1. “Some Days” by Billy Collins a sample lecture guide

2. The Basics—Dollhouse metaphor This poem employs an extended metaphor wherein the speaker is first playing with the dollhouse and then becomes the doll. This seems to point primarily to the idea of control vs. being controlled.

3. The language of control “put the people in their places” “fix” “motionless” “perfectly behaved” What does this language add up to? How is the speaker relating to the world in the first two stanzas?

4. The dollhouse people Manipulation “bend their legs at the knee/ if they come with that feature” “they face one another” Generic descriptions How are the people characterized? Why are they so easy to manipulate?

5. The shift… In stanza three, the speaker reveals in a rather matter-of-fact way that s/he is sometimes the doll. “lifted up by the ribs” “lowered” “to sit with the others” –passive “long table”—one of many

6. The BIG shift Stanza four’s tone is an abrupt departure from the very “this is just how it is” attitude of the first three stanzas. “Very funny”—confrontational “how would you like it”—petulant uncertainty What does this reveal about the speaker?

7. Notice the structural shift! The first three stanzas are perfectly contained—one complete sentence each. The fourth and fifth stanzas are a single sentence. Why?

8. The contrast—power and prestige “striding around” “vivid god” “shoulders in the clouds” From the expansive verb (“striding”) to the concepts of gods and giants, everything about being in control—the manipulator— is positive, powerful, and desirable. Power feels good.

9. The contrast—life in the dollhouse “amidst the wallpaper” --why wallpaper? Connotation? “staring straight ahead” “little plastic face” Whereas being the manipulator means being a “vivid god,” being manipulated makes the speaker into a toy for others.

10. Possible interpretations This could be a poem about a manipulative person who feels powerless when s/he is manipulated This could be about the fact that we are sometimes in control of our lives and sometimes buffeted by things beyond our control This could be about the idea that control is an illusion

11. The “Creeper” interpretation This poem could be taken as the expression of a sociopathic personality. Other people are generic and nonhuman—objects to be manipulated. Feeling of godlike control Anger when control is lost An analysis exploring this interpretation would focus on the speaker as a distinct individual discussing his/her view of the world.

12. The “sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug” interpretation This poem could be read as a more general statement on the human condition. In this version, the “people” are more abstract and represent aspects of life that seem to be under control—not actual people the speaker is manipulating. When the tone shifts, the “anger” is more just frustration at circumstances messing up the speaker’s plans An analysis using this interpretation would focus on the control/loss of control as a metaphor for the uncertainty of life in general.

13. The “happy puppet” interpretation You could posit the theory that ANY control the speaker seems to have is an illusion. In this interpretation, the dollhouse becomes the aspects of the speaker’s life that s/he tries to control—but s/he’s only “playing.” Reality is when s/he is manipulated, and the fantasy is an attempt to deny his/her status as one of the “little plastic face[s]” An analysis focusing on this interpretation would argue that the speaker’s depiction of the “dolls” is inaccurate, and that the speaker is trying to compensate for knowing that s/he really is just another doll.