Billy Lit Stars

Read as we discuss the poetry of poet laureate Billy Collins from his collection 'Taking off Emily
Dickinson's Clothes.' We are A-level literature students from Braeburn School Arusha, Tanzania (in
Africa) and welcome constructive discussion and viewpoints.

Monday, 22 September 2014

Afternoon with Irish cows.
'Poets are just people who have read poetry and been moved by that poetry to emulation. Poetry is
inspired by reading poetry,' by Billy Collins.
Afternoon with Irish cows is a poem about cows, how cows would be 'anchored there on all fours,' or
how cows seem 'patient and dumbfounded.' But is it just about cows? On this post I will be discussing
on the profound meaning of this plain but as you'll see unique poem.
The poem's structure is seven lines per stanza and there are five stanzas. Billy Collin's rhythm varies
from line to line, but all first lines of every stanza have a corresponding sequence of beats. All first
lines have more than ten beats compared to the following lines in each stanza. You also get the tone of
the poem from the structure and use of the letter 'I.' For example in stanza three line 2,' would let out a
sound so phenomenal, that I would put down the paper.' Where you would normally expect 'I' to start
the following line Collins however en jambs it and starts with 'that.' This has been continuously done
through the poem, in stanza one line four- five, also in the last line of stanza four and the first line of
stanza five. By doing so it makes it hard for the reader to fluently read the poem, you see the attempt
from Collin's to slow the reader. Furthermore Collin's slows the reader down through the description
of the cows, one would just say ' the cow went moo.' Billy Collins however uniquely slows the reader
down by saying,' bellowing head laboring upward as she gave voice to the rising full-bodied
cry ....announcing the large unadultared cowness of herself.'(stanza four and five) Billy Collins is
already establishing why he is a distinguished poet laureate in just the structure of this poem.

My first reading of an 'Afternoon with Irish cows,' seemed as a plaintive poem that's talking about
nothing more than cows. But after a number of readings I saw a connection between 'Afternoon with
Irish cows,' and my school. Well first since it's talking about cows -Irish cows, I decided to find out
what's so unique about Irish cows. In my endeavor to find out what makes the Irish cow so unique I
ran across the Irish moiled cow(which I believe Billy Collins refers to.) The cows are only set apart
from fellow cows with how physically similar they look, they all have the same black and white color.
So why did I liken Irish cows to my fellow students? I thought of how interested Billy Collin's
observed the cows and then decided to overlook lines that directly pointed to Irish cows. What I was
left with is the image of a teacher standing by the window most likely during a lunch break and just
being utterly amazed by how 'mysterious, how patient and dumbfounded they long appear in the quiet
afternoon.' Students just like cows (seems a bit wrong to say) all look the same, in my school they all
dressed in their white tops and navy blue bottoms. Am sure if you ask a teacher they would
sometimes tell you that once in a while they have ' put down the paper or the knife they were cutting
an apple with and walked across' to see why a student made such a cry, as if they were 'being torched
or pierced through the side with a long spear.' The teachers would confirm that 'it sounded like pain
until they could see the noisy one...that she was only announcing the large unadulterated cowness of
herself.' To add on, sometimes the teachers are surprised that they 'would pass a window and look out
to see the field suddenly empty as if they(the students) had taken wing, flown off to another country.'
This is my view that came to me when reading an 'afternoon with Irish cows' as I watched my fellow
students play/socialize outside. Conclusively, I am sincerely sorry to comparing my fellow students to
cows but then if this will make matters any better I too will be a cow.
Abdulkarim Ismail at 8:12 pm
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4 comments:

Braeburn School A Level Literature StudentsSeptember 23, 2014 9:15 pm

Heh he..THANK YOU Abdulkarim! I like your original interpretation! You have also written in detail
about the structure of the poem. It seems you have spent much time pondering and 'chewing the cud'
over this. I enjoyed reading this. Best Mrs D

Reply

Daniel DoriaSeptember 24, 2014 12:18 pm

I like your interpretation of how braeburn students are similar to billy collins' description of the irish
cows, because to be honest its pretty true
Nice essay

Reply

AnonymousSeptember 24, 2014 12:31 pm

Made me laugh!! I have to agree with Daniel Doria, it is kind of true. Great analysis of the poem by
the way, great detail. Wizilya L

Reply

Tara ReeceSeptember 24, 2014 12:34 pm

I beg to differ. I am not a cow. :P Lovely essay I never thought about it like that! Honestly while i was
reading it the whole time all I was thinking was - REALLY WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?

Reply

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