“Poetry” by Marianne Moore
Vocabulary
dilate – grow wider; expand
derivative – unoriginal
insolence – rudeness; arrogance
1. While Moore does not use meter in this poem, she does impose a strict form on it. How is the form achieved?
The form is achieved with the use of indentations, in the same place for each strophe.
2. What, according to the speaker, should ideally be like “imaginary gardens with real toads in them”? Explain the meaning of this phrase.
According to the speaker, poems should ideally be like imaginary gardens with real toads in them.
Answers may vary. Example: A poem should be unreal and illusory, but it should also be populated by actual feelings, characters, and concepts.