Reflection on "The First Book"

This poem was very short and took less than a minute to read. However, it was very interesting and made me think about the true meaning the poet is trying to get across to her reader. It is often hard for a person who doesn’t normally read to start reading chapter book for the first time. The point the poet is trying to make is that a person will never know if they like the book they are reading if they stop after the first couple of pages. The person needs to jump into the reading and get lost in the words. A good book has the power to allow an individual to forget about their own life temporarily and lose their self in the world inside the book. This can be a way to relieve some stress in an individual’s life and be a type of therapy for some. The poet makes a point that it takes time to like reading, but the only way to do so is to start and she expresses this when she says, “Sure, it’s hard to get started; remember learning to use a knife and fork? Dig in; You’ll never reach the bottom” (Rita Dove). She is also making the point that once you are lost in a good book it will make you want to continue reading others and you will never run out of books to read, there is no bottom. I liked this poem because it goes to show that a short poem such as this one can have so much meaning.


Here is a website where you can view the poem:
The First Book by Rita Book 
http://thechocolatechipwaffle.blogspot.com/2009/02/poem-first-book-by-rita-dove.html