Monday, March 19, 2012

Poem of the Week: 3/19

"On Turning Ten" by Billy Collins. Participate in an online analysis of this poem.  Continue to build on what others before you have noticed, and add your interpretation.  Pose questions to your classmates about aspects of the poem that may be confusing.  Consider key lines, images, structure, devices and themes.  Aim for 3-5 sentences.  Due Friday.

61 comments:

  1. This poem shows the reality of aging; it is not as exciting as it may seem because you are suddenly thrown into a world of responsibilities and obligations. "But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life, I skin my knees. I bleed." Your childhood dreams become more distant, and your imagination begins to fade. "It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light." Billy Collins truly portrays this sadness and great loss of innocence in his poem.

    Karlie
    Period 1

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  2. This poem exemplifies the fact that everyone gets old, and that you aren’t going to be a child forever. I believe that this poem is about how Billy Collins is remembering his childhood and all of the fun things that he has done. When he states “At four I was an Arabian wizard. I could make myself invisible by drinking a glass of milk a certain way. At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince.” I am really able to picture and image in my head of him going through and doing all of these memories. When I read that I was clearly able to think back to my childhood and remember myself doing just about every single thing that Mr. Collins did. Towards the end of the poem it is showing how he is an old man who now wishes he could do everything he did when he was a child, but now cant because of his age.

    Dylan Carleton
    Period 5

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  3. This poem is truly sad as you sit there and really think about it. Billy Collins is right, how he shows how as you began adulthood and start aging, all your childhood fantasies and dreams fade away. Everything you once believed in just disappear like it actually never existed. “It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends, Time to turn the first big number.” Everyone believed in or once had imaginary friends. But once you start getting older you began to change. This poem shows all the good things you miss out on when you have to grow up and take on responsibilities. It shows how you no longer are a kid, and once you turn that age, everything changes. And the worst part about it, “It seems only yesterday I used to believe,” it goes by so fast, and is so hard to remember. But you know deep down what it was like to have all that fun.


    JJ Period 5

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  4. In this poem "On Turning Ten" by Billy Collins, I can relate to the feeling of turning ten years old just like everyone else who has experienced it. You feel nervous but exciting and then scared, turning into the 'double digits' stage makes you have a gut feeling of leaving childhood and beginning a pre-teen life. But then you think of all the things you are able to do when you get older and get a feeling of excite and joy. Your body gives off a feeling of the memories and things you could dream of as a kid. “This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself, as I walk through the universe in my sneakers. It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends.” Everything seems to fade away into dreams and Billy shows this perfectly in his poem.

    -Zack Bortolan period 5

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  5. I really liked this poem very much. Like karlie said its the reality of ageing. He use to be so innocent and not have any worries and life but once you hit that age everything turns and you now have all differences things thrust upon you, to be mature and to do so many more things that didn't need to be done when you were little "and my bicycle never leaned against the garage
    as it does today" is the line that hits me the most showing how before he had the energy to put it away the will and the time. Now on this day where age and irresponsibility and sadness has hit you don't hell the energy as you once did. There no need to do those little things that you use to do before. Over all it was a very well written poem of coming of age
    Pierina Lopez Period 7

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  6. This poem is about growing up. The author tells about how he was really nervous to grow up and didn't know what to expect. "The whole idea of it makes me feel like I'm coming down with something, something worse than any stomach ache" this shows that he had a lot of anxiety about growing up. He goes from thinking about his childhood to talking about how it's time to grow up and mature. The things he was saying about his childhood were detailed and made it possible for me to picture what he was talking about in my head.

    Karlie Komoroski

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  7. This poem seems to be describing "coming of age" which is the transition from childhood to adulthood. It is true that he is turning 10, and that 10 is a young age, but that does not mean he can't make the transition then. This point is made in the lines,

    "You tell me it is too early to be looking back,
    but that is because you have forgotten
    the perfect simplicity of being one"

    He admits that people think he is too young, but he is already lamenting over losing his innocent past. When people come of age, they tend to look back to their innocent days, wishing that they were never exposed to the dark truths of the world that came with becoming an adult. They thought it to be happier when things were left unknown. This is further expressed in the last stanza where it talks about how naïve he was as a child, feeling spirited and almost invincible with the positivity of light under his skin. Then, one day, he is faced with the truth that he can skin himself and bleed. This was one of the harsh realities he had to realize.

