About the Author | Reading | Evaluating in Context | Experiencing | Interpreting


Billy Collins: Interpreting

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  1. In "The History Teacher," how does Collins play with the idea of innocence, especially in the context of history?

  2. Read this interview. Collins mentioned that he likes to orient his readers with basic information such as "where we are" and "when we are." Do the poems in the text ("The History Teacher," "Sonnet,” “Introduction to Poetry,” and “The Listener”) offer this information?

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