"Introduction to Poetry" Paragraph

“Introduction to Poetry” Billy Collins

                The use of personification emphasizes the way that poetry should be and actually is read. In the first half of the poem, Collins is more idealistic in describing how he wants readers to go about looking at poetry. He writes, “I say… walk inside the poem’s room/ and feel the walls for a light switch” (5-8). Poetry has become an actual living thing as opposed to an inanimate piece of paper. In a way what Collins’ does with his writing is exactly the same idea he is trying to portray with the words themselves. Poetry is not black and white. It is complex, having many layers ready to be discovered. It is the reader’s job to unfold these mysteries and find the “light” that illuminates the true meaning of the poem. By using personification in his own writing, Collins doubly stresses that the study of poetry is intricate and requires deep thought. In the last five lines, the tone of the poem shifts, but the employment of personification remains constant. In discussing what readers actually do in trying to decipher the meaning of a poem, Collins writes that “They begin beating it with a hose/ to find out what it really means” (15-16). The normal reader does not follow the advice given at the beginning of the poem. Rather, he chooses to force a meaning out of it. He chooses to take bits and chunks of the poem and pull some trivial meaning from that. The average reader does not take the time to slowly examine the poem and find the big picture. This personification shows the hacking that regularly occurs. Collins wants the reader to realize that to truly understand a poem, a journey must be taken, not just a step in one direction or the other.