Billy Collins - Introduction to Poetry audio-visual.wmv

loversdie Says:

Feb 23, 2012 - thanks for the simple description of your interpretation of the poem.

rckissfist Says:

Mar 4, 2012 - I really disagree with your interpretation, but I do like that you took "press an ear against its hive" as listening to the sounds of the poem :)

bonrudo Says:

Mar 16, 2012 - I agree! There is a lot of intellectual snobbery in poetry! There are so many fads, and older forms passe. And yet folks like Shakespeare are very old , as well as the type and form used, yet quite superlative. I am glad you champion your voice in poetry. Your popularity and success will shake the ivory towers a little, very necessary.

masochistcmoose Says:

Apr 20, 2012 - There is not a lot of intellectual snobbery in poetry. There is however intellectual snobbery in phd analytical readings like what Collins says--tying the poem to a chair and beating the poet for a confession. A lot of poetry can be so personal and therefore it escapes crystal clear interpretation of what is intended. Furthermore when a person reads something he/she can't help but place their own life experiences into the fold--muddying the water more.

masochistcmoose Says:

Apr 20, 2012 - This is a great poem because not only is the imagery sound (pun intended) but Collins is saying to embrace what Robert Frost says is "Lost in Translation." I'm in a workshop and some of the students are constantly asking the teacher why the poet wrote this or that--is the poet depressed?--why does the speaker put someone else's retainer in his/her mouth? Like David Lynch says, come up with your own reasons. It makes the poetry much more interesting.

masochistcmoose Says:

Apr 20, 2012 - And the longer the poem sticks with you the more interesting it will become. Naomi Shabib Nye says--along with many other's I'm sure--that creativity isn't just about creating. A big part of creativity is also receiving information, like a plant can't bear fruit without receiving water. Creative interpretations of poems is what keeps the poem, poetry, and the poet alive.