How Could a Poem About Teaching Students to Read Poetry Have Anything to Do with the Law?

As first reported at the Legal Writing Prof blog (and with a Hat Tip to star legal writing professor Linda Edwards), Billy Collins’ poem Introduction to Poetry “holds well as an analogy for teaching 1Ls to read cases.”

This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. Andrew Golden

    When I was studying poetry at BU, we read that poem. It’s always been one of my favorites. Still, I never really thought about it as applicable to cases until you and Professor Edwards brought this up, so good call on that.

    (Still, perhaps if the courts wrote in clearer language, we’d be able to follow Collins’ advice a bit better 🙂 )

  2. Sean Samis

    This is a great poem!

    Thanks.

  3. Jessica E. Slavin

    I had never read it, and I really like it. I am glad to hear that you both do too.

  4. Mike McChrystal

    It is a lovely poem. It speaks to interpretation generally, and we should confront the possibility that lawyers sometimes may be law torturers more than law explorers.

  5. Andy Shiffman

    Wow – you are spot on in analogizing this poem to 1Ls reading and understanding cases.

  6. poliüretan köpük

    When I was studying poetry at BU, we read that poem. It’s always been one of my favorites.

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