What the Poets Could Have Been Summary

• eNotes
• Group

What the Poets Could Have Been | Summary

Lines 1–5

In “What the Poets Could Have Been,” Baggott begins with the word, “if.” She repeats this word several times in the first lines of the poem and uses this repetitive format to imagine what poets might have done, had they not been poets, had they been able to hold their minds in check and not let their thoughts drift beyond what was expected of them. The “if” is what might have been. The title of the poem makes clear that the subject is an exploration of what poets could have been, had they been different; it points to this poem’s inquiry.

...

[The entire page is 1040 words long]

Navigate

See Also:

• - What the Poets Could Have Been summary and study guide in the eNotes.

Tell a friend about What the Poets Could Have Been at eNotes.