Home Page
Billy Collins: Life Vs. Poetry

Billy Collins: Life Vs. Poetry

Decent Essays

Show More

Billy Collins: Life vs. Poetry
Born in New York City on March 22nd, 1941, Billy Collins had the love for writing and poetry at a young child. Billy Collins is known for many different books of poetry, including Aimless Love: Hew and Selected Poems, The Trouble with Poetry, Picnic, Lightning, The Art of Drowning, and many more. Collins is considered to be different than most poets because his writings take a different spin than what one would be used to reading. Though his poems are humorous and witty like Mr. Collins’ personality, they are not ones that reflect off if his life or past childhood

Related Documents

Improved Essays
Analysis Of The Poem 'The Journalist' By J. Patrick Lewis
- 314 Words
- 2 Pages
Analysis Of The Poem 'The Journalist' By J. Patrick Lewis

In the poem “The Journalist,” written by J. Patrick Lewis, Lewis describes how Helen Zia uses journalism to address social issues, as well as using repetition to contribute to the overall message of the poem. One of the most obvious points of repetition in the poem is the final line of each stanza when Lewis something about parentheses. For example, in the 4th line, Lewis writes “Nothing I am bears those parentheses.” A stanza later, Lewis writes “No one I know deserves parentheses.” He uses the same format for the next two stanzas, creating a sense of repetition in the poem.…
- 314 Words
- 2 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Billy Coleman Essay
- 991 Words
- 4 Pages
Billy Coleman Essay

Billy Coleman lives on a farm with his Mama, Papa, and his three sisters. He wants two coonhound pups, but his Papa cannot afford any because they are living in a time of the Great Depression in the Ozarks Mountains. Being told that he would not be able to buy the pups, Billy works hard and saves all his earnings, made by selling fruit and bait to the local fishermen, so eventually he can buy the two-coonhound pups he wants. After saving up all his money, Billy now has enough money and gives the money to his grandfather, who orders the dogs for him. Sneaking out one night, Billy decides that he will go pick up the pups himself, but encounters some trouble with the town children.…
- 991 Words
- 4 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Decent Essays
Jimmy Santiago Baca Poetry As Lifesaver Analysis
- 379 Words
- 2 Pages
Jimmy Santiago Baca Poetry As Lifesaver Analysis

"Jimmy Santiago Baca: Poetry as Lifesaver" is such an inspirational story. I loved the way he was describing the poetry and how it made him feel was so moving. When he was saying how deep it gets to him it was like something in his brain or nervous system and I thought that was a very powerful way of describe how poetry really makes him feel. It was kind of like a new world for him in my opinion.…
- 379 Words
- 2 Pages
Decent Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Billy Collins '' Questions About Angels'
- 1676 Words
- 7 Pages
Billy Collins '' Questions About Angels'

American poet Billy Collins (born 1941) has worked to craft a poetic art that is accessible without being sentimental or crass. Named poet laureate of the United States in 2001, Collins became the public face of American poetry and embarked on an ambitious effort to insert poetry--not the teaching of poetry so much as the raw material of poems themselves--into American secondary schools. His own books have enjoyed a rare combination of popular and critical success, selling tens of thousands of copies and earning Collins large advance payments unheard-of for practitioners of poetic art. A distinctive feature of Collins's career is that his serious activity as a poet began only when he was well into middle age; he published his first substantial…
- 1676 Words
- 7 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Decent Essays
Billy Collins Humor
- 68 Words
- 1 Pages
Billy Collins Humor

Collins I never heard of Billy Collins until this class. His poem are each different form each other. Each poem seems to have it own inspiration to it creation. When looking at Collins work he states that when he writes poems it takes him a while and he does not do it in one sitting.…
- 68 Words
- 1 Pages
Decent Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Poet And Cultural Criticism In Wendell Berry's Life
- 410 Words
- 2 Pages
Poet And Cultural Criticism In Wendell Berry's Life

Wendell Berry is an American poet and literary fictionist who mainly writes about agriculture, rural life, communities, outdoors and nature. “[He] has written at least twenty-five chapbooks of poems, sixteen volumes of essays, and eleven novels and short story collections” (Shetterly). He is an environmental activist, conservationist, and cultural critic. He is a supporter of Christian pacifism, which he clearly states in his book Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Christ's Teachings About Love, Compassion and Forgiveness (2005). Berry is deeply influenced by William Shakespeare and Henry David Thoreau, who are both poets.…
- 410 Words
- 2 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Decent Essays
What Is The Theme Of The Poem Death Billy Collins
- 319 Words
- 2 Pages
What Is The Theme Of The Poem Death Billy Collins

Repetition happens a lot throughout this poem. Repeating the same phrases over and over again give the reader an insight on how the narrator is feeling about the death that has happened. It also makes the reader feel the emotions and how sad this poem actually is. The narrator is going through a difficult situation and the repetition in the poem makes it even more deep than it is meant to. It also may be relatable to someone who has gone through a death of a relative.…
- 319 Words
- 2 Pages
Decent Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
The Importance Of Elements In Billy Adams Fan Fiction
- 383 Words
- 2 Pages
The Importance Of Elements In Billy Adams Fan Fiction

