Viridiana Rivera Discussion 13

In “How to Read a Poem” by Edward Hirsch the assumptions that are made in this poem are, many readers make the false assumption that they should immediately understand everything in a poem, as seen in this quote: “Most readers make three false assumptions when addressing an unfamiliar poem. The first is assuming that they should understand everything right away.” A second assumption is that readers believe everything in a poem is meant to be taken literally, which is challenged by Hirsch in the following lines “The second is assuming that everything in a poem is literal. But some words refer to a reality outside the poem while others do not.” The third false assumption I would say is that poems have only one interpretation, as Hirsch states: “The third is assuming that poems can be reduced to a single, definitive interpretation. But poems are multivalent; they can mean many things to many different people.” Moral of the story I believe that it encourages readers to challenge these assumptions and approach poetry with an open mind.