Allusion In Trouble With Poetry

540 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Poem analysis

In both of the poems, "Introduction to Poetry" and "Trouble with Poetry", Collins makes an interesting form of observation of the world he lives in while possibly explaining his daily life or experiences.
These poems represent the idea of allusion by symbolizing the need for poetry. For example in sentence 9 of Introduction to Poetry he uses allusion to demonstrate there is a dream or accomplishment he wants to do with "his students". In sentences 16-19 of Trouble with poetry, he also uses allusion because it looks like he has an idea in mind and has plans set ahead.
Behind this form of allusion there is also examples of vivid image that make the poems come to live. Right away, in the first sentences I can picture the speaker performing …show more content…

The Trouble with Poetry mainly focuses on time, whether it's actual time like; day and night or describing the atmosphere that is in his surroundings. Collins begins his poem with "walked along a beach.. cold Florida sand.." and ends with "poet of San Francisco.. treacherous halls of high school.." Possibly describing a time he has lived. His tone rotates throughout the poem expressing the pros and cons about poetry itself. He expresses sorrow in lines 1-24 wanting poetry to stop spreading almost like an act of selfishness, but his emotions shift in lines 25-47 to a positive tone referring to poetry being something he can escape to.
On the other hand, in the opening of Introduction to Poetry, Collins begins with a sign of hope but instead fades away with a frustrated tone. Behind his words, he is possibly hinting a favor of kindness towards his students, taking time out of his day to lecture them about something he truly cares for. Or he could just be trying to change students' perspective towards poems. He wishes for all students to appreciate and experience the poem as well as hoping for them to seek in deep and find a message, like stated in lines 7-8 "walk inside a poem.. feel the

Show More
Related

  • Marginalia Billy Collins Analysis

    484 Words  | 1 Pages

    In both poems, Collins uses comparative imagery to create a visual representation of readers’ inability to comprehend the essence of literature. In “Marginalia,” Collins compares the readers and their annotations to “fans who cheer from the empty bleachers” (Lines 23-24), illustrating the fans are cheering because they are in the bleachers, not because there is anything to cheer for. Likewise, the “fans who cheer” represent the readers and their enthusiastic annotations towards what they are reading however, “the

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Billy Collins Schoolsville

    1309 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many modern poets, including Billy Collins write in free verse. Richard Howard was quoted singing Collins’s praises about his verse. Howard said, “He has a remarkably American voice…that one recognizes immediately as being of the moment and yet has real validity besides, reaching very far into what verse can do”(“Billy Collins”). His poems often “reject any regular meter or rhyme, though it still incorporates rhythmical and sound effects that help convey a poem’s meaning” (Prinsky). Because the poem flows quickly, it is very easy to understand and interpret. If it were written with a certain rhyme scheme, the ideas that Collins portrayed would sound choppy and hard to infer. All of the points proved before work together to shape the overall meaning of the work. The author wrote this poem not only to provide readers with a relatable experience presented in an unorthodox way, but he also wrote it to show that even though one part of life is in the past, revisiting moments can bring happiness and be very beneficial. Towards the end of the poem when speaking about the present and how students still stop by to visit him and “turn in late papers”, he says that they”....[ask] a question about Yeats or double spacing” (Line 34). This line stands out because it shows that no matter the time frame, revisiting the past can help and not always harm. This meaning can relate to many things,

    Read More

  • Robert Updike's The Great Scarf Of Birds

    428 Words  | 1 Pages

    At the beginning of the poem, the speaker starts by telling the reader the place, time and activity he is doing, stating that he saw something that he will always remember. His description of his view is explained through simile for example “Ripe apples were caught like red fish in the nets of their branches” (Updike), captivating the reader’s attention

    Read More

  • True Feelings in Billy Collins' Taking Off Emily Dickinson's Clothes

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    While on the surface Collins seems to want Emily Dickinson, with a close reading it becomes clear that he is actually obsessed with his mother. His displacement shows how he at least tries to hide is incestuous desires, while his anal retentiveness shows his wish to be in control. The indications that run throughout the poem reveal Collins’ true feelings, and his inability to hide them.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Graded Paper By Mark Halliday

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the poem the teacher points out mistakes such as the student’s thinking, his style of writing the paper and his grammar errors. The teacher said, “there are spots/where your thinking becomes, for me, / alarmingly opaque, and you syntax/seems to jump backwards through unnecessary hoops,” (6-9). This instance shows the error the teacher found in the paper about how the student’s thinking was not straight and would jump backwards and forward throughout the poem. Another error that the teacher finds is when the teacher tells the student that he should have wrote the paper differently or said something else. The teacher said, “I’d have said it differently, / or rather, said something else” (17-18). This instance shows that the teacher is not happy about the way the student has written he paper and tells him that he should have wrote it differently. Another instance where the teacher finds mistake in the paper is when the teacher fixes the students semicolons mistake in the paper. The teacher says, “Please notice how I’ve repaired your/ use of semicolons.”(28).This instance shows that the teacher found a mistake of semicolons, which the student did not use correctly in the paper. However, even after finding all these mistakes the teacher gives A- as an overall grade to the student. This is an example of an irony that shows that the teacher not only gave negative comments to the student, but after giving negative comments

