In "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins, the speaker makes an argument concerning poetry.  He makes a point stating that very little appreciation is given to poems.  His argument is that poems are read just to find out the meaning instead of separating and deliberating on particular elements.  The speaker is so passionate about readers relishing poetry, so why not dissect his own poem and appreciate each component and the entire piece as a whole.  Given a sample poem, one would admire the beauty of a poetic piece by discovering the audience and analyzing its different elements used by the poet, such as personification, sensory imagery, metaphors, similes, and diction.

This particular poem written by Bill Collins is about someone who tries to get a group of people to appreciate a poem fully.  The poem begins with the speaker saying, "I ask them to take a poem;" reading the first line of this poem one would want to know who the speaker meant by "them" (Collins, 50).  In terms of the poem, "them" can refer to anyone or to a focused group.  The reader can make an inference that Collins' audience is those who are studying literature, because usually the main objective of a poem is to find out its significance.  Otherwise, the speaker would also direct his argument towards a general audience who has an interest in poetry.

Well along, the speaker tells "them" to take "a poem."  Considering this point, it would be concluded that the speaker feels any poem can be appreciated.  Collins personifies "a poem" at the end of his piece.  He says that they "tie the poem to a chair with rope" and "torture a confession out of it" and "beat it with a hose" (Collins, 50).  He wants to portray a poem as more than just words on a piece of paper, as a person with feelings.  Collins, like the speaker, wants the reader to have more courtesy and respect for a poem.  One last point that stood out of the poem was the speaker's turning point.  In the sixth stanza, the speaker's attitude changes as he expresses how "a poem" is abused to get the meaning from it.  This shows the speaker's empathy for the appreciation of poetry and contributes to the personification of a poem as he seeks pity for the character of a poem.

The speaker goes on telling them what to do with the poem, giving them steps so that they will admire it.  He goes into detail on how to value a poem including sensory imagery, metaphors, and similes.  First, he directs them to hold the poem up to the light.  He wants them to see the poem thoroughly, seeing all its components as if it were transparent.  Afterwards, the speaker orders them to "press an ear against its hive" (Collins, 50).  Pressing an ear against a hive, one would hear the bees doing their work and experience what it takes to create the hive.  This is what the speaker wants them to do with the poem, listen to the author's choice of words and contemplate on how that goes into forming the poetry.

Next, and most important, the speaker wants them to feel the poem.  He continues to tell them to "drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out" (Collins, 50).  The author's diction in this line is very vivid and successfully explains that he wants his audience to look into the poem rather than just looking at the poem.  For example, he uses the word probe.  Probe is defined as carefully examining or investigating something.  The speaker wants the audience to be like the mouse and carefully explore and investigate the poem.  He also tells them to "walk inside the poem's room and feel the walls for a light switch," the same concept applies.  The speaker simply wants them to scrutinize each part of the poem in order to discover the main point; however, he uses metaphors and puts the concept in deeper terms whereas the poem is a maze or a dark room.  Finally, the speaker wants them to "waterski across the surface of a poem" and "wave at the author's name on the shore" (50).  Because they came last, it is clear to see that he gave this set of directions to his audience because wants them to enjoy the poem collectively after they have looked, listen, and felt each part.  Finally yet importantly, the speaker wants his audience to give the utmost credit to the author of the work.

From meticulously dismembering the "Introduction to Poetry," one can conclude that the speaker argues that a poem should not be read only for its meaning, but to be appreciated wholly throughout the different elements and components that collectively come together to make the piece.  According to the speaker, any type of poem should be treated somewhat like a person.  Instead of being tied and beaten for a confession, it should be seen clearly, heard thoughtfully, and understood completely by any form of audience.  Finally, the speaker feels that the poem should be delighted entirely with full admiration to the creator.
