Forgetfulness Billy Collins Analysis - 1411 Words

â€Å"Forgetfulness† by Billy Collins Naturally, life is a continuous cycle of experience and learning. Yet often times so much is buried in our lives that we fail to remember or recall what we have learned. Memories that range from miniscule facts to important emotions can often leave unknowingly from our mind. Billy Collin’s â€Å"Forgetfulness† shows how memories are delicate and fragile, and that the process of forgetting is one that is nonchalant. Billy Collins effectively blends subtle humor and irony with a dramatic tone shift to explain that ideas and facts that people think are important flee the mind, showing that nothing good can last. Although he refers to memories in a lighthearted, thoughtful manner, the poem gradually shifts (just†¦show more content†¦Collins uses words that are fused with loss and melancholy when he says â€Å"night† and â€Å"war† which indicate a tonal shift. He then also mentions the moon â€Å"drifting out of a love poem,† an emotional memory that one will never be able to recall again. The tone shift is also seen specifically through the words denoted in the poem; such as â€Å"slip† and â€Å"float† which imply a sense of a gradual and smooth process of forgetting. Collin’s purpose of evoking emotion to the reader and signifying the continual process of forgetting is revealed through small attention to detail such as the common diction and personification. Collins uses very clever and witty images to describe the process of forgetting to ironically make it seem that memories are not as important, although they are significant in individuals lives: â€Å"the memories you used to harbor decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain.† Here Collins plays on the idea of an older person retiring not only from a job, but retiring from his or her own mind. Collins reaches out to the older audience saying that forgetting is a normal process of life, one that must be accepted. Collins also personifies the phrase â€Å"the quadratic equation pack(ed) its bag† to explain that important facts are decreasing, showing that the mind has no control later in life. He also uses personification to give the writing more variation a nd toShow MoreRelatedLiterary Diction In Billy Collinss Once More To The Lake943 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Once More to the Lake† and â€Å"Forgetfulness† Literary Analysis Sarah sat in the corner of her room extremely upset staring down at a piece of paper. She recently failed a math test, and without enough time to bring up her grade, reality sunk in that she would not be receiving honors this semester. Feeling as if her world was crumbling, Sarah suddenly realized that this is just one grade and that she would hardly remember why she was so upset in a few days. The two sources, â€Å"Once More to theRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesof systematic study. Identify the major behavioral science disciplines that contribute to OB. Demonstrate why few absolutes apply to OB. Identify the challenges and opportunities managers have in applying OB concepts. Compare the three levels of analysis in this book’s OB model. MyManagementLab Access a host of interactive learning aids to help strengthen your understanding of the chapter concepts at www.mymanagementlab.com cott Nicholson sits alone in his parents’ house in suburban Boston