The Poetry Reader's Toolkit: A Guide to Reading and Understanding Poetry [Paperback]

Marc Polonsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 2001

The Poetry Reader's Toolkit was written to be just that: a toolkit to help students read and understand poetry. Students will learn how relevant and accessible poetry can be by walking through a wide variety of poems in a straightforward, conversational tone. This easy to read guide shows students how poetry conveys emotion, introduces them to different imagery, explores sound, covers metaphors and similes, and explains verse forms, line breaks, and numerous other poetic devices.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

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Product Details

• Paperback: 243 pages
• Publisher: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (February 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844259888
• ISBN-13: 978-0844259888
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #584,271 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An accessible guide for students, teachers and poetry lovers, October 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Poetry Reader's Toolkit: A Guide to Reading and Understanding Poetry (Paperback)

A few days ago, a student in my community college class discovered this book and brought it to my attention. It's just what she needed and what I've been looking for--an easy to read guide to poetry that opens both readers and poems in such a way that the barriers that too often exist between them dissolve. The book serves as a friendly companion or guide in unfamiliar territory might--it points out features our eyes or ears might miss but never loses patience if we are slow to understand their significance. I will be recommending this book to other instructors and students--and I'll have more to say about it when I've had a chance to work with it some more.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A man on a mission, November 14, 2002

By 

Fearless Reviews "D. Patrick Miller, Editor" (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Poetry Reader's Toolkit: A Guide to Reading and Understanding Poetry (Paperback)

If the world made sense, this fine book would be found not only in every high school and college library, but in a lot of family homes as well, right next to the child-rearing guides and home fix-it guides. For in a world that made sense, a lot more people would grasp the transformative power of poetry and be passing on what they knew about it to their kids - and if they didn't know much, they could just pass on this book. Neither sentimental nor haughty about his subject, Polonsky manages to analyze both famous and lesser known poems, sometimes in great detail, without killing them off. This is a rare capacity that depends equally on his common sense, practiced insight, and clear, straight-ahead writing style.

Available in both student and instructor editions, this "toolkit" covers all the necessary fundamentals, and it's significant that "Emotions" is the first one explored - well before the discussions of sound, symbolism, verse forms and other technical aspects are taken up. That's because Polonsky has his ducks in a row and his heart in the right place, and that's what infuses the laudable competence of this manual with an irrepressible spirit. "I think poetry is just about as essential as air," Polonsky declares. "I believe that much of the violence and psychological illness and unease in our society is probably due to poetry deprivation."

This is obviously not your high school English teacher talking, but a man on a passionate mission. If this book gets spread around like it should, the world just might start making sense.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Curious about poetry? Read this and you'll get hooked!, December 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Poetry Reader's Toolkit: A Guide to Reading and Understanding Poetry (Paperback)

I was hungry to learn poetry. It always seemed a puzzle that was never quite solved. So, for Christmas, I hinted for a book about how to read/write poetry. Santa read my list (thanks sis) and got my wish:) This book was a joy to read. It unlocked many of mysteries of poetry for me and gave me a wonderful preparation before I dived head first into this mysterious pool of poetry.