The Lanyard, Forgetfulness, Hangover And Schoolsville

What I believe Billy Collins in his poem “Introduction to Poetry” is how he believes poetry should be read. It teaches the reader how to go into a poem, in the form of a poem. What really stood out to me is how there is a lot of excellent use of literary devices to help create imagery for the reader to help grasp Collins’ message. On line 3, Collins uses a simile: “like a color slide” saying that the reader must look through the color slide (the poem) in order to focus in and search for the picture (the message). After this, Collins provides three metaphors to illustrate his message. In one of these three metaphors, he says “I want them to waterski across the surface of the poem waving at the author’s name on the shore.” Like the other two

“Dubbed ‘the most popular poet in America’ by Bruce Weber in the New York Times, Billy Collins is famous for conversational, witty poems that welcome readers with humor but often slip into quirky, tender or profound observation on the everyday, reading and writing, and poetry itself” (“Billy Collins”).“Billy Collins was the American Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003” (534). His work was highly recognized due to his use of literary elements and his high intellect in the field of poetry. Collins constantly receives praise from others. For example John Updike has been quoted praising his poems saying, “lovely poems...limpid, gently and consistently startling, more serious than they seem, they describe all the worlds that are and were and some others besides” (“Billy Collins”). “Schoolsville” is a classic poem that has been read and enjoyed for many years. The literary elements used throughout the poem help readers relate more to the speaker’s life. Through the use of similes, form and others, Collins provides the audience with a timeless work that shows how reflecting on past experiences can help one in the present. While others may think that this poem is strictly comical and was written only for a sense of enjoyment, some readers interpreted the work as holding a deeper meaning that helps readers transfer the knowledge from the past into their present day lives.

Billy Collins has compiled twelve poetry compilations; made a six figure pay advance, just from changing publishers; served as poet laureate for two terms, which most only serve one term; served as New York’s poet laureate right after his two terms of the United States poet laureate; in total has sold over 200,000 poems since his debut book Pokerface in 1977; named “the most popular poet” by The New York Times. Billy Collins’ fame is almost incomparable to other poets. His poems are are the “not-so-serious” side of the spectrum. Billy Collins’ poetry is known for its dry humor, too. Although his writing is rather plain and is known for being quite humdrum, Billy Collins is the most skilled poet of his time because his poetry is uniquely characterized by his unique dry sense of humor.

We have all had those memorable moments that send us back in time; a song on the radio, the smell of cookies baking, driving in the car. They make you think of good times passed. But Billy Collins’s poem, “The Lanyard”, is not only a recollection of the past, but a personal insight to about the things his mother has done for him and what he has done in return.

Billy Collins was born on March 22nd,1941 in New York City to William and Katherine Collins. His mother was a nurse and had the ability to recite verses into any subject which made Collins have the love for words written and spoken. During his teen years Collins attended Archbishop Stepinac High School and later on received a Bachelors Art degree in 1963 at the College of the Holy Cross as well as received a M.A. and PHD in The University of california. He joined the Faculty of Lehman College in Bronx as a distinguished professor of english in 1968 and served there for 30 years.In 1977 he wrote his first book of poems called Poker Face which sold over 200,000 copies. He then later on made more collections which continued his sell streak such

¨Those Winter Sundays¨ by Robert Hayden and ¨Snapping Beans¨ by Lisa Parker are two different narrative poems that share the same theme. Similarly both poems consist of a speaker being affected by the relationship they have with their elders. In ¨Those Winter Sundays¨ the speaker tells us about his hardworking father who takes care of his kids even though he may come off as a harsh father. The speaker of ¨Snapping Beans¨ is a granddaughter who discusses about the change that she is going through but is afraid to tell the person that raised her. Therefore this essay compares the two poems with respect to the speaker's feelings and morals.

Arguably the most popular poet in America, Billy Collins provides readers with two types of poetry that is nothing like typical poetry. One of his unique styles is writing as if the poem could be read like a novel. The other type brings humor and whimsy to his work, yet he hints at a seriousness that lies beneath the surface. Both styles of poetry are easy to read, but take a second look to realize what the Collins is intending the reader to understand. Billy Collins is an exceptionally talented poet whose writing at first can be taken to be a simple comedy but when read more carefully, it can be interpreted as a far more complex script. First readings of the poems I Chop Some Parsley While Listening To Art Blakey's Version Of Three Blind

Collin’s iin known for witty and conversational poems, he himself, labels his own poetry as “middle class”. According to Poetry for Students,”Like many of Collins poems, “The Afterlife” is rife with humor and a wry sense of the unusual. Life after death is a serious subject...Here, Collins deflates the gravity of the subject by poking fun at the ways in which people have imagined the afterlife.” Most people don't realize Billy Collin’s level of fame, even though he served twice as the US Poet Laureate and another two years as New York State Poet Laureate. Another one of his many achievements is when he was titled the “most popular poet in America” by Bruce Weber in the New York Times. Numerous other poet critics acknowledge Collin’s poet work and say astonishing remarks about his poetry. As said by poet Stephen Dunn, “We seem to always know where we are in a Billy Collins poem, but not necessarily where he is going. I love to arrive with him at his arrivals. He doesn't hide things from us, as I think lesser poets do. He allows us to overhear, clearly, what he himself he discovered”. Even though humor is not popular with everyone, he has the ability to connect with the reader. (www.encyclopedia.com , www.poetryfoundation.org, www.poets.org

