Chalk for snow and blackboard skies are just a few vivid images in a Billy Collins poem that he wrote in 1985 called “Schoolsville.” In Poetry Foundation’s article on “Billy Collins” it says, “But Collins has offered a slightly different take on his appeal, admitting that his poetry is ‘Suburban, its’ domestic, it’s middle class, and it’s sort of unashamedly that.’” Collins in his years was a professor at several schools such as Columbia University and City University of New York. His first poem was published in 2001, and shortly followed by many more books that were written about everyday life. “Schoolsville” is about a teacher looking back on past students. There are both fond and disappointing memories of students and the world around them. The teacher is the mayor of this world as he would be the authority as a teacher never leaving his position. Collins uses vivid imagery and personification to help the reader understand how they are feeling. …show more content…
An obvious example would be “chalk dust flurrying down in winter,/ nights dark as a blackboard.” (Collins 5-6) because the teacher is describing how this fantasy world looks to them. Although the population never graduates in this town, they do age leading to one believing that the teacher is not a senior year or maybe even a high school level teacher. Also, when talking about the students they are described on how they once were, and that they wear their letter grades on their chest. No one hung out with those outside of their grades. If one broke the mold they are a creative writing student, they stick together, having fun no matter their grade. The teacher describes them as living in a white colonial that could represent the school house that they hardly ever leave with their car always parked outside. Imagery is an important part of “Schoolsville” due to all the things that it will make
Currently in the United States, many of us are afraid of the future. There have been many recent events that have stirred up fear in this country, especially tensions regarding human rights. In Carolyn Forché’s “The Colonel,” the speaker tells us her story of when she had to deal with the mistreatment of others. The speaker is telling us her story of meeting the colonel to show us the horrible things that have happened in the fight for justice and to encourage us to speak up. She tells us this story because she does not want others to end up the way that the ears did. The speaker wants us to stay strong and fight for justice when we begin to live in a state of constant fear.
With the use of irony and a free rhyme scheme, Collins’ poem vocalizes his opinion on how lying to children about significant facts can only serve to make them ignorant. The way he communicates this to us is by ironically emphasizing events by understating them. He shows how important an event is by mocking the teacher’s portrayal of the event. One example of how he does this is how the teacher tells his students that the ice age was just the “chilly age, a period of a million years when everyone had to wear sweaters.”(3-4). Collins does this several times with other important events in history, such as the Spanish Inquisition, where “[It] was nothing more than an outbreak of questions.”(7-8). The teacher’s interpretation of events, when compared to the actual events themselves creates a sense of unease, as the lies stray far away from what actually happened, and brings up the question of whether or not these lies should be told. Collins uses events that involve death and destruction to accentuate how big the contrast between the teacher’s explanation and reality is. After the class ends, the children leave the classroom to “torment the weak and the smart” (15-16), while the teacher is oblivious to it all. Note that Collins puts “and the smart” (16) on a separate line from “torment the weak” (15). The children in the class aren’t smart because they did not learn about the true events in history. This distinction emphasized the ignorance of the children. This contrasts with Wilbur’s poem, as the lie told there served to soothe a child’s fear, rather than breed ignorance. The rhyme scheme is different as well. Collins’ free rhyme scheme is used to create a sense of unease, whereas Wilbur’s rhyme scheme creates a child-like feeling to his poem. Unlike the parents in “A Barred Owl”, the teacher is portrayed as an ignorant man, unaware of what happens around
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.
In “Useless Boys” the writer, Barry Dempster, creates a strong feeling of disappointment and shame in himself and society as he looks back on his youth to when him and a friend made a promise to each other to “not be like their fathers”. Dempster expresses a sort of disgust for the capitalist society his world seems to be built around, a life where even if you’re doing something you initially enjoyed you end up feeling trapped in it. The poem is a reflective piece, where he thinks back on how he truly believed he would end up happy if he chose a different path than that of his parents. The author uses simple diction and syntax, but it’s evident that each idea has a much deeper meaning, which assisted in setting a reflective/introspective mood.