    Sidney
    Period 1

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  8. Even though I really like the poem, it also makes me really sad. I wish there was some way to tell this kid that life isn’t all bad from ten on. But during that ‘coming of age’ period it may seem like it will be. Collins’ descriptions really made me feel the loss of innocence and joy that this kid is feeling. For example, the last stanza, one of my favorite parts of the poem, reads, “It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light. If you cut me I could shine. But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life, I skin my knees. I bleed.” Another one of my favorite parts of the poem was the opening line because I can really relate to it. It says, “The whole idea of it makes me feel like I'm coming down with something.” This is so true. When I think of all the blissful happiness I enjoyed during my childhood and how I will never be able to find that in the same way again, I feel sick. As I was reading the poem, I wondered what event was making this kid come to terms with getting older so abruptly. Was it the simple act of turning 10? Usually, I feel like an event makes you ‘come of age’. For instance, in The Kite Runner, Amir loses his innocence when he witnesses Hassan getting raped. In The Things They Carried, the boys getting drafted lose their innocence when they first see the horrors of a war. But I guess the coming of age happens differently for every person.
    Kaity R.
    Period 4

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  9. This poem has a mood of rememberance and sadness combined. It is easy to understand where the author is coming from. He reflects on how getting older, is more challenging and sometimes stressful. I think he reflects on how a person has so much freedom until they start to grow up and conform to society. Agreeing with Cid and Kaity,I was also thinking about what event could have possibly made this kid think that he was growing up, because when I remember my 10th birthday, it was not sad, it was a celebration of hitting the "double digits" I was left to think, was it simply turning 10? Or did something impact him to make him feel this way. The "coming of age"is a very important part in one's life. It can either scar you forever, or leave an incredible memory. Regardless, the author is clearly showing how coming of age can impact one's life. They turn into a total different person.
    -Aisha period1

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  10. This poem exerts the different emotions that children face when turning a new age. While reading this poem I got a new perspective on the positives and negatives of aging. Personally, turning a double digit was one of my favorite times during my life because I knew I was one step closer to becoming a teenager. Six years later, the author, Billy Collins made me realize that "Coming of Age" can also be negative. He describes how his imagination has faded and everything that was once fun isn't fun anymore. In the fourth stanza Billy Collins say, "This is the beginning of sadness," This quote stood out to me because it made me wonder what lessons were taught to him to make him believe that turning ten was so awful. Was he simply afraid of turning a new age and receiving more responsibilities ? or did something happen to make him think this way? My opinion is his mentality has changed. He came to the realization that growing up is hard, and he can never relive his younger years.

    Bryanna Willaby
    Period 7

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  11. I believe this poem is easy to relate to because we have all been in the same situation at a point in our lives. We've all had that moment of clarity when we realize that the "perfect simplicity of being one" will never occur again. It may seem too early for a ten year old to be nostalgic about his childhood but to him that has been his entire life and now it is gone. Many adults feel it is silly for us as teenagers to be wistful towards our earlier days, yet it is perfectly reasonable. Billy Collins' poem shows us how significant our past is even if it were only a few years. However hidden within the poem is a line of hope: "the beautiful complexity introduced by two". Entering into double digits is a rite of passage that brings about a whole new world of fascinating challenges. Even if we no longer shine when cut, the blood we bleed introduces us to a whole new range of possibilities.

    Steve Perrotti
    Period 4

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  12. I agree with Pierina and Karlie that this poem is definitely about someone coming of age. It is very interesting that he was worrying about reaching "the first big number," but it seems like something that everyone faces eventually in their lives. He knows that he has to accept that he's growing up, even though he doesn't want to.

    I feel the ending is very powerful.

    "If you cut me I could shine.
    But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,
    I skin my knees. I bleed. "

    Perhaps he is also considering the pain that could come with growing up. Do you think he is starting to wonder about more "grown up" things, instead of being in an imaginary land all the time?

    Alessandra M.
    Per. 4

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  13. I really liked this poem. The author wrote about aging and growing up. He used to be innocent and not have any worries in the world but to be a kid. But now when he hit a certain age where its time to mature and grow up and start to worry about thins in life. when he was talking about "Saying goodbye to my imaginary friends" that hit me. Because every kid has imaginary friends that they talk to and play with but once you grow up you stop. He talked about his childhood with such detail and I really liked it and i could connect to it.

