“The Trouble With Poetry”
-Billy Collins
The trouble with poetry, I realized
as I walked along a beach one night --
1. Where is the a poet when he realizes
the problem with poetry?
cold Florida sand under my bare feet,
a show of stars in the sky -the trouble with poetry is
that it encourages the writing of more poetry,
2. What does he claim is the “trouble
with poetry?
more guppies crowding the fish tank,
more baby rabbits
hopping out of their mothers into the dewy grass.
And how will it ever end?
3. Why does he claim this is an issue?
unless the day finally arrives
when we have compared everything in the world
to everything else in the world,
and there is nothing left to do
but quietly close our notebooks
4. How does he propose the problem
could stop?
and sit with our hands folded on our desks.
Poetry fills me with joy
and I rise like a feather in the wind.
Poetry fills me with sorrow
and I sink like a chain flung from a bridge.
5. How does poetry make the author
feel?
But mostly poetry fills me
with the urge to write poetry,
to sit in the dark and wait for a little flame
to appear at the tip of my pencil.
And along with that, the longing to steal,
to break into the poems of others
6. Why does the author compare poets
to thieves or shoplifers?
with a flashlight and a ski mask.
And what an unmerry band of thieves we are,
cut-purses, common shoplifters,
I thought to myself
as a cold wave swirled around my feet
and the lighthouse moved its megaphone over the sea,
which is an image I stole directly
7. What idea did the author “cut-purse”?
from Lawrence Ferlinghetti --
8. Who is the relationship between the
to be perfectly honest for a moment --
author and Lawrence Ferlinghetti?
the bicycling poet of San Francisco
whose little amusement park of a book
I carried in a side pocket of my uniform
up and down the treacherous halls of high school.
Reflection Questions:
1. What is this piece about?
2. How does the author feel about this topic?
3. How do you know—how does he use language to express his attitude?
4. What is the author’s purpose in writing this piece?
5. What could the take-away (theme) be?
Comprehension Questions:
Selection Questions:
1. If it was possible to fit poetically, which addition to the poem could best illustrate the author’s purpose?
A. another stanza that describes the beach he walked
B. a stanza that gives more lines of plagiarized ideas
C. a stanza that describes Ferlinghetti’s book
D. a stanza that describes more poems the author has read and written
2. The author compares Ferlinghetti’s book to an amusement park to:
A. illustrate the fact that he reading poetry is fun for him.
B. illustrate that belief that poetry can have highs and lows, just like roller coasters.
C. illustrate his understanding of physics and architecture.
D. illustrate that the stanzas in poems are like rides at an amusement park.
3. Reread the following line: “…the lighthouse moved its megaphone over the sea...” The word
“megaphone” is used to:
A. express the loudness of the waves hitting the shore.
B. magnify the luminous quality of the lighthouse.
C. describe the sea captain’s voice over his loudspeaker.
D. explain the shape of the lighthouse.
4. How does the author’s style create the mood of the poem?
A. His imagery creates a mood of excitement and the longing to visit a theme park.
B. His complex language creates a mood of anger and resentment towards poets and poetry.
C. His humor creates a light-hearted mood and the desire to become a writer.
D. His poetic language creates of thoughtful mood and possibly peaked interest in poetry..
5. Why is a first person narrator most effective in this poem?
A. it allows the reader to appreciate the author’s ideas and perspective
B. it tells the reader how much the author needs to work more on his writing
C. it helps the reader relate to the author and appreciate his sense of optimism
D. it provides a way for the author to remain anonymous
6. The author’s intended purpose achieves all of the following except:
A. appreciation
C. awareness
B. interest
D. consideration
7. Based on the information in the poem, the speaker most likely feels _____________ when he reads a
poem.
A. ingratitude
C. excitement
B. depressed
D. inspired
8.Reread the ending lines of the poem:
…it encourages the writing of more poetry,
more guppies crowding the fish tank,
more baby rabbits
hopping out of their mothers into the dewy grass.
Which of the following best summarizes this statement?
A. There is too much poetry written about nature.
B. The author wants to write a piece about baby animals.
C. The reading of poetry gives birth to the writing of poetry.
D. Poets usually write outside, surrounded by Mother Nature.
9. The following lines serve as an example of what literary device?
…which is an image I stole directly
from Lawrence Ferlinghetti -to be perfectly honest for a moment -A. irony
B. symbolism
C. alliteration
D. allusion
10. Which line is not an accurate representation of the poem’s overall theme?
A. It is difficult to stop doing something that you are passionate about.
B. Long walks on the beach help clear people’s heads.
C. Find something you love to do and do it.
D. High school textbooks are never forgotten.
Response
Think of a something you really enjoy. What “trouble” does this activity or item or
action create for you? Start your response with, “The trouble with __?__ is…” and
explain.
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