I have to write a poetry explication on the following poem for school. I was wondering if anyone could give their thoughts on what this poem is trying to convey. Or just anything that comes into your mind. Thanks!!
I'm writing the poem that will change the world,
and it's Lilly Wilson at my office door.
Lilly Wilson, the recovering like addict,
the worst I've ever seen.
So, like, bad the whole eighth grade
started calling her Like Lilly Like Wilson Like.
艗Until I declared my classroom a Like-Free Zone,
and she could not speak for days.
But when she finally did, it was to say,
Mr. Mali, this is . . . so hard.
Now I have to think before I . . . say anything.
Imagine that, Lilly.
It's for your own good.
Even if you don't like . . .
it.
I'm writing the poem that will change the world,
and it's Lilly Wilson at my office door.
Lilly is writing a research paper for me
about how homosexuals shouldn't be allowed
to adopt children.
I'm writing the poem that will change the world,
and it's Like Lilly Like Wilson at my office door.
She's having trouble finding sources,
which is to say, ones that back her up.
They all argue in favor of what I thought I was against.
And it took four years of college,
three years of graduate school,
and every incidental teaching experience I have ever had
to let out only,
Well, that's a real interesting problem, Lilly.
But what do you propose to do about it?
That's what I want to know.
And the eighth-grade mind is a beautiful thing;
Like a new-born baby's face, you can often see it
change before your very eyes.
I can't believe I'm saying this, Mr. Mali,
but I think I'd like to switch sides.
And I want to tell her to do more than just believe it,
but to enjoy it!
That changing your mind is one of the best ways
of finding out whether or not you still have one.
Or even that minds are like parachutes,
that it doesn't matter what you pack
them with so long as they open
at the right time.
O God, Lilly, I want to say
you make me feel like a teacher,
and who could ask to feel more than that?
I want to say all this but manage only,
Lilly, I am like so impressed with you!
So I finally taught somebody something,
namely, how to change her mind.
And learned in the process that if I ever change the world
it's going to be one eighth grader at a time.
Help with poetry explication!?
The poem is about a valuable or rewarding experience that a teacher had. The eigth-grade teacher Mr. Mali got to participate in the opening of the mind of a student who people thought was particularly clueless because of how she talked. The %26quot;like%26quot; addicts sound like airheads, after all because they sound uncertain of anything.
Not only did he get her to stop with the %26quot;like%26quot;s, but he also watched her change her mind to a more tolerant position on a current social issue when, in researching her position, she found many of the arguments for the other side to be strong ones. A change in perspective like this is much more valuable than the teaching of a mere fact to someone, because a change in attitude can better equip you to live and learn for the rest of your life. He witnessed real learning take place with her.
Instead of gushing about this, though, he merely praised her in the style of speech she was so fond of, connecting to her on her level that way to make sure she knew she should feel good about her change of mind. The ending message is that children are the future of the world, and the teacher feels that the way to create a better future is to help children become thoughtful adults.
