Perusing Poetry with a Fine Toothed Comb

Similar to the stacks upon stacks of movies about movies, there are poems about poems. One such renowned piece of work was written by Billy Collins called "Introduction to Poetry" In this post, I will dig into Collins words with knife and fork clasped in my fists, absorbing all the nutrients. Luckily, the Norton Introduction to Literature has 8 nifty maneuvers that will help me dissect and feast on any poem. 

1. Listen to the poem first.

Even without delving into the meaning of the poem, the words roll off the tongue. Sounds collide together in a pleasing manner. In the first stanza, Collins slant rhyme of 'light' and 'slide' creates two fitting pieces of the puzzle. Similarly his brief alliteration in the last stanza 'begin beating' is nice. Although he doesn't employ an abrasive rhyme scheme or go on an alliteration spree, his subtle use of those tactics is enough to engage the reader when voicing the sounds of his poem. 

2. Articulate your expectations, starting with the title. 

Based on the title "Introduction to Poetry", written by a poet, I expected an inside peek into the writing process. Conversely, the poem comments on Billy Collins expectations for a how a reader should interact with poetry, as opposed to the poetry itself. I perceived  'introduction' as a neutral word, so I was surprised to read his aggressive critique of the reader

3. Read the syntax literally. 

Sometimes it's tempting to juice the small phrases that are presented in the poem immediately, but that doesn't take the big picture into account. The importance of understanding the literal context is important. Billy Collins "Introduction to Poetry" can be broken up into 5 sentences, and here is how they would read as prose. 

a. I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide or press an ear against its hive.

b. I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out, or walk inside the poem's room and feel the walls for a light switch. 

c. I want them to waterski across the surface of a poem waving at the author's name on the shore.

d. But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with a rope and torture a confession out of it. 

e. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means. 

4. Consult reference works. 

Even contemporary poems are enhanced by researching certain words, or exploring the application of certain words. For example, the word 'hose' is outside my boundaries of normal, especially when referencing a tool to beat something with. A simple google search reminded me that hoses were used in civil rights movements, and other discrepancies the police had with political movements. Suddenly I am interacting with the poem in a different way. Another word I want to explore is 'probe'. The first definition that comes up in Merriam Webster's dictionary is "A slender medical instrument used especially for exploration as of wound or body." Although this may not be the intentional use of the word, I am impacted by the metaphor of a poem as a body part. I can apply the tender care that comes from doctors to how Collins wants us to approach poems.

5. Figure out who, when, where, and what happens. 

Who: I can infer that Billy Collins is talking in first person when he refers to 'I'. The 'them' is more vague. It could be a specific group of readers. I suspect pretentious academics are his target, but it applies to anyone who isn't following his criteria of reading a poem.

When: The important part of this poem is, it's not too late. There is time for readers and critics to improve their practice. 

Where: In this poem, the where is irrelevant. 

What happens: Collins is very concerned with the interpretations of poems. They are misguided. 

6. Formulate tentative answers to the questions Why does it matter? What does it all mean? 

Billy Collins poem is demanding a certain way for readers to interpret poetry. This begs the question, is there a right way? Does the author have a right to request a specific process by which his work should be read? This issue may seem niche, but it expands to a broader social issue many are impacted by. Does a chair maker have a right to insist on how people should sit in chairs? Do the parents of the children they created always have a right to decide what's best for them? All of these questions can spawn from the embers of this poem. The poem matters because the questions need to be asked. Poetry is often scoffed at for being too intrinsic and self pleasing, but here is a poem written to move an audience. Collin's uses an interesting tactic where he tells the reader what he asked them for, and then reveals how shoddily the actual response is. That gives us a chance to reflect on ourselves to ponder in what ways we refute solid advice. 

7. Consider how the poem's form contributes to its effect and meaning

Billy Collins consistently uses enjambment as a way to communicate contained frustration. Just as soda fizzes within a bottle before it pops, Collins poem sizzles with energy. The words don't have horizontal sentences to relax into. Cutting each phrase in portions before it reaches it's end creates a tension that enhances the emotion of the poem. Short bursts are reminiscent of the reproach like tone many are familiar with, and which Collins used. 

8. Investigate and consider the ways the poem both uses and departs from poetic conventions, especially those related to form and subgenre.

     The poem is lyrical, and it adheres to the normal length description. He was able to communicate his idea in a short number of lines. Lyric poetry is also affiliated with personal emotions. Billy Collins "Introduction to Poetry" coincided with that amazingly. He voiced his opinions and the nuances of his emotions within that. Objectivity was not criteria. It's also interesting that he wrote this specific poem in lyrical essay, in which he berates people for focusing to much on meaning in a poem, whereas modernists had the opposite qualm. They thought lyric poetry focused too much on sounds, and not enough  on meaning. I enjoy seeing Collins use his own medium to portray his argument about his medium.