance from the sun.”
I think the reason that the poem “Nostalgia” gives the reader the feeling of nostalgia is not because we lived through the events that are occurring in the time periods mentioned, but because we know the history of the time periods. I also enjoyed the rhetorical question at the beginning of the poem since it makes it clear that the reader should not be able to feel nostalgic about what is about to come, but yet the reader does.
The most appealing poem to me is entitled Books. I was hooked when Collins wrote “…hear the library humming ”. As a book enthusiast, this line is relatable because when pacing the floors of a library, I have the same sensation of the store and the books being alive and calling out. Stanza two is very rich in imagery- “shoes on a desk, head tilted got the wind of a book”. I see myself reading just the way Collins described it. The imagery also used to describe how one reads a book is very symbolic in the sense you have to dig deeper and move forward as you read. By describing that as “touring a house of endless, paneled rooms”, there is a sense of wandering and endlessness that every book should have. Personally, not only did stanza three bring back memories of my own mother reading to me before bed, but it turns the sweet memory into an intense one. From just the soothing scenario of “I hear the voice of my mother reading to me” to “inside her voice lie other distant sounds, the horrors of a stable ablaze” is shedding light on how it feels to be the child. While the rest of the poem goes on to use imagery as its main literary device, it is important to take note of the repletion in stanza five. By illustrating the purpose of a book as “reading ourselves away from ourselves” and using “light to find more light”. I read to both escape from reality and find myself; both are perfectly described here.
ReplyDeleteInsomnia opens with strong diction such as “enumerate” and a tone of panic as he describes “a nightmare about drowning in the Flood”- Collins could have easily been writing about me. By referencing to another text, it makes the situation all more real because audiences are familiar with this tale, yet it was never used to describe a nightmare. The metaphor of “Noah as his wondrous ark aisle by and begins to grow smaller” is referring to ones hopes disappearing. The next use of metaphor is when Collins writes “as I rise and fall on the rocking waves”. This quote signifies that you are now alone and must fend for yourself. For someone l who deals with insomnia, these described feelings are all too real.
Man on the Moon is another piece I connected with. The beginning stanza’s use of diction- “aloft” and “stern”- give the poem a sense of a rigid existence. The piece switches to a relaxed and comforting tone as personification is used to describe the moon as “rising again to show his familiar face”. The moon is described as if he is an old friend coming once again like always. This tone is used again through use of personification when Collins describes the moon “as if he had just broken out into song”. This is an important aspect to ensuring the reader that the moon is a constant comfort, never too far.
Bennett McCombe
ReplyDeleteQuestions About Angels
This poem appealed to me because I was able to spend a lot of time thinking of the intent behind it. It seems to question religion, and later on criticize it by saying “No, the medieval theologians control the court.” But at the same time, it acknowledges the existence of angels, although it may be referring to something not biblical. The most obvious device Collins uses is the rhetorical question, which is common throughout this collection. It makes the reader come up with his or her own answer and therefore think, which in my mind is the basic purpose of poetry. The use of imagery at the end changes the view of angels, where he at first debates whether they are something ordinary, or something surreal, but resolves it by confirming that it doesn’t matter because the angel is beautiful and doesn’t have a care in the world except for its dancing.
The Dead
Collins questions the existence and purpose of supernatural beings again, but now without the use of rhetorical questions, and simply theorizes about the dead. He does add, “they say” however, which may be to shift opinions about the poem away from Collins, or to add a folksy sort of background to image he gives you. He may have also actually heard this from someone. Either way, I don’t think it adds anything to the poem, but who am I to criticize. The depiction that Collins gives of the dead appealed to me mostly. It seems peaceful enough for me to not mind dying. He also describes the dead as somewhat omniscient beings. “The watch the tops of our heads moving below on earth, and when we lie down in a field or on a couch, drugged perhaps by the hum of the warm afternoon, they think we are looking back at them,” This would imply that we have a fond relationship with the dead, but we are somewhat inferior to them because of their lifetime (plus more) of experience with existence. His description of them as “parents” at the end perfectly represents this. Because it is a short poem, there is not a lot of figurative language used, but again the imagery is very effective, specifically the rowing aspect.
I Chop Some Parsley While Listening to Art Blakey’s Version of “Three Blind Mice”
I tend to write in a stream of consciousness style, which is why I quite liked this poem. Collins process of thought is similar to mine I believe, and this is why I grew more enthusiastic about this book towards the end. It also had a somewhat dry sense of humor. One device that I found particularly interesting was his personification of cynicism. “The cynic who always lounges within me up off his couch at the window trying to hide the rising softness that he feels.” This is personification of a human quality, but in turn that personification involves the human quality feeling emotion itself. I think this particularly effective in conveying the emotion Collins feels while lost in thought about something as trivial as the three blind mice.
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ReplyDeleteMy Number
ReplyDeleteI admire Collins’ take on the concept of death in this poem. He uses rhetorical questions almost playfully as he uses personification to talk about death. At the end of the poem, he states, “as I start talking my way out of this.” when referring to Death coming to his cottage, if only Death could be so easily convinced. This sentence particularly stuck out to me as it reminded me of thoughts that have struck my mind. At one point in our lives, I believe we all have felt invincible, as if death is something that won't affect us.
