Physical. Social. Personal.

Physical and social environments and personal relationships are huge contributors to a characters being. Billy Collins demonstrates this throughout his poem Taking Off Emily Dickson’s Clothes. “ You will want to know  that she was standing by an open window in an upstairs bedroom, motionless, a little wide-eyed.” The use of the commas turn the statement into  a more personal relationship instead of it being just simply physical. It creates short breaks that allows the readers to dive into the moment and be a part of the personal and emotional bond. Standing by the open window is her environment and standing “motionless, a little wide eyed” is more of a personal relationship with her emotions. Comparing this to his poem Night Sand, the short length of them poem is what encourages the reader to be a part of this personal and emotional bond. “and tail from the heavy, rhythmic blows.” The comma between “heavy, rhythmic” creates a dramatic pause, that gives the reader that opportunity to intensify that emotional bond.

Additionally Collins continues by saying “The complexity of women’s undergarments in nineteenth-century America is not to be waved off.” From this quote we know that her environment is nineteenth-century America, a time when women weren’t viewed as much more than sexual objects. In my opinion this means that the relationship between the two becomes sexual, this is because he’s talking about her ”undergarments”. However when the poet continues by saying “is not to be waved off.” is almost a contradiction to what the reader first had in mind. The relationship almost becomes respectful; in my opinion she’s being praised for being a woman. Moreover in his poem Night Sands Collins says “I will move off like the slow armadillo over night sand.” This contrasts to the bond he creates in Taking Off Emily Dickson’s Clothes, because now instead of a bond being created, he's detaching himself from one that once existed. This adds on to the personal relationship in a sense of loss.

Furthermore Billy Collins continues by saying “I proceeded like a polar explorer.” The simile emphasizes on the many layers, which could be interpreted as the layers on her body, for example her garments and robes or her emotional layers. As the reader you begin to feel an emotional attachment due to the warm welcome into this intimate atmosphere. According to Grace Mwizero “Environment, whether physical or social, is an umbrella term for the combination of external physical conditions and the complex of social and cultural conditions affecting the nature an individual. Personal relationships refer to close connections between people, formed by emotional bonds and interactions.” This quote strongly relates to the poem Taking Off Emily Dickson’s clothes because the reader is only invited to a personal atmosphere when he’s alone with her. However the environment does affect the nature of the individual, foe example the environment being 19th Century America affects Billy Collin’s way of looking at her. She’s more of a sexual figure.

To conclude I believe that characters in works of literature are at their most vivd when formed by physical and social environment as much as by personal relationships. Billy Collins shows this throughout both is poems Taking off Emily Dickson’s Clothes and Night Sands.

                                        

                                               INVECTIVE

                     Turn away from me, you, and get lost in the past.

                     Back to ancient Rome you go, with its parallel columns and syllogisms.

                     Stuff yourself with berries, eat lying on your side.

                     Suck balls of snow carried down from the Alps for dessert.

                     I don't care. I am leaving too, but for the margins of history,

                     to a western corner of ninth century Ireland I go,

                     to a vanishing, grey country far beyond your call.

                     There I will dwell with badgers, fish and deer,

                      birds piercing the air and the sound of little bells.

                      I will stand in pastures of watercress by the salmon-lashing sea.

                      I will stare into the cold, unblinking eyes of cows. 

In the poem Invective the persona doesn’t yearn for love showing a dislike for emotion. The title of the poem proposes how the poet highlights in depth his emotions. Billy Collins shows his emotional state he is able to convey his heartfelt bitter emotions. For example the quote, “I don’t care. I am leaving too but for the margins of history to a western corner of the 9^th century Ireland I go to a vanishing grey country far beyond your call.”  Poems in the 9^th century were mostly used to teach people lessons or offering them wisdom of experience of dealing with situations they would encounter in their everyday lives. Billy Collins in my opinion suggests this poem in order to reach out to people who need someone to relate and speak in their behalf of how they truly feel. In my opinion the color “grey” suggests a sense of loss and depression this could explain why the poet wants to “vanish” and be unable to hear from their heart breaker.  Also the part he says, “I don’t care. I am leaving too…” the punctuation full stop symbolizes a sense of pause; caesura the poet portrays to not care but deep down he does. 