    Read More

  • The Lanyard by Billy Collins

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    The popular American Poet, Billy Collins, is playing a significant role in the evolution of poetry. His writing style evokes an array of emotions for the reader. Every stanza in his poetry passes the satirical standard that he generated for himself over his career. Collins swiftly captivates his readers through his diverse use of figurative language. More specifically, his use of vivid imagery paired with humorous personification and extended metaphors create his unique style of satirical poetry. This developed form of writing appeals to a large crowd of people because the generally accessible topics that he discusses are fairly easy to resonate for the common man. However, his poetry offers an interesting perspective on what otherwise would be simplistic ideas. The main themes and concepts that are being presented in each of his writings are revered and coveted by the general population. An appealing aspect of his writing is his ability to directly convey the main idea within the poem. As a result, the reader can understand the meaning of his work with ease. The typical beginning of his work gives the reader a slight taste of what is to come. Billy Collins’ unique writing style and various trademarks directly influenced by his ability to propagate an array of emotions for the reader, his humorous tone, and the accessibility of the topics he describes within his poetry.

    Read More

  • Tales of Ise and The Tosa Diary

    1768 Words  | 4 Pages

    The poems make for a simple addition to the narrative and allows for a much more meaningful experience for a reader and makes for a much more engrossing story, thus adding to the experience as a whole.

    Read More

  • Lanston hughes comparison of two poems

    825 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”

    Read More

  • Poetry Closed Reading Assignment:Billy Collins

    882 Words  | 2 Pages

    For this assignment, I have decided to write about a famous poem of Billy Collins which is titled as ‘Introduction to Poetry’ written in 1996.

    Read More

  • The Sleeper Literary Analysis Essay

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first literary device that can be found throughout the poem is couplet, which is when two lines in a stanza rhyme successfully. For instance, lines 1-2 state, “At midnight, in the month of June / I stand beneath the mystic moon.” This is evidence that couplet is being used as both June and moon rhyme, which can suggest that these details are important, thus leading the reader to become aware of the speaker’s thoughts and actions. Another example of this device can be found in lines 16-17, “All Beauty sleeps!—and lo! where lies / (Her casement open to the skies).” These lines not only successfully rhyme, but they also describe a woman who

    Read More

  • Sylvia Plath's Mirror and D.H. Lawrence's Piano

    1094 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poets often use techniques such as tone, imagery, themes, and poem structure to create a more complex view of their stance on the subject. These features can make the poem more interesting to the reader and helps to develop their story. The use of imagery in a poem can take the reader on a journey filled with sensory images that help the reader to connect with the subjects of the poems. The tone of the poem determines the mood and feelings that the reader will experience. The theme of a poem holds the true meaning and point of the poem and is explained using the above literary techniques. While “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath and “Piano” by D.H. Lawrence both contain imagery and tone to convey the poets’ common theme of the longing for the past to revive itself, the poets use different poem structures that further convey their overall message.

    Read More

  • 'An Analysis Of Billy Collins Divorce'

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    The brevity of the poem is important because Collins is effectively giving the reader the parts of a divorce that he feels are most relevant. He is cutting out all the other moments that lead a couple to divorce such as the bickering and the loss of love over time. Instead, Collins is discussing the end result of the change that happens in a relationship, he is showing the contrast of the two extreme places. His constant use of juxtaposing images throughout the poem show that there is a clear love loss by the time these two people start their relationship, never believing that they could end arguing over the bitter details of splitting their

    Read More

  • Poetic Lives

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mr. Keating's teaching's style and his use of poetry impacts the tone, mood and how his students develop throughout the film. Mr. Keating has several passionate moments with the kids, usually through the help of a poem. Many of Mr. Keating's goals are taught through the use of poetry. Mr. Keating not only helped them improve as students but also as human being. His use of his experiences and of forging connections with the kids really helped them to improve in his class and in life as a whole. All in all, poetry is a beautiful art form that often gives a life message and helps people throughout their entire life by giving them an opportunity to let out their emotions.

    Read More

  • kl

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both poets use imagery very well to get across simple messages of the problems with war. Metaphorical language is used often so this will be analysed in detail with other factors like similes being analysed too.

    Read More

  • Symbolism and Allusion

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    What all poets have in common is a love of language -- its words, its meanings, its rhythms, its sounds, even its shapes (Literary Visions, p. 141). It is this language, in the form of allusions and symbols that gives meaning and interest to poems, and gives the reader an insight into the poet's unique view. "Poets use an intuitive process. They don't cognitively think about allusions, nor do they have to know the allusions. The poetry that succeeds best is one that touches the instinctive something we all share. That something celebrates the communion with what we are and what we believe" (Dorn, Video Program #116).

    Read More

More about Allusion In Trouble With Poetry

Open Document