When reading a piece of literature, the author usual wants the reader to gravitate towards one interpretation that they have implied within the text.  However, Billy Collins might argue that every individual has the ability to create their own interpretation within the piece of literature.  To Collins, an interpretation should be created through the reader's exploration of the text.  In the poem, "Introduction to Poetry," Collins' metaphors create the exploration of the reader's interpretation.   

Within diction, the reader is able to interact with the poem through metaphors.  Throughout the poem, the reader becomes a part of it as they embody and participate in different actions.  As Collins states, "drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out" (Collins 5-6).  The mouse is a symbol of the reader, and as Collins drops them into a poem, they have the ability to do what they want.  Collins uses the word "probe" to explain that when he drops a mouse into a poem, the mouse is able to explore and examine it as he creates a maze, finding his own way out.  This is a metaphor for the reader having the ability to explore the poem on their own without the guidance of the author.  They have the capability to create their own understanding and interpretation of the poem.  Collins also says that he wants them "to waterski across the surface of a poem waving at the author's name of the shore" (Collins 9-11).  The action of waterskiing is carefree and fun, indicating that the audience should have fun when reading a piece of literature.  This metaphor creates the understanding that although the author is present, the reader can still establish an interpretation of their own.  They get the opportunity to explore the poem on their own as they interact with the different actions within the poem.  Collins not only creates a metaphor for the reader, but also for the poem.

Throughout the poem, the poem itself embodies different objects.  The metaphors that Collins uses creates the image that the poem is getting bigger and bigger.  Collins says to "hold it up to the light like a color slide" (Collins 2-3).  This metaphor creates the image that the poem is smaller than it is.  It creates an understand that the poem has shrunken down to one small interpretation for one person.  Next, Collins states to "drop a mouse into a poem" (Collins 5).  The poem now becomes a maze, illustrating that it now obtains many routes and options for the reader to explore to find out what their interpretation is.  The poem has embodied an object of which there are many directions to choose from, however, they still lead to one specific interpretation of the poem.  Finally, Collins expresses that he wants the readers to "waterski across the surface of a poem" (Collins 9-10).  The poem embodies a lake or an ocean, creating the image that it now obtains a broad horizon for which the reader can explore their own interpretation.  Since the poem has now embodied a big open area, the reader can freely venture off on their own to discover what their interpretation is.  This is the idea of what the reader should be doing; freely exploring the poem.  Throughout the poem, there is a trend that it personifies bigger and bigger object until it is a broadened horizon for which the reader can explore, essentially going from one, single interpretation to a free field to which there can be thousands of different interpretations.

The poem takes on bigger and bigger objects as the reader continues to read, and finally, it embodies a human, making the reader feel a strong connection with it.  The tone of the first four stanzas of the poem is light, happy, and carefree.  Words like "light" and "waterski" create this tone that the reader can enjoy the poem and freely discover their own interpretation of it (Collins 2,9).  However, the tone suddenly changes in the last two stanzas; it becomes dark with a sense of fear.  Collins states that all the readers do is "tie the poem to a chair with a rope and torture a confession out of it.  They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means" (Collins 12-16).  Collins uses diction, words like "tie," "torture," "confession," and "beating" to create this tone of misery (Collins 13-15).  The first four stanzas contrast the last two stanzas because the tone of the poem changes drastically from happy and light, to dark and dreaded.  The readers interact with the humanization of the poem, which creates an understanding of what readers typically do when they interpret a piece of literature; finding the exact interpretation of what the author wants it to be.  The metaphor of tying a poem to a chair creates the image of a human being tied up, forcing to give up their freedom and conform to one single interpretation.  It scares the reader because it creates a feeling that this could happen to them and also the question as to why someone would ever want to do this to someone else; to do this to a piece of literature.  By making the poem human, it helps the readers understand that they have the freedom to explore the poem and don't have to conform to what the author wants the interpretation to be.

In "Introduction to Poetry," the use of metaphors throughout the poem creates an understanding that the reader has the ability to explore the poem and find their own interpretation of it.  Collins was able to express to the readers that they don't have to conform to what the author's interpretation is.  When readers do this, they are essentially conforming into an atypical reader.  Collins wants the readers to explore more of a piece of literature and steer away from the implied interpretation that the author creates, forming their own unique interpretation.  By doing this, readers will be able to understand more of a piece of literature and get more insight of the text, creating interpretations that others wouldn't have realized are held within the text.

