Introduction to Poetry Billy Collins

Read the following line: "I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out." Thinking from the speaker's perspective, a mouse could be symbolic for--

• a house infested with diseased rodents

• a difficult maze

• the speaker

• a concept or an idea working its way to the forefront

Read the following stanza:

"I want them to waterski

across the surface of a poem

waving at the author's name on the shore."

The speaker most likely intends for his audience to take note of the author because--

• the reader should quickly scan the poem one time before beginning to paraphrase it

• the reader should slowly skim the poem to unpack the figurative language embedded in each line

• if the reader recalls and understands the author's background, it may shed light on the poem's meaning

• everything in a poem is subject to being tested

Which of the lines below reveal the audience or the students' perspective?

• "I ask them take a poem and hold it up to..."

• "...but all they want to do is..."

• "I say drop a mouse into..."

• "I ask them to waterski across the surface..."

In the poem, the speaker's mood shifts by the time the reader gets to stanza--

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 5

What do stanzas 5 and 6 suggest about the speaker's audience?

• a) they are lazy

• b) they don't like to exert the effort required to analyze poetry

• c) poetry analysis is hard work

• d) they are inspired and demonstrate strong, mental work ethic

What do lines 1 - 3 suggest about the process of analyzing poetry?

• a) poetry analysis is not always a quick process

• ^{b) words, lines, and stanzas of poetry have to be looked through different "filters" or perspectives in order to discover the interpretation}

• c) poetry is always difficult to analyze and unpack

• d) readers must be willing to look at the light

Read the following line: "I ask them to...press an ear against its hive." What is the significance of this line?

• a) It is referencing poetry's tendency to appeal to sound.

• b) It is referencing nature.

• c) It is referencing a hive of honey bees.

• d) It is referencing poetry's appeal to sight.

An alternative title for this poem could be all of the following except--

• The ABC's of Poetry

• Poetry Made Easy

• Poetry Stinks

• Poetry 101

Which lines from the poem suggest that unpacking and interpreting poetry is a process of discovery?

• a) tie to chair

• b) torture a confession out of it

• c) beating with a hose

• d) feel the walls for a light switch

Read the line "...hold it up to the light like a color slide..." What could this mean in the context of the poem?

• Look at the poem from different perspectives.

• Notice the colors described in the poem.

• Remember the poem like a picture in your mind.

• make sure to read poetry with the lights on.