    Erica Celentano
    Period 4

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  14. I really liked this poem. The author wrote about aging and growing up. He used to be innocent and not have any worries in the world but to be a kid. But now when he hit a certain age where its time to mature and grow up and start to worry about thins in life. when he was talking about "Saying goodbye to my imaginary friends" that hit me. Because every kid has imaginary friends that they talk to and play with but once you grow up you stop. He talked about his childhood with such detail and I really liked it and i could connect to it.



    ari
    p5

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  15. In this poem, the author talked about leaving his kid days behind him and he now thinks he has to mature once he turns ten. I really liked this poem because I could relate to it. He looks back at his past 9 years of his life and talks about who he used to be. He didn't have a worry in the world and he could become anything his imagination wants. I like how he talked about his parents telling him he's too young to be looking back, with him replying that they have forgotten what it's like to be a kid. His parents have no comment in what he is feeling. His feelings are his and only his. He is at the first double-digit age and he feels that it is a big milestone in his life. I liked reading this poem and I hope there are more like this.

    Henry
    P.5

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  16. In my opinion this poem is showing coming of age/growing up. Some parts make me think positave and some parts negative. Some of the poems I have read in class this year I didn't really understand but this one I did because I could relate to it and most of it everyone goes through. This part of the poem stuck out to me the most, "It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends." This makes me thing of every kid having an imaginary friend that they had to say good-bye to because they realized as they grew up this friend was indeed imaginary. When I read this qoute I also think of saying good-bye to friends that you thought were your friends but were really fake friends that you realized you didn't need.

    Ashlie Forsberg
    Period 5

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  17. I liked this poem because it reminded me when I was around that age and I didnt have a care in the world and especially when he said at 7 i was a solider that reminded me of myself because when I was that age I would go in the woods look for a stick that looked like a gun and I would pretend I was a storm trooper from starwars. I find this poem to be about the good old days the days where you would do what you want not care if you look weird doing it but when you turn the double digits you feel like your an adult and that you have to stop being a kid.
    -ryan
    period5

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  18. This poem is about growing up. When you hit a certain age you need to mature and act more like an adult than like a kid, but some people aren't ready for that. It can be scary but everyone has to do it sometime.

    -Lauren Atkinson
    Period 5

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  19. I personally believe this poem seems a little dark for the age of the person talking. Yes, they are aging but they are still very young. For example they say, “But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,
    I skin my knees. I bleed.” It is almost haunting how they mention them bleeding, possibly not physically but maybe emotionally because they don’t want to move on with life. I agree with most people’s comments saying this poem is about coming of age, the person talks about letting things go and moving forward but I feel a sense of them not wanting to continue on, as if they want to stay a child forever.
    -Emma Corbett period 5

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  20. this poem strikes me as a very sincere poem about maturity and the process of maturing. Not only in age, but in behavior as well. This poem is a good example of how people must, at some point in their life, begin to act more like an adult. Yes, there is a time for childhood but when you get older and gain more responsibility, you must do your best to own up to that responsibility.
    Marc Canzanella
    Period 7

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  21. It seems as if the subject of the poem, the 10 year old boy, recently witnessed something traumatic and life changing. Something must have made him feel solemn about the world around him. I certainly don’t think that turning 10 is something to be depressed and nostalgic about. As I was reading this poem I could imagine the little boy having fun and living his life to the fullest, but once he turned 10, the whole world seemed gloomy to him. He sees his bike with “all the dark blue speed drained out of it.” It seems as if he doesn’t want his age to turn into double digits because of what he has to face next. He’s transitioning into a new stage of his life with a whole new and different perspective. That one defining moment that changed his innocence has recently come, and he’s now realizing life’s harsh realities.

    Kelly Du
    Period 1

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  22. "The whole idea of it makes me feel
    like I'm coming down with something,
    something worse than any stomach ache
    or the headaches I get from reading in bad light--
    a kind of measles of the spirit," I chose this quote because this is how every one feels as they turn ten because they are leaving childhood behide and enbraceing adulthood. What goes throught your mind when you leaveing chilhood and going to adult hood is that you think that you will lose all of your freinds.

    austin fries (per 7)

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  23. To start off, the last couple of lines stuck out at me when I read this poem. When he states that he bleeds, he does not say that he also cries. I believe this poem symbolizes coming of age, and in this case, how we must conceal our emotions as we grow up. It is known that adults are too strong to cry or show any signs of weakness, and I think the author of this poem was indirectly referring to that.


