In the first line, the words are described as soul-kissing. This use of a cyclical structure could serve to emphasize the importance of words. Nelson also ends her first and final lines of ‘How I Discovered Poetry’ with the same word, ‘words’. Perhaps we can take from this that the art form itself is more powerful than the cruelty shown by the teacher. However, if we assume that this poem is at least partially autobiographical it clearly didn’t destroy the writer’s love of poetry completely. This breaking with convention could point to the fact that this act might have killed the speaker’s love of poetry. However, the rhyme scheme does not match up with that common of a sonnet, indeed ‘How I Discovered Poetry’ does not have a rhyme scheme at all. The poem measures 14 lines, which instantly links it to the idea of a sonnet, a form that is normally associated with love. At first, this appears to be the teacher promoting a love of the art but it transpires that the material is full of racial slurs and injustices and the act is designed to humiliate the speaker. The teacher notes her interest in poetry and gives her a poem to read in front of the class the next day. While other students are not interested in the lesson, a childhood Nelson wants to hear as much as she can, taking a particular interest. Nelson sets the poem within a classroom, with the teacher giving a lesson on poetry. ‘How I Discovered Poetry’ at first seems to extol the beauty of poetry, presenting it as something that captivates the poet.
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