Sp08-250-Group2

="Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins line 4 ("or press an ear against its hive")=

Group 2: Samantha, Stephanie, James, Dottie
Facilitator: //Dottie Woodkey// Polisher: Stephanie Peterson

//Type your contributions below the instructions for each "expert move." As the Polisher is polishing, she or he will remove the instructions and leave the subheadings and everyone's comments.//

__Expert move #1: identifying the figurative language__
In “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins, he utilizes a lot of images so the reader can easily figure out what the subtext of the poem is. For example, in line 4 Collins writes, “or press an ear against its hive.” Here Collins is implying that the reader should really listen to the words of the poem, the true meaning is hidden beneath the words; the iceberg theory. Anyone passing by notices a beehive believes it to be dull in appearance and see it just for the hive. To the curious, the hive contains many bees with an intricate social structure working towards survival.

__Expert move #2: exploring denotations__
In this poem a hive is being used to symbolize the need to listen. The hive is full of busy bees and when you pass by it all you see is a plain old beehive. So you put your ear up close to it to hear what is going on inside of that hive and you realize that it may not seem plain at all. The author is literally asking you to press your ear up to the poem and hear what it has to say. Now the author could have used many other words to grab your attention like a lawnmower or even a table saw. They both make continuous noises, to a certain extent, but do not give you the same impression that the buzzing of a hive does. It is as if the author wants you to pay closer attention to the “buzz” so you are completely focused versus being drowned out by the loud noise a lawnmower would make.

__Expert move #3: unpacking the figurative and connotative meanings__
The poem invokes the reader to sit and listen to what it has to say. The gentle whispers of the hive that is filled with a thousand bees represents the hum of a thousand unsaid thoughts in a poem; it alludes to a deeper meaning. If you sit and listen long enough you might actually hear each individual bee that makes up the hive as a whole, similar to that of the words in the poem.

__Expert move #4: recontextualizing within the whole poem__
The general theme in this poem is images. Every stanza includes an image that brings forth a different sense. Our line gives the reader a sense of sound. The first stanza is sight and the fourth is touch. Each stanza not only gives the reader a different sense but it gives multiple ways of engaging with the text. Some ways might speak to different people in different ways. There are as many ways to read a poem as there are interpretations of it. Who knows, each approach might lead to new and different discoveries. ...