The Blues - Billy Collins

Much of what is said here
must be said twice,
a reminder that no one
takes an immediate interest in the pain of others.

Nobody will listen, it would seem,
if you simply admit
your baby left you early this morning
she didn't even stop to say good-bye.

But if you sing it again
with the help of the band
which will now lift you to a higher,
more ardent, and beseeching key,

people will not only listen,
they will shift to the sympathetic
edges of their chairs,
moved to such acute anticipation

by that chord and the delay that follows,
they will not be able to sleep
unless you release with one finger
a scream from the throat of your guitar

and turn your head back to the microphone
to let them know
you're a hard-hearted man
but that woman's sure going to make you cry.

 

The poem "The blues" Billy Collins uses the genre of music known as blues to express his feelings and it gives an insight to the readers about his personal relationship. Billy Collins conveys that repetition is a part of a blues it can be evident when he says "much of what is said here must be said twice" it portrays how people will only listen to someone's problems and feel his or her pain if its repeated twice. He also explain how people will definitely listen if "you sing it again with the help of the band". It conveys how people don't care about people's feelings "no one takes an immediate interest in the pain of others" and music is seen to be a way especially blues to express ones felling it can be pain, love and sufferings. It shows how we are too frequently caught up with different business in our everyday life to be too concerned about pain and feelings of those around us.  It is said that the blues "have been and always will be a stark reminder of the pain and sufferings in the world"  so one has to use music as a way to be listened by the society.

Billy Collins considered using  four lines in each stanza and  a blue song always has four lines in a verse this shows how the they have the same structure. And the lyrics are of like a blue song because they talk about love and pain. B.B kings says "that's why I sing the blues" because he believes that everybody gets the blues. The poem is secured with humor and captures the essence of blues.

MORNING by Billy Collins

"This is the best- throwing off the light covers, feet on the cold floor,"

"and buzzing around the house on expresso-"

"maybe a splash of water in the face,"

"trees fifty, a hundred years old out there"

When you start each day with a grateful heart, light illuminates from within.

What made Billy Collins who he is today?

Elsa Rottjers

a poets childhood and experiences make a big difference to their poetry, so i believe it is important to know little about what made Billy Collins the great poet he is today.

Billy Collins was born in New York City on March 22, 1941. He was the only child of William and Katherine Collins. His father was an electrician who later became a successful insurance broker on wall street. His mother was a nurse who then quit her job to raise Billy Collins. After the success of his father’s career Mr and Mrs. Collins together with Billy moved from Jackson heights in Queens, New York city to Westchester County in his junior year of high school. Katherine Collins had the ability to recite verses on almost any subject, which she often did, and cultivated in a young billy Collins the love for words, both written and spoken. Billy Collins interest in literature peaked and his love for words grew stronger each day. Collins recalled his own precocious behaviour at the age of four or five.

When company arrived at his family’s home, he sat in a chair and pretended to read an encyclopaedia, presuming that the guests were impressed. He remembers his first effort to record an impression in writing: At age ten, he was in the family car as his parents drove along the East River, and Collins, seeing a sail boat, asked his mother for writing materials. 

At church he was an altar boy, and he cites his memorization of Latin phrases for the Mass as an influence on his later writing. He memorized the words of the songs without knowing their meaning. 

Stephen Dunn, a fellow poet, once said, “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 has discovered.”

The History Teacher.

Shannon Hale , an accomplished author of six novels says “Mama used to say, you have to know someone a thousand days before you can glimpse her soul.” People will never fully understand the situation someone is going through if they themselves have never experienced such emotions. Billy Collins is no stranger to this statement as expressed in his thought-provoking ruefully resonant poem ‘The History Teacher.’

