In
Introduction
to
Poetry,
poet
Billy
Collins
uses
different
types
of
figurative
language
to
express
how
readers
react
to
poetry.
In
the
first
stanza,
in
the
lines,
take
a
poem/and
hold
it
up
to
the
light/like
a
color
slide
(13),
the
poet
uses
a
simile
to
compare
a
poem
to
a
color
slide.
This
simile
means
that
readers
must
look
at
a
poem
from
another
angle
to
fully
understand
what
it
means.
Next,
Collins
states
in
lines
78
that
he
wants
readers
to
walk
inside
the
poets
room/and
feel
the
walls
for
a
light
switch.
This
metaphor
compares
a
poem
to
a
dark
room,
showing
that
readers
must
feel
a
poems
words
to
be
enlightened
by
its
meaning.
Lastly,
Collins
uses
personfication
to
demonstrate
how
frustrated
readers
treat
a
poem.
He
complains
that
all
they
want
to
do/is
tie
the
poem
to
a
chair
wit
ha
rope/and
torture
a
confession
out
of
it
(1214).
In
these
lines,
he
compares
the
poem
to
a
person
being
tortured.
Billy
Collins
uses
these
types
of
figurative
language
in
order
to
express
how
readers
commonly
react
to
reading
poetry.
Writing About Poetry Tips
Where
does
the
punctuation
go?
1. If
you
are
not
using
a
parenthetical
citation,
the
period
goes
the
quotation
marks.
In
line
4,
Collins
tells
readers
to
press
an
ear
against
its
hive.
2. If
you
are
using
a
parenthetical
citation,
the
period
goes
the
quotation
marks
and
the
parenthesis.
Collins
also
tells
readers
to
press
an
ear
against
its
hive
(4).
Special
Rules
for
Writing
About
Poetry
1. Use
quotation
marks
around
the
title
of
a
poem.
Do
not
underline
or
italicize
it!
2. Instead
of
citing
page
numbers,
you
are
citing
the
3. If
you
are
including
more
than
one
line
in
the
quote,
use
a
to
show
where
each
line
ends.
4. Explain
why
the
quote
is
an
example
of
a
sound
device,
poetry
device,
or
figurative
language.