A Literary Breakdown Of Billy Collins's 'Schoolsville'

“The School” is a short story written by Donald Barthelme and published in 1974 in The New Yorker. Donald Barthelme is a post-modernist writer known for his deceptively simple yet powerful and insightful short stories. “The School” is a story that takes a good hard look at the sensitive topic of death. The theme of this story is about the cycle of life and how death is an integral part of it. The story is written in first person narrative. The narrator here is the teacher and he talks about how he and his young students of 30 kids encountered death throughout their time together in class. He uses edgy humor and a conversational tone in his seemingly complex plot with a surprising effect that will stick with the reader long after they are done reading it.

Within the poem “Schoolsville” by Billy Collins, the author describes his career as a teacher, highlighting the relationship with his students and how they have impacted him. Collins executes this through his creation of an imaginary town, intertwined with the reality of his profession and the real world. Through the frequent use of exaggerations, humorous imagery, and critical diction, Collins captures his weakening grasp on reality. The speaker captures himself in a dark moment where he realizes how detached he has become from his students and reveals his sense of hopelessness as a teacher.

The Poem “Introduction to Poetry” is by Billy Collins, an English poet, and it is about how teachers often force students to over-analyze poetry and to try decipher every possible meaning portrayed throughout the poem rather than allowing the students to form their own interpretation of the poem based on their own experiences.

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

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.

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.

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

Billy Collins, born March 22, 1941 is an American poet who earned Poetry magazine's "Poet of the Year" in 1994. Bruce Weber coined Collins as “the most popular poet in America” in the New York Times. Besides his readings regularly having a sold out crowd, he was asked to write a poem commemorating the first anniversary of the fall of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2000. Collins is noted for poetry full of wit, humor and appears to have elements of deep, meaningful conversation amidst the habitual nature of everyday life. In Collins’ fourth book “Picnic, Lightning”, his poem, “Aristotle” impresses

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

In chapter one titled “The Meaning of a School,” Mara Casey Tieken begins her book and the chapter by providing a vivid account of her experience in Vanleer, Tennessee, a rural school district, and how living there influenced her as an educator. During this time, Tieken became acquainted with ‘country living’ and adapted to many lifestyle changes. Through her experience, the author challenged the written misconceptions that educators and politicians create due to their lack of knowledge regarding rural school systems. Tieken further discussed the lack of attention that rural schools received in the political and educational sphere. Unfortunately, legislative policies, politicians, and educators geared their attention towards urban school

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

In an effort to make his school even 'finer,' Mr. Keene decides to have the students come to school more often, declaring school open on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, and even in the summer. How does Tilly explain to DEAR Mr. Keene that not everything a child needs to learn is taught in school?