Dealing with poetry is frequently problematic for the university teacher and student: although undergraduates are usually responsive to discussions about drama and prose, poetry often silences the classroom. Unless a poem provides references easily applicable to their own lives, many students feel they can't relate to the piece and are stymied. In particular, allegorical poetry produces tensions among the desire to find the meanings of the poet's symbolism, the fear of voicing a "wrong" interpretation, and a natural objection to perceived restrictions on interpretive freedom.

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