In Ballistics poems, the collection of poems by Billy Collins, readers are able to witness a poetic portrayal of love, death, solitude, and life in general. The great thing about Collins' poems is that they are easier to digest in both meaning and diction. He uses a more contemporary style to express complex ideas which give the readers some thing to ponder about.
One of my favorite poems in the collection is " Old man eating alone in a Chinese restaurant". In this particular poem Collins distinguishes between the natural instinct of humans to judge and the understanding which comes with the experience obtained by age and time alone. The general idea behind this poem is that one may have a different outlook or opinion on something before and after he or she has actually been through what they are judging.
I would recommend this fantastic collection of poems to everyone. For those with a phobia for poetry, this collection is not a hard read so they do not need to fear and for those who worry that these poems may be too simple, these poems are definitely not simple. It is a great way for both the youth and aged to taste a different style of writing that is more acquainted with our time.
Kenny J.
Good job Kenny.
ReplyDeleteNot only on UC Berkeley but on this post.
I want to read this collection it sounds really interesting.
Visha V. Period 3
It sounds like the poems are a sort of contemporary summary of various life experiences which can potentially take years to fully understand, yet Collins has managed to condense both his own and other instances into various poems that are much simpler for the average reader to comprehend. There are most likely life lessons for any individual in this collection that one can learn at least something not previously known before reading. I should try getting my hands on this to read for myself sometime.
ReplyDelete-Luke M. Period 4
These sound interesting because I like contemporary writing style, plus I enjoy poetry with deeper meaning and purpose. I like the idea that with experience, comes wisdom. I think a lot of people are quick to judge others, but don't understand what that person has been through and what they have experienced to make them that way.
ReplyDelete-Aimee Erickson
I think these poems sound really interesting, they sound different from the dreary norm of poetry. I'm looking for a poetry collection to read and this might just be it. Poetry is really difficult for me to comprehend so hopefully these will be right for me.
ReplyDeleteDebby T
I too read this collection of poems and I liked them. The poem that you referred to is also one that I liked and I too would recommend this book. I love how his poems aren't hard to understand.
ReplyDelete-Destiny O.