    In addition, that is a very interesting point Kelly. I didn’t get the vibe that something traumatic happened to him, but simply the fact of growing up was scary enough. However, I read the poem again with you point of view and it is plausible that some traumatic event could have happened to him, and he was using his age as a source to blame.

    Pompeo M.
    Per. 4

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  24. This poem is one that everyone can relate to because inevitably, we all grow older. The writer takes us year by year of the growing up phase until the point that we become mature. The point in the poem when this happens is when the writer says "I skin my knees. I bleed." When the boy in the poem realizes that there is blood under his skin, it is just a symbol of loss of innocence. He sees that horrible things can happen and do happen. He sees that a lot of times life is hard and really sucks. I remember the day I turned ten and it was the last day I would ever be a single digit age I thought to myself. For me age ten wasn't really the point where I had any major loss of innocence or coming of age, and it may not have been for Billy Collins either. But, turning ten represented that time in his life where he grew up a lot.

    Emily McColl
    period four

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  25. This poem represents how as we grow up we realize we have a lot of responsibilities. We have to know who we are and how much we have to do in the world. It is a harsh reality for a ten year old to know he is not a kid anymore. It is even harder for us to know we have even more responsibilities then the ten year old kids.
    kc
    per.1

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  26. As I read this poem it made me think of myself in some sense. For any person when they think of getting older it is haunting to them, no one wants to grow up, because with that comes new challenges for a person to have to face. For someone who is young this is hard to get a grasp on.For Billy Collins it seems as though for him this age is a time when he grew up and maybe lost a lot of his innocence that makes him who he was.When being a young kid nothing bad ever happens they just go through life enjoying it but as Collin says now if he falls he bleeds.It almost makes me sad that he feels as though his life is comming to an end in a sense.. the fun times are older.If only someone was there to tell him that, that statement is wrong and that he will probably live a wonderful long live full of joy.

    Jenny Flynn
    Period 7

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  27. In this poem, Billy Collins writes about how as you grow older you have to mature more and more. He takes us through each carefree year of adolensence, and then at the last line he shows us that by a certain age we have to forget about childish things and learn how to be responsible. Growing up for most people is scary because you have to take more responsiblilty, and forget about believeing in certain things like imaginary friends. He also showed me in this poem that he believes he lost his innocence when he turned ten, and that he had to become more of an adult.


    Julia Annicelli
    Period:4

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  28. Billy Collins, the author of this poem, discuesses the reluctance the speaker has to "turn the first big number". Collins refers to this as a disease in which he has more responsibilities and could no longer enjoy his childhood. I feel everyone can relate to this as we all, at some point, gave up something we embraced as a child, whether it be an imaginary friend or a favorite toy. As a child, we strive to grow up and be older; however, when we reach this point, we cannot help but wish we were a kid once more.

    Tyler King
    Period 1

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  29. I think that Billy Collins was trying to show how as children grow up they gain more and more responsibilities. This poem was really interesting because it went from being happy and imaginative to being gloomy and sad. He made it seem as though when you grow up the fun is over. For example when Collins said " But now when i fall upon the side walks of life, I skin my knees, i bleed." It shows how when you are little and you mess up it is not a big deal, but now that he is older it hurts him. I think this was a good poem about growing older.

    Kathryn Collins
    Period 4

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  30. This poem kind of reminded me of myself when I used to be young. At the age of ten a child is expected to understand everything. It’s a time when innocence comes to an end. You are expected to respect elders, start planning about the future and take responsibilities. It’s that point of time when the imagination of a child somewhat comes to an end or we can say our society forces those children to stop imaging and begin to see the real world and see all kind of hatred, pain and all kinds of hard work. They are only expected to work hard and accomplish their goal. Society puts them under pressure only to accomplish the goal it does not matter whether it’s their dream or not.
    Shila R.
    Per 1

