Dickey Readings

As mentioned in class today, we'll go back to "Revelation" after the Easter break, so refresh your memory about that text for next Weds., 4/19.

For our classes on Fri. 4/21 and Mon. 4/24, we'll be reading a selection of poems by James Dickey, which I handed out as a packet today. Here are the "pre-reading" questions to help generate some insight into Dickey's poetry:

1) Try to identify the tone of each poem. Which poems are intense, urgent? Which ones are more contemplative?

2) Which ideas and images get repeated throughout the selection of poems?

3) For each poem, underline some phrases that strike you as unique and arrest your attention. How does the poet's choice of words convey an emotional or intellectual effect?

4) Characterize the relationship between human beings, animals, and nature in these poems.