The Ivanhoe “fan fiction” by Billy Adams describes a situation where Isaac and Ivanhoe escape an unfamiliar “figure” coming at them. In the story Isaac takes down the figure and then he and Ivanhoe continues as planned. This story uses a suspenseful hook, surprising action, and an open ended conclusion to captivate the reader. The fan fiction written by Billy Adams was compelling. The first sentence creates suspense, making the reader want to continue reading the story.…
- 383 Words
- 2 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
The Role Of Humor In Kevin Hart's Poem
- 816 Words
- 4 Pages
The Role Of Humor In Kevin Hart's Poem

“Humor is a way in which people seek to interact with others, and plays an important role in social posturing, communication, attraction, group formation, and other areas.” () Throughout the comedic career of Kevin Hart, he has used many different methods for conveying his jokes. Many of his jokes are jokes about his family growing up and himself. Humor has been used as a coping mechanism to deal with the certain situations he has dealt with in life. He does an outstanding job of using the self-deprecation technique in his comedies.…
- 816 Words
- 4 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Decent Essays
Personal Narrative: Why I Love Poetry
- 406 Words
- 2 Pages
Personal Narrative: Why I Love Poetry

I had to read a few of them a couple times to see what the author was trying to get across, but the way they wrote it was beautiful and empowering. The difference in my experience of reading poetry compared to before this class is being able to understand it. I am now able to read it and just see more than words on a piece of paper, I now see someone’s heart and soul, their feelings, their life. The statements that Billy Collins makes about poetry and literature are that people want instant gratification and do not want to put the effort into trying to understand the work in front of…
- 406 Words
- 2 Pages
Decent Essays

Read More
Superior Essays
Carol Ann Duffy's Poetry Essay: Similarities In Poetry
- 1032 Words
- 5 Pages
Carol Ann Duffy's Poetry Essay: Similarities In Poetry

Lexie Phongthai-Yochum English 175 Similarities in Poetry Critique Aristotle wisely stated, “Poetry is finer and more philosophical than history; for poetry expresses the universal, and history only the particular.” Poetry has been around for thousands of years, so it is not peculiar that many works are similar to one another. As you read more and more poetry, you began to see their similarities, primarily in their themes and figurative language. Because poetry has been around so long, it is understandable that there are many similarities.…
- 1032 Words
- 5 Pages
Superior Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Analysis Of The Waitress By Billy Collins
- 841 Words
- 4 Pages
Analysis Of The Waitress By Billy Collins

Although many of Billy Collins’ short poems feature a first-person perspective, readers should not necessarily assume that the voice belongs to the poet himself. Indeed, at times, Collins speaks in the voice of a distinct character whose experiences and thoughts reveal a specific situation and crisis. In “The Waitress,” for example, the speaker’s observations indicate that he dines out often enough to recognize the behaviours common to restaurant servers, but the detail of his description suggests that observing the waitress on this occasion has become a personally meaningful activity. The speaker’s detailed observation of his apparently indifferent waitress gives way to a romantic fantasy that reveals him to be a lonely man contemplating…
- 841 Words
- 4 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Jimmy Santiago Baca Poetry As Lifesaver Analysis
- 1049 Words
- 5 Pages
Jimmy Santiago Baca Poetry As Lifesaver Analysis

In his article “Jimmy Santiago Baca: Poetry as Lifesaver,” Rob Baker gives detail on how Baca survived life in prison, his savior being poetry, he taught himself how to read and write so that he could participate in the creative art. The pros talk about how Baca turned his life around with poetry, and how it got him off the street, however, one major con is, while in prison, Baca supposedly taught himself how to read and write after not learning to do so for over 20 years. Even though Baca has been through tough times, he was taught perseverance and he was able to climb out of a ‘black hole’ by learning about poetry, it was there for him when nothing else was. Baca grew up on the streets, as a teenager he been in several juvenile detention centers, he had been caught up in drugs, alcohol, and other bad things that eventually lead him to…
- 1049 Words
- 5 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
T. S Eliot And Langston Hughes: Themes In The History Of Poetry
- 733 Words
- 3 Pages
T. S Eliot And Langston Hughes: Themes In The History Of Poetry

His poems focus on themes of racism, oppression and self-love whilst maintaining an metaphorical and symbolic nature. He communicates African American frustration in the majority of his work. “I,Too”, “Mother to Son” and “Harlem” are concerned with the treatment of African Americans in the US and convey potent messages about the racism and oppression Black people faced in America. Hughes also utilises poetic techniques and rhythms traditionally used in African folk tales and Children’s nursery rhymes. He also employs a colloquialized vernacular to make his work more accessible and relatable to other African…
- 733 Words
- 3 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Superior Essays
Poetry Analysis: An Analysis Of My People By Langston Hughes
- 1226 Words
- 5 Pages
Poetry Analysis: An Analysis Of My People By Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes’s poem “My People” is a short poem that gives off a variety of meanings. Hughes’s poem gives the reader a different form of viewing people by emphasizing certain features from his people, although not directly throwing it out there for the reader to grasp right away. Also, interior and outer beauty. When the reader first reads this short poem, they would assume that the narrator is implying that his people are beautiful and that is all, just beautiful. Although, as the reader continues to read the poem thoroughly they will realize that there is more to it then just “beautiful” through out the rest of the poem.…
- 1226 Words
- 5 Pages
Superior Essays

Read More

Related Topics