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  31. The poem is about getting older as ever one says. “But now I am mostly at the window watching the late afternoon light. Back then it never fell so solemnly against the side of my tree house, and my bicycle never leaned against the garage as it does today.” We see that Billy’s view on things is different than before. He also goes from being childish to more responsible. “It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light.
    If you cut me I could shine. But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life, I skin my knees. I bleed.” This shows that when he was little the responsibility of his actions did not lie on him but now he has to do face the consequences of his actions and we see here that ever action he takes now lives a mark in his life.
    sandrine Amin
    period 4

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  32. Growing up is hard for everyone. There are different responsibilities that come with each age, and the magic of innocence is lost. The narrator of the poem is haunted by the fact that he’s not only growing up, but that he's almost too aware of the fact that he’s growing up. He desperately clings to his youthful, playful memories, but there’s not much he can do but look forward in his life. We all go through this realization at some point. For some people, it’s when they turn 30 or 40. For others, like Billy Collins, it’s when they turn 10. Billy Collins lost the spark within him and is slowly realizing he’s only human, like the rest of us.

    Nina Mariotti
    period 1

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  33. I agree with what Karlie (Period 1) said, this poem is expressing a mans reality of finally growing up. In my opinion he is expressing how children have this care free lifestyle and an attitude in which anything is possible. However, with age we loose that part of ourselves. Sometimes we all recollect and wish that we could go back to how we used to be, but he's trying to get across that you can't live in the past. We all need to grow up at some point. Reality sets in when he falls and bleeds. The blood symbolizes the responsibilities that he carries with him no instead of the light that was in him as a child. The light represents a carefree world where anything is possible.
    -Jessica Teulings
    Period 4

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  34. I liked this poem. I had to read it a couple of times to really understand it, but i soon understood the overall meaning of the poem and that it really has a meaningful lesson. The poem it deals with the realities of growing up, as he refers to turning ten as a disease, similar to chicken pox, because sooner or later, we all get it. He shows is that we all must grow up, leave our simple and happy lives behind and accept the real world and it's burdens that follow coming of age. The lines that moved me and made me read again were "It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light. If you cut me I could shine. But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life, I skin my knees. I bleed."
    Kelly Parker
    Period 5

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  35. I like this poem. I didnt understand what the author was talking about until he said, "It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends,time to turn the first big number." It's obvious that the author is describing how he didn't want to grow up. I can completely relate to that because i hate my birthday and getting older. I think that everyone wants to remain a little kid forever. The line, "It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light. If you cut me I could shine. But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life, I skin my knees. I bleed" makes sense to me. The author is saying that as you grow older you start to realize more things that aren't so appealing about life. All the magic and mystery about the world starts to dissipate. With age comes more things to worry about and be responsible for, and that can be an upsetting thing to realize as a young child. But anyways, I liked this poem's overall mood and I thought it was clever.

    Ainson- period 1

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  36. I enjoyed the theme of this poem. It gives a sense of loss that everyone has experienced. Childhood is hard to give up because it gives you such a state of wonder. When you are that young, you can be entertained for hours by nothing but your own thoughts, and the world seems a much larger place. As you hit 10 years old, the magic begins to fade, and toys and imagination are no longer enough to hold your attention. There is a certain nostalgia that goes along with it, and I believe the author captures it well.

    Chrissy Beaulac
    Period 4

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  37. I did like this poem for many reasons. The most important being that he gave explicit examples that has to do with each age. He really gives life to the ages that he described, and i thought that was interesting. However, this poet seems to be a little too pessimistic about life. He is only turning ten, and he is already sad about his childhood being over. He really shows his feelings when he says "This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself,
    as I walk through the universe in my sneakers. It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends, time to turn the first big number." I dont think he realizes that when you are ten, your childhood is far from over. You still have a simple life at that point: Easy school work, no stresses, and minimal responsibility. I just can't seem to understand why he is so sad to essentially continue his childhood. It is possible that he may think it is a big deal to have an age of double digits, but he doesnt realize that there isn't much of a difference from being nine and being ten. Instead of contemplating about imaginary worries produced from being ten, the poet should continue to value his young age and cherish his childhood before it is really over.

    Alex Gogliettino
    Per. 4

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  38. I think that this poem is a coming of age poem. It shows so people take thier childhood for granted and how when people don't realise what they have untill its gone as cliche as it is. The author is talking about thier childhood and trying to go into a mental state where he remembers every detail even the smallest that happend in his life. When hes talking about " At seven I was a soldier, and nine a prince" I feel like he's talking about how he misses the freedom of thought about being a child. As a child you are alowed to let your imagination run free as you please. No one would judge you based on you decsions. Then as you read on after that he's talking about how he misses all of those childhood memories and wants them back and how he would do anything to get them back.

