Read: Hirsch, “How to Read a Poem”: https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/how-read

Read: Hirsch, “How to Read a Poem”: https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/how-read-poem-0?page=2
In “How to Read a Poem,” Hirsch says that “most readers make three false assumptions when addressing an unfamiliar poem”:
1. Assuming you should understand the poem on the first reading (and if not, “there’s something wrong with you or with the poem”);
2. Assuming the poem is a kind of code that needs to be cracked (that “each detail corresponds to one and only one thing”);
3. Assuming the poem can mean anything you want it to mean.
For this week’s response, a bit of a personal reflection:
How do you feel about reading poetry? Do you find it enjoyable? Challenging? Impenetrable? Why?
Which of the false assumptions described by Hirsch, if any, sounds the most like you?
Do you have a practice or a way of reading that helps you to better understand poetry?
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