How I Discovered Poetry
by Marilyn Nelson
It was like soul-kissing, the way the words
filled my mouth as Mrs. Purdy read from her desk.
All the other kids zoned an hour ahead to 3:15,
but Mrs. Purdy and I wandered lonely as clouds borne
by a breeze off Mount Parnassus. She must have seen
the darkest eyes in the room brim: The next day
she gave me a poem she’d chosen especially for me
to read to the all except for me white class.
She smiled when she told me to read it, smiled harder,
said oh yes I could. She smiled harder and harder
until I stood and opened my mouth to banjo playing
darkies, pickaninnies, disses and data. When I finished
my classmates stared at the floor. We walked silent
to the buses, awed by the power of words
Summary of How I Discovered Poetry
- Popularity of “How I Discovered Poetry”: This short poem comprising 14 verses in total was written by an African American translator, children’s author, and poet, Marilyn Nelson. This poem occurs in her collection of the same title published by Rocky Pond Books in 2014, with its quick second edition after two years. Although the poem comprises just a childhood incident of the author about reading poetry, she has discovered how words play an important role in her life. That is why the poem has won popularity due to her thoughtful ideas about words and poetry.
- “How I Discovered Poetry” As a Representative of Poetry Reading Experience: The poem comprises a biographical incident of Marylyn Nelson’s childhood when her teacher Mrs. Purdy asks her to read a poem in the class that she is to bring the next day. The speaker sees that all the children have arrived an hour earlier than usual, and it seems to her that she has also touched the Delphic origin, Mount Parnassus, to have premonitions of the coming time. When she gets the poem the next day, Mrs. Purdy smiles to encourage her to move to read, but she rather opens her mouth as if playing the banjo. This entertains the children, and the entire class stares at the floor when she finishes. However, her reading is so powerful that even the white class becomes silent in awe of the power of words.
- Major Themes in “How I Discovered Poetry”: Racial discrimination, the power of words, and childhood experience are three major themes of this poem. Although racial discrimination is not obvious in the poem, it comes out when she uses the word “white” which means that she is not white. Therefore, she is ultimately African American, and the teacher has rather treated her differently by asking her to read the poem that she could not due to hesitation. All other students would have read it differently, but she accompanies it with banjo, winning hearts and minds with the delivery and the power of words. This childhood experience of her teacher treating her in such a way seems imprinted in her mind in that she is now presenting it in the shape of the same power that she experienced in her childhood.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in How I Discovered Poetry
Marilyn Nelson has used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of her poem. Some of the major literary devices used in this poem are as follows.
- Allusion: It means to give reference to something significant in history, literature, or culture. The poem refers to Mount Parnassus, a reference to the Grecian mountain range popular in the Grecian myths. The second reference is to Wordsworth’s poem “I Wander as Lonely as Cloud.” It is clear from the fourth verse.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a and i/ in “It was like soul-kissing, the way the words” and the sound of /o/ in “All the other kids zoned an hour ahead to 3:15.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick successions, such as the sound of /w/ in “we walked.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /s/ and /r/ in “She smiled when she told me to read it, smiled harder” and the sound of /w/ and /l/ in “It was like soul-kissing, the way the words.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Marilyn Nelson used imagery in this poem, such as “she gave me a poem she’d chosen especially for me”, “She smiled harder and harder” and “but Mrs. Purdy and I wandered lonely as clouds borne.”
- Simile: It is a figure of speech that shows a direct comparison of things for meanings. Miss Nelson has used a simile borrowing it from Wordsworth “I wandered lonely as clouds.” She has twisted it to serve her poetic purposes.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as words, kids, clouds, and class to show childhood activities and their impacts.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in How I Discovered Poetry
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows formal and poetic diction.
- Free Verse: It means to write poetry without any rhyme scheme and metrical pattern. This poem is a free verse poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. This is a single-stanza poem having fourteen verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a racial, anti-racial, and optimistic tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when teaching poetry.
When I finished
my classmates stared at the floor. We walked silent
to the buses, awed by the power of words