Macleish And Billy Collins

Everyone has a unique viewpoint on the world, but we often fail to reap the benefits of others' viewpoints because we don't hear what they are trying to communicate. In the poems “Introductory to Poetry” by Billy Collins and “Ars Poetica” by Archibald Macleish, both authors address the topic of language and communication, but also different ways to experience art, such as poetry. While Archibald Macleish uses tone and imagery to create an other-worldly experience as a way to describe the pleasure gained from reading poetry, Billy Collins uses a more direct and concise path to explain his message to the audience.

Both Collins and Macleish emphasize the importance of how a poem sounds. On one hand, Collins draws attention to the line “or press

an ear against its hive” (Collins, ln.4) by making it the only single line stanza in the poem.

In contrast with the three couplets and three tercets, this fourth line automatically catches the reader’s eye. This line also contrasts with the rest of the poem because it is written in iambic tetrameter, whereas the rest of the poem is free verse and lacks any set rhythm or structure. Adding a very structured rhythm to the line highlights it even more. Overall, Billy Collins used several techniques to make this line’s content, idea, and rhyme cohesive and to draw even more emphasis to the idea of sound being particularly important. Similarly, Macleish repeats the idea of being quiet throughout the first stanza of “Ars Poetica”. Words such as “mute” (Machleish, ln.1), “silent” (ln.5) and “wordless” (ln.7), all strongly suggest that one must “hold his tongue” in order to comprehend everything the poem has to offer. One must silence their

urge to simply reply, in order to actually open themselves up to the ideas being presented to them. This struggle can be seen in the current world on a daily basis. People are so busy, and so worried about getting ahead, or getting to what is next; they don’t actually listen to one another’s ideas and wind up missing out on what their fellow human being is trying to express. Rarely does anyone take the time to actually stop, and truly listen, to what someone has to say. That being said, it is even more imperative that readers of poetry let go of their preconceived notions, and just listen to what the poem has to say.
Another concept that both poems convey, is that poetry should be an escape from the chaos of the world. In “Introduction to Poetry”, the narrator tells his pupils to “waterski” (ln.9) across a poem. This image helps explain that reading poetry should be a fun and thrilling experience. As most people know, “time flies when you’re having fun”. By depicting poetry reading as a riveting water sport, it implies that reading poetry will provide the same stress release, and escape from the world, as waterskiing would. Malceish took a different, more serene, approach to describing how poetry affects the reader. The narrator states that “as the moon climbs” (Malceish, ln.10), so should the reader. The imagery in the second stanza paints the scene of the reader being lifted high above the “night-entangled trees” (ln.12) and leaving the world behind like a “memory” (ln.14). “Ars Poetica” offers an almost other-worldly experience of floating into the sky away from the rest of the world as a comparison to reading poetry. Although drifting through clouds may not be as exciting as the idea of waterskiing, it still serves as an escape from everyday life, and from one’s mind.
Both poems are written from an instructional standpoint, however the voice in “Introduction to Poetry” is that of a younger, less experienced teacher, that has less control over those who he is attempting to teach.

“I ask them” (Collins, ln.1) and “I say” (ln.5), show the narrator is in an authoritative position compared to “them” (the students). It is evident to the reader exactly what the narrator is trying to guide his pupils towards doing. In line twelve, he says “but all they want to do”, showing that he lacks the skill to motivate and educate his students to go about analyzing a poem correctly. Also, the multitude of upbeat metaphors used to describe the way to go about analyzing a poem infers that the narrator is of a younger age. In contrast, the narrator of “Ars Poetica” seems older and more mature. “Dumb as old medallions” (Malceish, ln.3) could be interpreted as a younger generation looking at something from before their time, however I believe in this context it is referring back to the narrator’s past. Medallions are often times sought after and treasured for only a temporary time after they are awarded, and are soon forgotten or discarded. In hindsight, it may seem silly or ridiculous how much value was put on something that quickly lost its value. The narrator seems very exact on how she states her opinion, and the tone implies that her words are very thought out and meticulous. The imagery is centered on aspects of nature such as “fruit” (ln.2), “birds”

(ln.8), “the moon” (ln.10), and “a maple leaf” (ln.20). This gives the narrator a softer, more feminine presence in the poem.
Although the poems address similar topics, Billy Collins is much more successful at conveying his message to the modern day audience. Malceish uses 24 lines to carefully and cautiously construct a delicate balance of imagery to properly describe the art of poetry. However, Billy Collins only uses 16 lines to paint vivid pictures in the reader’s mind in order to depict the art of reading and deciphering poetry. Even though the number of lines may seem like a minor detail, in today's multi-tasking focused world, it helps that Billy Collins is able to portray his message in a more direct and concise format.