How to read a poem

• Who is the speaker?
• What circumstances gave rise to the poem?
• What situation is presented?
• Who or what is the audience?
• What is the tone?
• What form, if any, does the poem take?
• How is form related to content?
• Is sound an important, active element of the poem?
• Does the poem spring from an identifiable historical moment?
• Does the poem speak from a specific culture?
• Does the poem have its own vernacular?
• Does the poem use imagery to achieve a particular effect?
• What kind of figurative language, if any, does the poem use?
• If the poem is a question, what is the answer?
• If the poem is an answer, what is the question?
• What does the title suggest?
• Does the poem use unusual words or use words in an unusual way?

Kentucky Fried Chicken

https://bostonpoetry.wordpress.com/tag/doug-holder/

Barbie Doll Poem

Barbie Doll

This girlchild was born as usual
and presented dolls that did pee-pee
and miniature GE stoves and irons
and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.
Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:
You have a great big nose and fat legs.

She was healthy, tested intelligent,
possessed strong arms and back,
abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.
She went to and fro apologizing.
Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.

She was advised to play coy,
exhorted to come on hearty,
exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.
Her good nature wore out
like a fan belt.
So she cut off her nose and her legs
and offered them up.

In the casket displayed on satin she lay
with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,
a turned-up putty nose,
dressed in a pink and white nightie.
Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.
Consummation at last.
To every woman a happy ending.

Sample Art Exhibit Review

This student review is a short paper therefore avoid using long quotes from wall texts in the exhibition or brochures, and outside sources (which you must cite). Look carefully and use your own words to communicate what you find compelling or weak about the exhibition. Provide descriptive details to give your reader an ‘insider’s’ view of the exhibition.

Sample Exhibition Review
 I went to the International Center of Photography and saw the "Harper’s Bazaar: A Decade of Style" exhibit. I decided to see this exhibit because I love fashion. I actually felt like a kid in a candy store. It is something I want to pursue in the future and I am really interested and I thought it would cool to see fashion in another medium. When I first walked into the exhibit I was greeted by a huge sign the said “HARPER’S BAZAAR”…and it gave a brief background on the magazine, its editor and a few of the photographers that have contributed to the magazine over the years. Some of the photographers included are Karl Lagerfeld, who is the mind behind Chanel and Fendi, Peter Lindbergh, Jean-Paul Goude, David Bailey, William Klein, Patrick Demarchelier, Sølve Sundsbø, Tim Walker, Mario Sorrenti, Hiro, and Melvin Sokolsky. Many of the photos also included some designers and pop celebrities including Marc Jacobs and Lady Gaga, my favorites.

Going to the exhibit I got to look at the pictures differently. Instead of looking at them as if just flicking through a magazine, I actually paid attention to detail, the way the photo was taken, and what might be the meaning behind them. For instance in one particular photo by Nan Goldin, "Marc Jacobs at the Plaza Hotel NYC, Sept 2010," when I looked at the photo I felt a sense of emotion in Jacob's facial expression. The camera is focused on him sitting in a chair in his towel, with dim lighting. He looks as if he’s in deep thought and the background helps play into mood of the picture and the room. You also get a sense of personality from the picture and you can feel what he feels through the picture. I think that’s why this picture struck me so, because looking at it draws you in.

I liked how the pictures were displayed around the room. All of the walls were covered with pictures, the two longest walls had big portrait type pictures on them and the smaller walls had pages from the actual magazine displayed, and then at the corners of the room and in the middle of the floors there were glass cases that held magazines that were open to specific pages. Some  showed just the covers. The format of the room added to the exhibit, and gave it some movement.  The room also had different colors on the walls that contrasted with the colors in the photographs. One example is "Stephanie Seymour, Feb 2002," by Patrick Demarchelier. It is an Andy Warhol style photo, yellow background, prominent red lips and blue eye shadow with a blue-- tinted shadow outlined the figure. The colors are so bright that they pop out at you as soon as you see it, so that you couldn’t miss the photo at all.

I also think that the way the museum placed the pictures was a good way to attract  patrons. Next to the large sign that gave a brief biography of the magazine was a photograph by Terry Richardson, "Lady Gaga, May 2011." This photograph conceivably attracts a lot of people that walked into the exhibit because Gaga is one of the more popular celebrities  today and she is known for her eccentric fashion sense. And this photograph didn’t disappoint, the background is all black and so is her outfit. She  has   her sky high shoes and eye make-up. Her hair is a pale pink and her face has a spotlight on it. This is the highlight of the photo because it’s the first thing you see .  And the pose she affects and her shoes give the photograph some structure because her body is viewed at different levels. 

   One photographs that caught my attention and I thought was interesting was by Jean-Paul Goude "Linda Evanglista, Karl Lagerfeld, Jean-Paul Goude, Stephan Gan Dec, 2003". I love the whole concept of this picture. It’s full of people in which seems like a ballroom.  Linda E and Karl L.  are the focal point of the picture  in the middle of the floor. There are huge pieces of confetti falling from the ceiling. It looks like a fun picture... like there was a party going on. The gleam of the confetti is what first catches your eye in the picture because the light in the room bounces right off of it. It’s also interesting because Karl is dressed in all black as usual and Linda in dressed in all white with a head piece on. Their outfits don’t fit the setting of background, but it makes for a great picture.

Going to this exhibit and looking at the photos showed me how much photography has changed.  This exhibition contributed to my knowledge of the history of photography by showing how the art of photography from the past has evolved and contributed to what we can do today. It illustrated how you can tell stories through photos and clothing and how a pose or  a simple facial expression could add to a photo and give it more meaning than is immediately apparent.