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Forgetfulness. By Billy Collins. The name of the author is the first to go. followed obediently by the title, the plot, the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel. which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of, as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor.
Load audio player. Billy Collins. 1941 –. The name of the author is the first to go. followed obediently by the title, the plot, the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel. which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of, as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor.
- 'Forgetfulness' by Billy Collins Analysis
- 'Forgetfulness'
- Overview of The Poem
- Literary/Poetic Devices Used
'Forgetfulness' is a deceptively innocent-looking poem that explores the consequences of gradual memory loss. It builds up through a series of examples of things that a human might forget, from an author's name to riding a bicycle. The basic theme is forgetfulness, plain and simple, but the underlying issues are many and include that of identity ve...
The name of the author is the first to go followed obediently by the title, the plot, the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of, as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain, to a little fishing village where ther...
'Forgetfulness' is a well-crafted poem that is conversational in certain aspects yet offers much more in the way of figurative language, mythological allusion and good old folk wisdom. The single sentence which covers the first two stanzas immediately introduces the reader to the central theme: forgetfulness. It's typical of Billy Collins to sugges...
'Forgetfulness' is a free verse poem, it has no set rhyme scheme and the meter (metre in British English) varies from line to line. Eight stanzas add up to a total of 23 lines.
What makes “Forgetfulness” by Billy Collins suitable for studying in an AP language course? “Forgetfulness” offers rich examples of poetic techniques and devices, making it an excellent text for exploring how language can be used to evoke emotion and convey complex themes.
Billy Collins is known for his witty, tongue-in-cheek poetry that often contains darker meanings beneath the surface, and “Forgetfulness” (from Questions About Angels, 1999) is no exception....
“Forgetfulness” is a 23-line, eight-stanza free verse poem by former Poet Laureate of the United States, Billy Collins. Originally published in the January 1990 edition of Poetry magazine, the poem later appeared in his fourth collection, Questions About Angels, in 1991.
out of a love poem that you used to know by heart. From Taking Off Emily Dickinson's Clothes (Picador, 2000), © Billy Collins 2005, used by permission of the author and the publisher; Recording from Billy Collins Live: A Performance at the Peter Norton Symphony Space (Random House, USA, 2005).
