Writing about Poetry

1. Writing about Poetry

2. “Introduction to Poetry” I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide What does it mean? He wants them to be curious about the poem and to have faith that its meaning is visible with the right tools. How does it mean that? People hold a slide up to the light because they’re curious about what it’s a picture of. They know that even though it looks dark, the light will help them to see it better. They aren’t angry at the slide for needing to be held up to the light; they accept that the slide is meant to be seen that way. They trust that holding it up to the light will make it clearer.

3. Student Sample or walk inside the poem’s room and feel the walls for a light switch. What does it mean? The author is trying to tell the reader to try to find a deeper meaning of the poem to find the central theme. How does it mean that? You might have an idea where a light switch is, but not exactly where it is. Same with a poem, you might have a good idea about what the poem is about, but not exactly what it’s about. In both cases, you will need to search for what you’re looking for.

4. Student Sample I want them to waterski across the surface of a poem waving at the author’s name on the shore. What does it mean? Let the poem support you without trying to force it. Once you understand how to approach a poem, then you can enjoy. How does it mean that? The poem’s surface is water. People don’t try to force the water to hold them up, they trust in the water. People wave at others on the shore when they are having fun waterskiing. People who don’t know how to waterski will often fall in clumsily, but once they get it, they have fun.

5. Student Sample or press an ear against its hive. What does it mean? It means the poet wants readers to listen what’s inside of the poem, what the meaning is. Just by listening to it, trying not to change it and not destroy the poem. How does it mean that? When people listen to hives, they are probably trying to know what’s going on inside. They listen because they’re curious about what’s inside. But they try not to destroy it because once it’s destroyed, the inside is changed.

6. Student Sample But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and beat a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means. What does it mean? People try to force the meaning out of poems without really giving them chances to explain themselves and instead of reading the poem simply. They overanalyze. How does it mean that? Tying a poem to a chair and torturing a confession out of it is a person overanalyzing a poem and basically forcing a meaning out of it. Beating it with a hose is trying to dictate it.

7. The poet uses the majority of the poem to metaphorically describe how he wants readers to engage in a poem. The speaker first compares the reading of poetry to inspecting a photograph on “a color slide” (3). By using metaphor to compare the poem to a photograph on a slide, Collins indicates that the content of the poem is not immediately apparent. The reader must “hold it up to the light” in order to fully grasp what is contained within (2). If readers passively glance at the slide, they will not be able to understand it. Through this metaphor, Collins conveys that it takes some effort on the part of the reader to illuminate the meaning of the poem. Likewise, Collins uses another metaphor to illustrate the amount of effort it sometimes takes to uncover its meaning. Just as readers propose theories on the meanings of different lines, the mouse attempts to “probe his way out” of the maze (6). Some of the maze’s pathways lead to dead ends, and not all theories are correct. Through this metaphor, Collins argues that it takes effort in the form of trial and error until the solution to the maze and the poem is found.

8. The poet uses the majority of the poem to metaphorically describe how he wants readers to engage in a poem. The speaker first compares the reading of poetry to inspecting a photograph on “a color slide” (3).By using metaphor to compare the poem to a photograph on a slide, Collins indicates that the content of the poem is not immediately apparent. The reader must “hold it up to the light” in order to fully grasp what is contained within (2). If readers passively glance at the slide, they will not be able to understand it. Through this metaphor, Collins conveys that it takes some effort on the part of the reader to illuminate the meaning of the poem. Likewise, Collins uses another metaphor to illustrate the amount of effort it sometimes takes to uncover its meaning.Just as readers propose theories on the meanings of different lines, the mouse attempts to “probe his way out” of the maze (6). Some of the maze’s pathways lead to dead ends, and not all theories are correct. Through this metaphor, Collins argues that it takes effort in the form of trial and error until the solution to the maze and the poem is found.

9. The poet uses the majority of the poem to metaphorically describe how he wants readers to engage in a poem. The speaker first compares the reading of poetry to inspecting a photograph on “a color slide” (3).By using metaphor to compare the poem to a photograph on a slide, Collins indicates that the content of the poem is not immediately apparent. The reader must “hold it up to the light” in order to fully grasp what is contained within (2). If readers passively glance at the slide, they will not be able to understand it. Through this metaphor, Collins conveys that it takes some effort on the part of the reader to illuminate the meaning of the poem. Likewise, Collins uses another metaphor to illustrate the amount of effort it sometimes takes to uncover its meaning.Just as readers propose theories on the meanings of different lines, the mouse attempts to “probe his way out” of the maze (6). Some of the maze’s pathways lead to dead ends, and not all theories are correct. Through this metaphor, Collins argues that it takes effort in the form of trial and error until the solution to the maze and the poem is found. Connection to theme Detail from poem Explanation of significanceTransition