The free versed poem is told in third person narrative as an observer who tries to narrate the ongoings of the History and the reasons behind them. The poem tugs on the compassion that the said character  has “trying to protect his students’ innocence” from “The War of the Roses” by shielding them from the truth. “While he gathered up his notes and walked home past flower beds and white picket fences, wondering if they believe that soldiers in the Boer War told long, rambling stories designed to make the enemy nod off,” said Billy Collins trying to insinuate that people who have not undergone such trauma are easy to forget the sacrifices that were made for them in order to live the lives they have now. Billy Collins may be referring to the world shocking event that happened in America, the 9/11, an act of terrorism that caused many deaths and made many Americans lose their family members. Over 3,000 people were killed during the attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. The poem itself might be an expression on how Billy Collins thinks parents are handling the misfortune by downplaying it to their children to prevent from worrying and give an illusion of  safety to their innocent children.

On Turning Ten

 On Turning Ten by Billy Collins

Growing up and childhood experiences is a motif repeatedly mentioned in a lot of Billy Collin's poetry.  Whether its reminiscing on the glories or the growth, what I as reader interpret is that childhood is a key influence in the poet's life hence the constant repetition.

My particular favorite regarding childhood is the poem 'On Turning Ten' which a humorous insight on joys of childhood and the woes of growing up. Turning ten is usually quite a big step in childhood because its when you hit the first double digits number and it might also be considered a right of passage in some cultures. Therefore, with the title beginning with 'On Turning Ten' which insinuates the poet wants to further explain this issue, Collin's tackles not only a very relatable age but unfortunately one that not many people choose to ponder on. I believe this is what makes this poem more unique because everyone will write something on becoming a teenager or becoming an adult but many often forget other special times such as when you ten.

Moving on, in the poem of 5 stanzas, the first stanza tabulated with 7 lines is perhaps the most interesting stanza. Firstly in this stanza, the topic of discussion is subtly introduced with a conversational yet slightly opinionated tone. The poet doesn't start with mentioning that he will be talking about turning ten, but rather he dives in into his emotions regarding ten. It is through the use of the figurative phrase "coming down with something" that the negative implication of turning this new chapter in age is introduced in the poem. Already one can tell that the narrator is not looking forward to it. Adding on, Collins uses a set of metaphors to further emphasize on his emotions. With references to illnesses such as "measles...mumps...chicken pox" which are common during early childhood, I think the poet tries to imply that like these illnesses, turning ten is unavoidable.

As Walt Disney once stated, "the real trouble with the world" is that "too many people grow up" and with growing comes forgetting what it was like to be a child. Therefore, in the second the stanza of this poem, Collins takes us down the memory lane where we remember the "perfect simplicity of being one" and the "beautiful complexity introduced by two". By using contradictory words such as simplicity and complexity to describe two different ages, the poet highlights the fact just growing up to ten was an adventure. It's a journey where "at four I was an Arabian wizard...at seven...a soldier...at nine a prince"! Throughout the stanza, the excitement is illustrated through the imagination of the child. The fact that the poet keeps describing what the child was up until the last sentence shows of the relenting spirit of the child to believe in just about anything.

Yet, despite this, as the poem comes to a close, the adverse effect of growing up and saying "goodbye to my imaginary friends" is witnessed through the solemn mood of the receding stanzas. Instead of the boundless activity incriminated with being young, the boredom and the "beginning of sadness" for the child is now depicted. In fact, even the initial strong hate towards turning ten exemplified the first stanza is now reduced to a sense of defeat yet also acceptance.

It is at this point that I as a reader, I am inclined to reflect on my life and think just how growing up has changed my perspective on life. Before ten, I was a surgeon fixing up countless dolls that the evil terminator (my brother) had ruthlessly destroyed. After ten, I was too cool for Barbie and it was time for TV and other 'grown-up' stuff. Yet as I grow up, one thing I cannot deny is that childhood has distinctively influenced my life.

 

"It seems only yesterday I used to believe

there was nothing under my skin but light.

If you cut me I would shine.

but now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,

I skin my knees. I bleed."