On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High by D. C. Berry

Before
I opened my mouth
I noticed them sitting there
as orderly as frozen fish
in a package.

Slowly water began to fill the room
though I did not notice it
till it reached
my ears

and then I heard the sounds
of fish in an aquarium
and I knew that though I had
tried to drown them
with my words

that they had only opened up
like gills for them
and let me in.

Together we swam around the room
like thirty tails whacking words
till the bell rang

puncturing
a hole in the door

 

where we all leaked out

They went to another class
I suppose and I home

where Queen Elizabeth
my cat met me
and licked my fins
till they were hands again.

Initial Interpretation:
The poem seems to be very straightforward. The narrator is a speaker at a high school where the students seem to be as disinterested and stiff as a pack of frozen fish. Surprisingly as she is talking, they begin to thaw out and become more interested in what she has to say. Eventually the room is full of water and it is like an aquarium. She thought that she had overload them with words but she realized that while she did talk a lot, they listened to her and let her in. Then they went back to class and she went home where her cat made her feel a bit more human again.

Paraphrase:
As I was beginning to speak, I noticed how the students were all sitting together uniformed and bored as a pack of frozen fish. I talked and talked and slowly they began to loosen up and become interested in what I had to say. I didn't notice it though until I heard the sounds of their chatter.  Even though I thought I was talking too much for them to be interested, they opened up their ears and listened to what I had to say. Together we discussed what I had to talk about until the bell rang signaling it was time to go. Our conversation died as they went to class and went home. That's where my cat Queen Elizabeth kept me company until I felt disconnected from them again.

SWIFTT:
SW- Berry's poem is not is a set structure. The poem is in free verse style. There is no rhyme or meter. Since the central image of the poem has to do with fish, Berry uses words that are related to fish. For instance, he uses gillsto describe the students opening up and letting his words in. The narrator's words are represented by the water. He mentions an aquarium and he says that they swam around the room to describe the discussion they were having.
I- The poem is full of imagery. The imagery is of students turning into fish. Berry might use this image because he is talking to a school and some fish swim in schools.
F- The whole poem is a long simile that starts with the line, "I noticed them sitting there/as orderly as frozen fish/in a package."
T- The tone of the poem is shocked. The narrator thought that the students weren't going to listen to a word she said, but it turns out they responded to her well.
T- The theme might be to not judge too quickly. The narrator thought that the students weren't going to listen to her but she realized that they were interested and they participated in discussions. The theme could also be about how to reach out to disinterested students. One needs to relate to them and have them participate in the discussion.

Conclusion:
My conclusion is the same. The poem is very straightforward. Everything that the author is trying to say is in the open in the poem.