    Taylor Perry

    Period 5

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  39. "On Turning Ten" reveals a great deal about humanity and the loss of innocence in such a few short lines. As previously stated above, the author of the poem, Billy Collins, places a heavy influence on that of the mind, spirit, and soul which can be directly found in lines 1-4. Collins' reference and stress of these three intangible possessions conveys that their usage is of higher significance. Childhood is medley of emotions that when viewed upon from a psychological perspective determines developmental traits of one's human adult self. The process of leaving the marked age of single digits and into those of double digits represents a passage into a new chapter of life concerned with different measures of identity and self. It is evident within the second stanza that Collins' displays a melancholy mood when referring to his past birthdays and the influential memories and sensations that accompany the numerical values of aging. From his lugubrious tone and morose choice of diction it is clear to the reader that the author of the poem places a special attachment on those ages and is tentative of their departure. This tentativeness is accompanied by a fear of the unknown that the age of 10 brings in. It is a commonality of the human condition to fear the unknown because as social animals the human population strives to have a sense of control and power over the present and near future. Therefore, when the possibility of anything happening arrives, that is truly when we are left in the weariness of our consciousnesses. The poem then takes the conjugation of the present and places a dramatic negative connotation on aging through the word choice of "solemnly" and "drained" both referring to aspects of childhood that had lost their attractiveness and sense of enjoyment. In the words of Collins, "this is the beginning of sadness", a beginning of which all nonsense must be forgotten and maturity be found. The past of "imaginary friends" and skin full of light was no longer an accepted form of reality. Collins ultimately loses his innocence of childhood when he realizes that his body does in fact bleed when skinned against the asphalt of the ground. The poem "On Turning Ten" orates the preciousness of childhood and the innocence that accompanies it in addition to advising others to hold onto that state of mind for as long as possible.

    - Alexander Borkowski Period 1

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  40. I was quite impressed with this poem; I truly found myself experiencing different emotions as I read through the whole piece. At first, I thought that the author's depiction of a ten year old boy was unusual in the sense that the boy seemed far too mature and negative as he dreads the arrival of his birthday. Through my experience of watching my younger siblings grow up, I've been able to see what a typical ten year old would normally think about or perhaps view his or her life at that young age; I began to wonder if the author suffered some sort of early trauma that could have triggered such a negative reaction to the come of another birthday. I feel that he is too young at the age of ten, however, to be looking back upon his earlier years and mourning the loss.
    I was immensely captivated by the last lines of this poem because it shows that distinctive moment when a child discovers a significant piece of reality that brings him or her out of the childish fantasy and towards the teenage and the adult ages. Collins skillfully portrays the epiphany that the boy receives when he realizes that instead of a gentle, whimsical light flowing from the body, he is harshly welcomed by blood.

    Zhanneta.
    Period 1.

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  41. As everyone has pointed out, this poem is about loss of innocence and coming of age. Billy Collins describes how it feels going from those one digit numbers to two digit numbers, and he feels it is a terrible change. When growing up, we all get more of an understanding of the world around us. In his poem, Collins addresses that age ten is when the ideas and beliefs previously thought up begin to fade. All the imaginary, mystical worlds and beings dreamed up when he was little were starting to sound silly as years passed by because maturity took them away. In addition, Collins writes, “If you cut me I could shine. But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life, I skin my knees. I bleed.” Here he is talking about his childhood belief that he could live forever and nothing could hurt him or anyone he loved. And that belief was one that disappeared after he found out about death most likely. Collins says, “my bicycle never leaned against the garage as it does today, all the dark blue speed drained out of it.” This reminds me of the phrase ‘out with the old, in with the new’. The new might not be better, but times have changed and it is what it is. Collins used to think his bike went really fast, but later on he realized he only thought it did. The imagination had been taken from bike and had been filled with a slower reality. Going through big changes is generally difficult and starting to go through those pre-teen and teenage years is just one example. I believe Billy Collins captured coming of age perfectly.

