Paradoxes and Oxymorons Study Questions & Topics for Discussion

Paradoxes and Oxymorons Topics for Further Study

Do you agree with the speaker's claim that "This poem is concerned with language on a very plain level"? Why or why not?

Rewrite "Paradoxes and Oxymorons" using language that, to you, is on "a very plain level." Try to get at what you see as the meaning of the poem.

Write a poem that contains at least five allusions to popular culture.

Many modern and contemporary poets like Ashbery see poetry primarily as a form of play. After defining the term "play" to your satisfaction, discuss how you see "Paradoxes and Oxymorons" as an illustration (or not) of play.

Ashbery is frequently linked by personal history and aesthetic affinity to the abstract expressionists, a group of painters who were more interested in the process of creation than in the product itself. After researching abstract expressionism, write a short essay arguing for the ways in which...
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