The Poetry Of Billy Collins

One element of figurative language Billy Collins uses to depict a deeper meaning in his poem is imagery. Imagery is the formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things, and really describes how the author feels. An example of imagery Billy uses in The Names is, “Yesterday, I lay awake in the palm of the night. A soft rain stole in, unhelped by any breeze” (The Names). One reason this

The use of onomatopoeic devices and onomatopoeic words are abundant in this poem. For instance, “I say drop a mouse into a poem” is a line whereby the word “drop”, a very onomatopoeic word, effectively suggests that the reader of a poem must gently analyze a poem. This is portrayed through the gentle ‘p’ sound of the word and this is therefore effective as the reader gets a sense of the gentleness Billy Collins wishes his readers had when it comes to analyzing poetry.

Billy Collins uses dark rooms, oceans, hives, color slides and mouse mazes to describe his poem “Introduction to Poetry”, but also a way to analyze poetry in general. Growing up, students are advised by teachers how to analyze poetry. The speaker of Introduction to Poetry, Billy Collins, attempts to guide the readers by teaching them a unique and appropriate way to analyze poetry. The use of personification and imagery, by the author, gives the readers a new perspective to interpret and find the significance in poetry. In this particular poem, the speaker does not want the reader to listen to the teachers of the reader’s past, “tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a

“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.

Billy Collins is an American poet writer that is renowned for finding humor in many situations. Whether it be a poem about a hangover or the forgetfulness of an older man, he can always find a way to introduce humor to his readers. It is almost like he plans out every word of his poems to strike the reader just the way he wants to with his expert craft. The poems that I have found and analyzed and found the most humour in are The Lanyard, Forgetfulness, Hangover and Schoolsville.

The structure of the poem is free, and what it does is to give us the spirit of the sea. The poem is written in free verse, there is no restrictions of formal rhyme or meter. However, the length of the three stanzas of the poem is very even although it is not exact. It makes the flow of the entire poem became balanced. This form of structure is just like the wave of the sea. The period of the wave is natural and balanced; it is pretty even but it is not exact. Also, there are a lot of commas in the poem. Keeping using commas makes the sentences very long. In fact, the entire poem is constructed by 6 sentences only. It makes the feeling of the poem just like the sea, and lines of the poem are the wave of the sea. Each endings of the waves are

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

Billy Collins, born and raised in Manhattan, New York, is one of America’s most successful poets. Known for very famous poems such as “The Art of Drowning” and “Introduction to Poetry,” Billy Collins has succeeded in the department of English Literature for much of his life. With a bachelors degree from the College of Holy Cross and a Masters and PHD from the University of California, Riverside, Billy Collins went on to become a college English professor at Lehman College in the Bronx. He is and for a long time has been a strong advocate for encouraging young people to get into poetry and even created the program “Poetry 180” where he made a collection of 180 poems for schools to read one poem every school day. Setting him apart from the average poet, Collins received the utmost honor from the Library of Congress when he was declared the U.S. poet Laureate in 2001, serving for two years. Following the September 11th terror attacks, Collins wrote and read a poem entitled “The Names” that was dedicated to the victims. Unlike many poets who write extremely emotional poems, drawing from their traumatic backgrounds, Collins keeps it simple and rights about relatable, average, middle class lifestyle topics; both of his poems Introduction to Poetry and Embrace are emblematic of that.

In 2001 a new poet laureate was crowned and a new voice; the voice of

From controversial events to ordinary life stories, Billy Collins writes about various topics in different perspectives just like a chameleon, changing its colors to fit with its surrounding. Collins talks in a gentle, yet humorous way; he illustrates a profound understanding through a clear observation. His writing style blends humor and solemnity in one entity. Throughout his poetry, Collins demonstrates, in a witty and satirical voice, his insightfulness towards the objects, using numerous poetic devices, especially allusions and metaphors to effectively convey his messages, most of which revolves around the theme of death.

While reading the poem “Introduction to Poetry,” Billy Collins sends a message to the readers that they should be patient and impartial when it comes to analyzing a poem in order to see the true meaning behind the without being over analytical. There is a revieting situation that takes place because Billy Collins is delivering his message to all readers about the way that one should be able to read a poem. This poems educates the reader on how to be able to read and plunge into a poem, through using many techniques like mood, tone, and literary devices to do so. In the first two lines Collins demands that we tackle a poem with a invigorating eye. There should be an exploration of what the poem means to us. How does this poem apply to our

I really enjoyed reading your well thought out post. I liked the fact that you initially thought the poem to be boring and instead of leaving it like that, you researched the poem and studied it line by line and stanza by stanza until you understood what Billy Collins was trying to convey. I like that he is trying to tell us “society” to take a deeper look, take a moment and not be so rushed into finding the quick answer. Some things are meant to be looked at a different way and by not getting instant gratification it gives the reader a better understanding of what the author’s message really is about. Again, thank you for your post this week and I wish you the best in your future

Billy Collins is an American poet who had written “Budapest”, “Some Days”, “Forgetfulness”, “The Dead” and more. He was a poet who believed that poetry can stand alone by itself and does not need any facing page. He said that poem has been already set to its own verbal music as it was composed. When he got a request from a company that they want to change his poems into an animation, he first resisted but found out interesting. His sense is that it's good to get poetry off the shelves and more into public life.

There is no doubt that Ted Hughes was not only one of the most renowned British poets of the twentieth century, but also one of the most controversial and influential. With such masterpieces such as “The Iron Giant” and “The Crow” there is no doubt in his contribution to literature and poetry. Hughes utilized his life as inspiration for most of his work; he borrowed events from his childhood on a farm and the deaths of his wives to create works of poetry that are dark and emotional. Hughes gained a reputation from this kind of work as not only a great poet but as a troubled man whose demons were always present. Nevertheless, he never let these demons consume him, instead using them as his creative motivation, creating rich poems full of imagery and symbolism as a means of escape.