10. “Hanging Fire”: Repetition (symbolism) and momma’s in the bedroom with the door closed. What is significant about it? • The speaker’s mother isn’t there to help her. • The fact that her mother seems to be the one who closed the door indicates that the speaker feels her mother doesn’t care about her. • She repeats it in every stanza, which makes it more important than the problems she only mentions once. • It’s at the end of every stanza, like it’s the final straw. What does it mean? (connect to theme) When parents don’t support and guide their children in dealing with their problems, that lack of guidance becomes the biggest problem of all.

11. Student Sample: Repetition what if I die… suppose I die… will I live… What is significant about it? • It usually connects to “momma’s in the bedroom” which may mean that she thinks her mother won’t be there or that she will die because of her mother’s indifference about everything else. • It’s is bigger than the other problems she talks about, which reminds the reader that the problem is deeper than wearing braces or not knowing how to dance. • Repeating it makes it seem more important than the other problems. • Gets farther away, but it’s inescapable. Maybe that’s how she sees her other problems, too. • She may think of death as a way to escape her other problems. • Questions and hypotheses: she doesn’t want to die. She’s just wondering what would happen, maybe if it’s any better or worse.

12. “Hanging Fire”: Details (juxtaposition) how come my knees are always so ashy what if I die before the morning comes What is significant about it? • Tone doesn’t change between mundane things and death: could be a comparison or just carelessness about her life. • Idea of death seems equal to her other problems. • Knees being ashy doesn’t seem that important until it’s paired with “what if I die”; putting them together makes it seem like she sees the small problems as also being life or death. • Little problems are closely connected to her appearance, self-image, and other people’s opinions. She doesn’t seem to like herself much, and she doesn’t think other do, either. She seems to value others’ opinions more than her own life.

13. Theme: When parents don’t support and guide their children in dealing with their problems, that lack of guidance becomes the biggest problem of all. The speaker in the poem struggles to handle the problems in her life because she’s too overwhelmed by them to understand their importance. She complains about her knees being “so ashy” (7), the size of her bedroom (14), and the fact that she “[has] nothing to wear tomorrow” (31). These are hardly worth complaining about; they are small, mundane, manageable problems that any teenager might have. However, she piles them on top of each other, making it seem that she sees them as having taken over her life. Even more, she follows each of these insignificant issues with wondering whether she’ll die soon, which is clearly not a minor problem like the others. The juxtaposition of these two types of worry emphasizes how minor the earlier problems are, but the speaker doesn’t seem to see that. She talks about death in the same way she talks about the other problems, grouping them all together as equals. She seems to see even the most minor troubles as being matters of life or death, and if that’s how she sees them, it’s no wonder she’s overwhelmed. Connection to themeDetail from poem Analysis (significance)Transition

14. Theme: When parents don’t support and guide their children in dealing with their problems, that lack of guidance becomes the biggest problem of all. The speaker in the poem struggles to handle the problems in her life because she’s too overwhelmed by them to understand their importance.She complains about her knees being “so ashy” (7), the size of her bedroom (14), and the fact that she “[has] nothing to wear tomorrow” (31).These are hardly worth complaining about; they are small, mundane, manageable problems that any teenager might have. However, she piles them on top of each other, making it seem that she sees them as having taken over her life. Even more, she follows each of these insignificant issues with wondering whether she’ll die soon, which is clearly not a minor problem like the others. The juxtaposition of these two types of worry emphasizes how minor the earlier problems are, but the speaker doesn’t seem to see that. She talks about death in the same way she talks about the other problems, grouping them all together as equals. She seems to see even the most minor troubles as being matters of life or death,and if that’s how she sees them, it’s no wonder she’s overwhelmed. Connection to themeDetail from poem Analysis (significance)Transition

15. “Dusting”: Symbolism Each morning I wrote my name on the dusty cabinet, then crossed the dining table in script, scrawled in capitals on the backs of chairs, practicing signatures like scales What is significant about it? The speaker is writing her name, which represents her identity. She’s practicing her signature, which is even more unique than a name (like the fingerprints in the second stanza). The fact that she’s practicing and that she tries out different kinds of writing (capitals, script) symbolizes the fact that she doesn’t really have a fully established identity yet; she’s still young and trying to figure out exactly who she is. What does it mean? (connect to theme)