    Meglin Bodner Per. 5

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  42. Billy Collins' "Turning Ten" grasps the concept of coming of age perfectly. Reading this poem made me realize how truly sad it is to grow up. Even just turning 10 is a big deal. I remember when I was just about to turn 10 - I was excited because I would then be in the double digits, and closer to being a teenager. Now I look back and wonder - why was I so eager to be older? It was so fun to be a little kid. Imagination is so vivid and crucial to a kids life - why is it that as we get older, it gets harder and harder to let ourselves explore our imagination? It's sad to think that we won't ever have that imagination like we used to when we were younger...like if sticking your arms out horizontally and running around, you were flying a plane, for example.
    Summer Harvey period 5

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  43. This poem shows the chalenges of comming of age and how turning 10 was so important at the time and the imagination that he had. i remeber a few years ago when i thought being 10 was so special but now it is just a fading memeory in my past. after reading this poem it is sad to me the imagination i have lost and the memories i have forgotten. in the en "turning ten" has helped me look back into my past and remeber when i first came of age.
    jennifer lassman p1

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  44. This poem shows perfectly the coming of age. We all want to grow up so fast and each and every year it seems as if kids are growing up faster. I remember being a kid and wanting to grow up. Now I think back and I can't even come up with a reason why I wanted to grow up because growing up is hard and it comes with challenges. You give up a lot to grow up. Kids are expected to have an imagination and to be creative, but as you grow up that tends to fade away because instead of needing to be creative you are expected to know years worth of facts. Being a kid was so easy and being a teenager with responsibility is extremely tough. I bet all of us would give up a day of being an adult or a teenager to go back to be a kid for just a day. It is funny how we all want what we can't have. We all wanted to grow up when we were little kids and now that we are grown we find ourselves wanting to go back to a simpler time when we were kids.
    Kelsie DePino
    Period: 5

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  45. This poem shows that when your young you want to be a adult but when you get older you wish you were a kid again. This poem is a perfect way of coming of age because you want to grow up and life happens fast and when you get to that point ya you have a lot more freedom but sometime you wish you can do all that kid stuff again. When I was a kid I would watch spots and say to myself I want to be that person or I want to play on that team and my family goes to the casino a lot and I allways wanted to gamble with them but i wasn't old enough. Now i kin of miss being young all the fun games that I played with friends and I'm a junior in high school only have one year left and all these years spending my time with all my friends is about to go away when we graduate so sometimes you wish you can go back in the past. So yaeh its exciteted when your kid to amigin to grow up but when you get to that age your goanna miss being a kid.

    Nick DeBroi Period 5

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  46. I really enjoyed this poem. I think Billy is trying to explain that when he turned 10, that is when he realized he needs to start acting a little more "grown-up". For example, at the end of the poem he states that when he use to be cut he shined, but now when he gets cut, he bleeds. Him turning 10 makes him realize that is an age where he should be having imaginary friends anymore, he needs to come to reality.

    -Michelle Caron Per.5

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  47. This poem is about coming of age and the hardships we go through as we become older. Turing ten is when you hit the big double digits. It is a milestone in your life and it means you have to take on more responsibility. growing up to quickly is never fun but its a reality and we need to start acting more like adults when we are older.

    Laurel
    per. 5

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  48. I think this poem is very easy for all of us to relate to. At some point in your life you have to leave behind your childhood antics and become more mature. I agree that turning 10 was a significant event in all of our lives. However, I wouldn’t say that turning 10 is a turning point in our lives. Many people have said that this poem is about the loss of innocence, but I don’t think your age changing is enough to take away your innocence. Yes, as we grow older we learn to take on more responsibilities, but on your birthday you are still the same person you were the day before your birthday. I don’t think our age defines us as much as people think it does. Maturity is more about experiences and how you react to different situations.




    Kelly L.

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  49. After reading this poem a couple of times, I now understand the meaning of it and where the author was coming from. He is just a young boy that didn’t want to grow up. “It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light” this quote made me really realize what Billy Collins was getting at. When you are younger you don’t really think about things the same way or view of how you do when you get older. It was a well written poem that discussed “coming of age.”

