A Set Of Instructions To Be Used When Reading A Poem Summary

The poem “A Set of Instructions To Be Used When Reading A Poem” by Glen Colquhoun is literally as what the title says, a set of instructions of how the author believes the reader should read a poem. Contrary to the poem’s title to “read” a poem, the intent of the poem is not to give instructions on how to physically look and read the words on the paper but instruct the reader on how to interpret the meaning of the poem so that it reflects the reader’s conception of the world, life, etc. However, the instructions are not plainly given, but through a series of instructions that would make the reader question the sanity of the author. The intent of this paper is to argue that the goal of Colquhoun’s poem is to provoke readers to start interpreting
Understanding what the author of a poem describes and explain is often the extent of the reader’s connection to the poems but Colquhoun argues that readers should add to the meaning of the poem by making the poem personalized for the reader. In the final step “now the poem belongs to you,” (IBID) Colquhoun is stating that the end goal after reading a poem is personalizing the poem so that there is a special bond formed that is only shared between the reader and the poem. In order to reach the end goal, Colquhoun instructs the reader to “put the poem into your mouth” (IBID) which can be viewed as a sexual behavior which are typically shared between two intimate partners. While it is not instructing the reader to literally put the poem into the reader’s mouth, it is instructing to treat the poem as if it is the reader’s significant partner and form a deep connection with the poem by letting the poem see the reader at when they’re at their most vulnerable, their fears and secrets. To help personalize the poem, steps 4, 5 and 6 of the instructions asks the reader about the characteristics of the poem. By asking the reader about the poem’s characteristics, it is suggesting that poems are experienced differently by each person. Through these subtle hints, Colquhoun indicates that there is much more to reading poems than understanding the author’s message. Colquhoun’s
Colquhoun first establishes that a poem is different from the words that create the poems. Using the analogy of a soul, Colquhoun shows that the true essence of a poem is the meaning that it conveys and that the physical form of paper and ink of a poem would not have any significance without the reader’s interpretation. Colquhoun covertly suggests that words can have two different meaning; the definitional meaning and the meaning the reader gives the word. When reading poems, Colquhoun argues that the reader should interpret the the poem’s message so that the message pertains to the reader. Colquhoun exploits the irony of using a poem to teach how to understand poems by writing the poem in complete metaphors and figurative speech. Colquhoun forces the reader to use their analytical and interpretational skill to understand the poem. Through all these hints and ideas that I formed from reading “A Set of Instructions To Be Used When Reading A Poem,” I interpreted that Colquhoun’s aim was to show the reader that poetry is a more than just a description or a story, it is a message to the soul and it can only be heard when the reader let it influence him or her in all aspect of their