“On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High” by D.C. Berry
Before
I opened my mouth
I noticed them sitting there
as orderly as frozen fish
in a package.
Slowly water began to fill the room
though I did not notice it
till it reached
my ears
and then I heard the sounds
of fish in a aquarium
and I knew that though I had
tried to drown them
with my words
that they had only opened up
like gills for them
and let me in.
Together we swam around the room
like thirty tails whacking words
till the bell rang
puncturing
a hole in the door
where we all leaked out
They went to another class
I suppose and I home
where Queen Elizabeth
my cat met me
and licked my fins
till they were hands again.
First reactions
The author at first considers a class to be only passive listeners to the poetry. However, his expectations are subverted when the students actually react to them, or at least until the bell signals the end of class. The poem is about how a high school class challenged the poet's preconceptions of the class as intellectually unresponsive.
Paraphrase
I noticed the class sitting passively. Slowly they became more responsive to the poem, but I hadn't noticed until I could hear it. I had tried to force the poem on them, but instead they accepted it openly. We discussed the poem together until the bell rang and the students went to another class. I went home where my cat licked my fingers and I relaxed.
Paraphrase
I noticed the class sitting passively. Slowly they became more responsive to the poem, but I hadn't noticed until I could hear it. I had tried to force the poem on them, but instead they accepted it openly. We discussed the poem together until the bell rang and the students went to another class. I went home where my cat licked my fingers and I relaxed.
SWIFTT
SW – There's no obvious rhyme scheme here; Berry uses line separation instead to emphasize certain words in the poem. The first few lines of the poem use more passive words such as "notice" and de-emphasize action. The rest of the poem uses very aggressive words such as "whacking" and "puncturing," highlighting the increased activity.
I – The main imagery is that of a class of students as fish, first as unresponsive frozen fish and later as responsive fish in the aquarium. A secondary image is of water representing for fluid discussion and engagement.
F – When the poet mentions he had not noticed his class until the water "had reached his ears," he means it in the sense that the metaphorical water had gone up to his ears, as well as hearing and becoming aware of the increasing discussion around him. There's also the use of fish in a class perhaps referring to a "school" of fish.
T – The poem seems to have a pleasantly surprised tone, due to the poet's class bucking his expectations in response to the poetry he reads them.
T – The theme of the poem is that poetry can be engaged with by anyone, even a class of high school seniors, and that people are receptive to discussion and intellectual pursuits.
Conclusions
There's a strong contrast between passive acceptance and active discussion in this poem, shown by the first image of the frozen fish compared to a later image of fish swimming in an aquarium full of life. Going home and turning back from fish to human is the poet's unwinding from the intellectual engagement he experienced with the high school class.
