De/compositions, 101 good poems gone wrong: by W.D. Snodgrass. St. Paul, MN: Graywolf Press, 2001, 312 pp., $16.00 paperback

Snodgrass uses this poem to illustrate the better effectiveness of the concrete and specific as opposed to the abstract and general. [...]How can these terrified vague fingers push the feathered glory from her loosening thighs" is far more powerful than "How shall her terror-stricken throes escape immortal radiance." The differences between the two, and the varying degrees of effectiveness, will generate considerable class discussion, the first step towards a developed literary critique. By revealing the essence of a poem, Snodgrass shows us that poetry is much more than the iteration of rhymed socio-political dogma, and by not even discussing sex, class, and caste he makes a silent statement as to what is truly important.