Burning a Book (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: William Stafford
- First Published: 1987
- Type of Work: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
- Subjects: Literature, Writing, Books, Libraries or librarians, Fire, Censorship, Thought or thinking
The Poem
“Burning a Book” is in free verse, its nineteen lines divided into three verse paragraphs, units of thought of eight, nine, and two lines, respectively. Book burning is often seen as a symbol of censorship and ignorance, but this poem looks at book burning from a unique viewpoint. It is unwise to assume automatically that the poet and the speaker of a poem are speaking with the same voice, but very often such is the case. “Burning a Book” so closely identifies with William Stafford’s own views on writing that one can conclude there is no distinction between...
[The entire page is 1330 words long]
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