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  50. The poem is of a coming of age of seeing the world through different eyes. Mabey its only one more day, mount, year but anything could have happened. nothing may have been changeing to everything having been riped out from under him showing what could and is happening, makeing the day before seem all the more magical.
    Tom Gingras
    Per.7

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  51. This poem says how as we grow up we realize we have a lot of responsibilities. We have to know who we are and the rite choices to make uin our day to day life. It is a harsh reality for a ten year old to know he is not a kid anymore. It is even harder for us to know we have even more responsibilities then the ten year old kids.
    JOsh Celone Per 7

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  52. this poem is about growing up and beginning to realize what you want to do and what you want to get out of your life. its about more than age, because that is just a number, its about the gaining of responsibility and the pressures that you are about to undergo to achieve your goals and be successful for the rest of your life.
    ali nuzzo
    period 7

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  53. "I could make myself invisible
    by drinking a glass of milk a certain way.
    At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince." I chose this qoute because every kid has a story like this one. It made me think of when I was turning ten. It feels like it was yesturday and now I'm 17, time fly's when your having fun if you know what I mean.

    Walter Kreske
    Period

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  54. Wen i first read the title of this poem, i wasn't sure about the idea behind the poem. But then as i read on, i found out it's a coming of age poem. I enjoyed reading it. In my interpretation, The boy was noticing that as he got older, when he reached 10, it was time to start acting his age, or more mature. This is how life is somewhat like. As you get older, you start facing reality, and grow up.

    Amanda Genovese (period 7)

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  55. This coming of age poem was so compelling because it was relatable. Everyone in our class who read this poem has turned ten and is currently going through a stage of growing up, and reading this poem certainly showed this. The line The whole idea of it makes me feel
like I'm coming down with something,
something worse than any stomach ache” stood out the most to me, because to me, this feeling will never go away, it will continue with you as you continue to age and grow through life.
    Rachel H P5

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  56. This poem is very intersting because it reveals a certain stage that we, the people, go through life. It shows us that we get to a certain time in life, where we started getting use to the fact that we have to be responsible and that everything we thought it was true was just "imaginary". It shows how we get to a certain point where we are not creative as we use to be. We are never going to go back to those times where anything but us and our imagination matter.
    Jennyfer Jarrin
    Period 5

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  57. this poem really talks about the becoming of age of people and how we all change as we grow older. I know it happens to me when i think about things I use to do in the past, and whether it was 10 years ago or last summer, looking back sometimes I wish I had acknowledged all of the things going on. This poem makes a lot of since when it talks about things you can no longer do when you get older it makes it seem as if being a child is almost taboo. Anyone I really enjoyed this poem because it brought back memories of things I remember doing.

    Sorry I did this today, thought it was due Monday, but I guess that was the Vocab....
    Edgar Ortiz
    Period 1

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  58. This poem is about how growing up happens so fast that you don't even notice it happening but it is something you have to accept. The author spoke about how was looking back on his life and how he is now in a time where he needs to take responsibility and forget about the "imaginary" things he had in his childhood.
    Chase Swift
    Period 5

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  59. I thought this poem was very thought provoking, I think it is interesting that the author, Billy Collins, choose ten as the age of coming out of childhood. Usually 13 is the age that is most associated with coming of age stories. This make me wonder why Collins choose 10, and if this poem is part of a longer story and if there is a big significance to the age for him. Overall I think the author did a great job describing the feeling of changing from a boy who thinks he bleeds sunshine to one who knows what it feels like to scrape a knee and bleed.
    Marisa
    Period 4

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  60. In my opinon, this poem was very well written and a lot of thought was put into it. Billy Collins deffinetly chose a difficult thing to write about, because in reality, who really feels like writing about their problems? I love how the poem talks about how growing up happens so fast, you dont even realize it. I agree with that 100%. You may realize you've grown up a bit or whatever, but time flys by, especially if you live a good life. It's sad how Billy cant forget about his past, when you're in the future, the past shoudnt matter much to yourself anymore. His childhood is gone, and now it's time to be an aduklt, and forget about what happened before in life.


    Hannah K

    Period 7

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  61. To me, this poem was very relatable. Sooner or later, everyone has to grow up. The "coming of age" period is hard for everyone, but it isn't the end of the world. Yes, coming of age comes with responsibility, school and work, but everyone must go through it. For me, growing up was tough so it's easy for me to relate to this poem. I just to be able to entertain myself for hours playing using only my imagination. Now, the only thing that holds my attention is my cell phone or the computer. I feel that the author understands this, and portrays growing up well.

    Kelly Smith
    Period 1

    PS-Sorry this is late. I didn't have access to the internet at the hotel or the airport!

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