Billy Collins Introduction to Poetry

In stanza 4, Collins describes a poem as having a dark room that he wants his students to walk into, then feel the walls to try and find the light switch. Which of these statements is the best interpretation of that metaphor?

• Poems are so confusing, they're like walking into a dark room you have to find your way out of.

• A poem can be confusing, but it's best to just start reading it and see what you can find and understand as you read.

• You can't read a poem in the dark.

In the last two stanzas, Collins describes what students usually want to do to a poem. He says they want to "tie the poem to a chair and torture a confession out of it," and that they "begin beating it with a hose," when they want to figure out "what it means." How are those metaphors different from the metaphors and imagery in the other stanzas?

• The metaphors in the last two stanzas are more playful and fun, but the stanzas before are really serious.

• The metaphors in the last two stanzas are what he wants students to do, and in the beginning it's what he doesn't want them to do.

• The metaphors in the last two stanzas are violent and more serious, but the metaphors in the beginning are more playful and silly.

Think about the poem- do you think Billy Collins likes when students pick apart a poem to try to figure out what it means? Explain your answer using an evidence from the poem.

In stanza 2, Collins asks the reader of a poem to "press an ear against its hive." A hive is where bees live and make honey and wax. So if that metaphor compares a poem to a hive, what similarity (a sameness) is Collins wanting us to see?

• the noisiness of bees and the noise in a poem.

• the work of bees making honey and the work of a poet writing a poem.

• the action and sounds in a hive and the action and sounds in a poem.

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

• poetry analysis is not always a quick process

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

• poetry is always difficult to analyze and unpack

• readers must be willing to look at the light

Who is the author of "Introduction to Poetry"?

• Billy Collins

• Robert Frost

• Emily Dickinson

• Langston Hughes

The speaker says the students (a)   to find out what the poem really means.

• Beat it with a hose

• Analyze it line by line

• Discuss it in groups

• Ask the author

The main theme of "Introduction to Poetry" is (a)  

• The exploration and appreciation of

• The history of poetry

• The technical aspects of poetry

• The biography of poets

What does the speaker ask the students to do with a poem?

• Hold it up to the light like a color slide

• Memorize it word for word

• Write a summary of it

• Ignore it completely

Read the excerpt from "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins.

I ask them to take a poemand hold it up to the lightlike a color slideor press an ear against its hive.

Which statement best explains the central idea of these lines?

• Poems should be studied in many ways.

• Poetry readings should take place outside.

• Poems are colorful and noisy.

• Poetry should be shared with friends.