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.
was found guilty and hanged (Dieters, 2012). Seven years later, Fitzpatrick’s former roommate confessed to the murder on his deathbed. Residents of Detroit were outraged that an innocent man had been put to death. Then, two years following Fitzpatrick’s execution, another Detroit resident, Stephen Simmons, was tried and convicted of killing his pregnant wife during a drunken rage. His execution was made into an event resembling a carnival, complete with a band, local merchants selling their goods, and a seating section for spectators.. When asked if he had any last words, Simmons recited a poem. His “appeal to the heavens” shocked witnesses. The execution was called “cruel and vindictive” by onlookers. The result of these two cases was an
Although both “The Tables Turned” by William Wordsworth and “To David, About His Education” by Howard Nemerov advocate the theme of how all of life cannot be contained within pages of traditional education, they hold significant differences in structure, imagery, and tone. Whether it is a focus on nature imagery or an intelligent criticism shrouded in capricious tones, both Wordsworth and Nemerov in their respective poems ironically advocate how education goes beyond the world of literary works. Despite the wonders poets work in the lives of scholars and students alike, the realms of old dusty hardcovers can only capture a few fragments of the brilliance of life.
The speaker is posing herself as a Cree student in school who is being silently ostracized. The student hates the education system, as she thinks it is dull and tedious, and the teachers have no faith in her intellect. However, she does not stop at her frustration, as, in the poem we see a certain turn-around: she is sick of playing dead, and as a result, she makes a firm decision to push for change. In the poem “Communications Class,” Connie Fife shows through form and school imagery, the frustrating experience of ostracization in school, but also the resilience a student can exhibit against it.
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.
“The first school I attended was a small building that went from first to sixth grade. There was one teacher for all of the students. There could be anywhere from 50 to 60 students of all different ages. From 5 or 6 years old to in their teens. We went to school five months out of the year. The rest of the time young people would be available to work on the farm. The parents had to buy whatever the student used. Often, if your family couldn't afford it, you had no access to books, pencils, whatever. However, often the children would share” (Interview with Parks).
Robert Creeley, a famous American poet, lived from 1926 to 2005. Creeley was normally associated as a Black Mountain poet because that is where he taught, and spent most of his career. Throughout his life, Creeley wrote many different pieces of poetry. Four great poems by Robert Creeley are, “For Love”, “Oh No”, “The Mirror”, and “The Rain”. The poem “For Love”,was written by Creeley for his wife. In this poem Creeley explains, the love someone has for another person, and how complicated it is making his life because the person doesn’t know how to explain their love. “Oh No” is a poem that is literally about a selfish person who ended up in hell, but this poem has a deeper meaning. Part
Some people are born into this world without as many chances to get a better position in life. This can affect the people born into a lower class for the entirety of their life. In the poem “Saturday’s Child,” Countee Cullen uses imagery, personification, and similes to suggest the differences between people that are born into poverty and those that are born into an upper class part of society. Throughout this poem Cullen speaks about how the different social classes affect people; he does this with a pessimistic tone throughout the entirety of the poem.
Firstly, the title “The School “followed by a light beginning where the author mentions the planting of trees, being responsible and considerate gives readers an
The words “fair” and “young” let the reader know the author was both young and pretty. These words give a delicate and soft feeling to the tone of the poem. They are pleasant, positive words that give a pleasant overcast to the poem.
Many writers construct nature imagery by deploying figurative language throughout their work. Natural imagery is a prominent theme in the works of William Blake, particularly in his 1789 poem ‘The Schoolboy’ published in the poetry collection ‘Songs of Innocence’. He uses the theme of restriction and identity within the background of a natural setting to explore the juxtaposing relationship between the restriction of education and the freedom that the natural world can allow. Blake’s own perception of restriction, and love for imagination and creativity, combined with his hatred of formal learning becomes an undertone of the social commentary that is expressed throughout the poem. The impact that vivid imagery can have upon the reader is further