The Wires of the Night
I lost my uncle who was 47 last August. This poem brought me back to the church service, his two daughters both in their early teens crying in the pew infront of mine. The line, “a voice shaking over the telephone” was a sentence I felt had a strong effect. When first reading this poem, or if someone has not lost a loved one, this sentence may be overlooked. The simplicity of this statement, connects all deaths. I can remember the call about my uncle, my grandma over the phone, voice shaking. I’m sure other readers remember a very similar call, about someone just as important to them. In this simple sentence, all deaths seem the same, insignificant. He ends this poem by describing how his life continued on after this passing. As much as life seems to stop after losing someone you love, it doesn’t. There is beauty and sadness in that.
On Turning Ten
When you are a toddler, being one year older than “this many” seems amazing. All toddlers want to do is grow up, hence the “and a half” added at the end of their age. When you hit your thirties, however, you would do anything to subtract years, to stay young. At the tender age of 10 is when most kids realize they are not a little baby anymore. Double digits, although first sounding exciting, hits with a big dose of the “real world”. Collins perfectly describes the ability to be anything when you were a child with statements like, “at four i was an Arabian wizard” and “at seven i was a soldier”. However, he also shows how the magic has left after “turning the first big number” by saying how his bike lost its speed and how he has to say goodbye to his imaginary friends. This is the first step into reality, towards adulthood, the “beginning of sadness”.
Introduction to Poetry
ReplyDeleteBilly Collins “Introduction to Poetry” stood out from most of the other poems due to its fantastic use of imagery that helped me to understand what Collins was trying to achieve with the poem. Collins also made the message of the poem very interesting and relevant in today’s world and is hidden beneath all of the imagery that Collins used flawlessly and effectively throughout the poem. What Collins was trying to show in the poem is that many people have forgotten what poetry is all about and now see it as a chore. An example of this is when Collins says “But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it.”This means that people don’t want to bother with figuring out the meaning of the poem, they would rather the meaning just be told to them. I remember as a kid, I did not understand poetry and became frustrated when I could not figure out the meaning of a poem. As I grew older, however, I came to appreciate poetry and the challenges it poses to its readers.
The History Teacher
Although this poem is not full of figurative language like most of Collins poems are, the message behind “The History Teacher “ is very impactful. The poem is about a teacher who does not teach his students some of the curriculum because he fears that it will take away from the children's innocence. It is revealed, however, that the children have already lost their innocence because they bully other kids and are misbehaved behind the teachers back. This is shown when Collins says “The children would leave his classroom for the playground to torment the weak and the smart, mussing up their hair and breaking their glasses.” Collins did an excellent job showing how adults are too overprotective of their children and how that can lead to problems. Parents try to shield their children from the horrors of the world but this hurts the child's understanding of the world and keeps them from becoming independent and mature. The poem connects with me on a personal level because as a child, I remember my parents not allowing me to watch R rated movies. It only occured to me in recent years that they were trying to protect my innocence.
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The Night House
This poem is about how even when your body is sleeping after a day of work, your mind keeps working. An example of this is when Collins says “And the mind gets up too, puts on a robe and goes downstairs, lights a cigarette, and opens a book on engineering. Even the conscience awakens and roams from room to room in the dark, darting away from every mirror like a strange fish.”.This poem struck me on a personal level because I can relate to what Collins is talking about. My job involves standing up almost the whole day. By the end of my ten hour shift, my legs hurt. Even after a nights rest, I wake up feeling sore sometimes.
Picnic Lightning (98)
ReplyDeleteThe poem that most caught my attention was Picnic Lightning. At first, I didn’t think much of it. The message of life’s unpredictability didn’t seem to speak to me. However, not 20 minutes after reading it, I watched one of my friends have a seizure on the Lifeguard stand and fall 10 feet to the ground. I was dumbstruck. When I woke up that morning, I would never have guessed that in less than 4 hours I would watch someone come within inches of “the instant hand of death”. After she was driven away in the ambulance the poem, the last two stanzas took on a different meaning, where Collins conveys the idea that we should not dwell on the unpredictable nature of life, but instead focus on what a privilege each moment is.
The Death of the Hat (126)
This poem appealed to me because it reminded me of my Grandfather. More specifically, it made me think about how I remember him. In the beginning, the poem seems to be about the changes that take place over time, so slow and subtle that we hardly realize them until one day we turn around and say, “when did that stop?” or “why did we ever stop doing that?” But the poems ending, “And now my father, after a life of work, wears a hat of earth, and on top of that, a lighter one of cloud and sky-a hat of wind.” When Collins looks back at his father’s life, like most people, the memories he cherishes aren’t always words of wisdom, or time spent alone together, it’s the little things, like how he wore a hat everyday of his life, what kind of tradition he kept. When I think about my Grandpa, I don’t remember advice he gave me or places we went, I remember his personality and our relationship, how he interacted with me, how whenever I had a piece of cake, pie, or a cookie, he would always jokingly ask me for a piece, and I would always offer him everything left on the plate which he would of course never take but kiss me gently.
The lesson (6)
This poem really stood out to me because of Collins’s use of imagery and personification. The way he describes the weight of history’s overcoat and his walk into town, although brief, really pulled me into the story. When he returns “covered with icicles” I actually felt the brutal chill of the wind. As for personification, history is portrayed as violent and full of anger, which makes sense because it is full of wars and conflict. When Collins returns the overcoat, his “blustering anger” caused history to search his coat and make sure nothing was missing. I feel that History’s anger and the line “no major battle or English queen had fallen out and become lost in the deep snow” is Collins’s way of pointing out how important all of history is and we how we must work to preserve it. History's actions should not be marked as futile.
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