As the poem progresses, the misplaced or forgotten items become concepts such as names and ideas, and therefore carry more of an impact. For example, forgetting someone’s name, however not uncommon, can be associated with feelings of embarrassment from the forgettor, and annoyance from the forgotten when they discover that they were not important enough to be remembered. The speaker simply shrugs off these losses because “None of [them] will bring disaster,” as mentioned in line 9. Emotion, often associated with memories is introduced in line 10 when the speaker announces, “I lost my mother’s watch.” An item such as a mother’s watch holds sentimental value, unlike the previously mentioned keys; however, the speaker repeats, “I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster,” (line 15) indicating that the watch was merely a material possession crowded with memories. At this point, the reader recognizes the feeling of missing something associated with greater losses of objects and ideas the speaker regards with more emotional attachment.

The story carried out a sentimental theme throughout the book. For starters the text states “ Light in her eyes, a smile” The author portrays the theme with that stanza alone. The words the authors use light and smile gives the reader the light-hearted feeling. To also go off of that that, the poem also quotes, “ I took my girl’s hand in mine for two blocks.” This quote also gives it the nostalgic to the story as said in the last reason. As you can see the poem has the same tone throughout but why do these poems have to do with each

Billy Collins, known for his plain words, humor, and an appreciation for the ordinary made him one of the most famous poets in America. Billy Collins early childhood shaped his love for poetry as a teenager and an adult. Collins was born an only child to parents William and Katherine Collins on March 22, 1941 in Manhattan, New York ("Billy Collins Biography"). His father, William, was an electrician who was from a large Irish family. His mother Katherine was a nurse who stopped working to raise Billy she had a gift of reciting verses which gave Billy a love for poetry

By adding conversational wit to his poetry, Collins is able to transform a serious notion into a completely divergent context. Collins’ personal temperament can be attributed to his writing style in that he is “quick to add a touch of humor to whatever he has to say, however serious the topic, but

Auden is sadness, melancholy, and loss. In W.H Auden’s poem, the speaker states, “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, prevent the dog from braking with a juicy bone, silence the pianos and with muffled drum bring out the coffin, let the mourners come” (lines 1-4). The first stanza describes the things you would do prior to a funeral and how the living significant other doesn’t want to be disturbed while she is grieving. There is a negative tone that is used throughout this poem that suggest sadness. For example, in line 12 the speaker states, “I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong” (Auden). These lines bring the tone of sadness and melancholy. In lines 11-13, the speaker informs the reader of how her lover was everything to her by stating, “He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song” (Auden). In these lines, we realize how much this man meant to her and now he is gone. These lines also create a shift in tone where we feel the speaker’s solitude and lost that she is experiencing. The speaker uses metaphors in lines 9-11 to give us imagery on how much her lover meant to her. The love of her life was literally

The first poem I will analyse is “Wanting to Die.” From the onset of the poem the apparently nonchalant attitude Sexton holds towards suicide is strikingly clear. The opening “Since you ask” implies that she cares little for the subject and is only willing to discuss it due to the readers’ implied wants. The quotation also seems to show an apparently causal, possibly familiar relationship with the reader, unusual as the subject matter is often taboo. The ending of the sentence again reinforces this uncaring attitude as “most days I cannot remember” strongly implies that the subject is not important enough to even recall. This creates conflicting ideas for the reader as suicide is often discussed deliberately and briefly. Hearing it discussed

This strong metaphor compares the narrator to the elephant who feels their fate is death. The third part of line 4 is the fine timbers that directly relate to the house previously mentioned. The purpose of the house fortifies the idea that what’s inside is of value. The house is nothing without its fine timbers and it is merely for protection and shelter. Just like a pregnant woman is for her unborn child. The fifth line represents the rising loaf like a child growing inside a womb. It is a pun on a familiar saying to pregnancy of a bun in the oven. “Money’s new minted in this fat purse” plays with the idea that the purse has no great value in itself but contains valuable things inside. Line 7 explores the narrator’s feelings towards having a child. She feels like “a means”, as if she is just a way for the baby to be born. As a mother she is just “a stage” and a platform but not a performance. She is “a cow in calf,” where many cows are separated from their offspring and have little to do with their mum. The final lines seem to break away from the rest of the poem and have a tone of darkness. After eating “a bag of green apples” one might feel sick especially since green apples are considered sour. The fruit is also unripe, signifying that the narrator is not ready to have a baby. Another point that can be found is that it is easy to see the resemblance of this line and Eve from the Bible. Eve was tempted to eat an apple and was cursed with the