Poet William Carlos Williams stated that a reader must be able to “complete” what the poet has begun. I think this refers to uncovering the meaning behind a poem that isn’t so easily mentioned. For example, in the poem “white lies” by Natasha Tretheway, she states “I could even keep quiet, quiet as kept, like the time a white girl said, Now we have three of us in this class.” In this poem we can imply that the narrator is of mixed race and she struggles with her identity. She has skin light enough to be considered white, so she chooses to pretend she is white. I think that she lies because she is ashamed of her background and I feel like she just wants to be able to fit in with the other girls, or her society in general. By uncovering the real meaning behind “white lies” is how I am able to “complete” what the poet has begun.
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I appreciate the way you summarized the poem and demonstrated your interpretation. Poems are typically heard to be understood, and the majority of poets allow us to comprehend the poem and what the poet is attempting to convey. As a result of your interpretation, I gained a better and deeper understanding of the poem.