--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Poems tend to have instructions for how…" description: "\"Poems tend to have instructions for how to read them embedded in their language.\" — Matthea Harvey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/def/matthea-harvey-10757_embedded_poems-tend-to-have-instructions-for-how_997480.jpg" --- # Poems tend to have instructions for how to read them… ![“Poems tend to have instructions for how to read them embedded in their language.” quote by Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/def/matthea-harvey-10757_embedded_poems-tend-to-have-instructions-for-how_997480.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/def/matthea-harvey-10757_embedded_poems-tend-to-have-instructions-for-how_997480.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/def/matthea-harvey-10757_embedded_poems-tend-to-have-instructions-for-how_997480.jpg) > “Poems tend to have instructions for how to read them embedded in their language.” [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem suggests that poems contain guidance on reading within their own wording. **In simple terms:** Poems embed reading instructions in their language. Key Takeaway Notice and follow the embedded cues. Themes poetry interpretation meta literature Mood reflective curious Type analytical educational When to use this quote - studying poetry - teaching literature - creative writing workshops Key Concepts self‑referentiality instructional language reader engagement Questions to Reflect On - How do you discover hidden instructions in a poem? - What effect does this meta‑guidance have on interpretation? A Different Perspective Readers may miss subtle cues if they read too quickly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Embedded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embedded/) [Embedded Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embedded-language-2084108/) [Instruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruction/) [Instructions Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instructions-read-2084109/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems/) [Poems Tend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems-tend-1057955/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Read Embedded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-embedded-2084107/) ## Related quotes > [My poems tend to be more celebratory and lyrical, and the novels so far pretty dark. Poetry doesn't seem to me to be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnside/my-poems-tend-to-be-more-celebratory-and-lyrical-and-the-novels-so/) [John Burnside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnside/) > [If girls came with instructions they would read: For best results shoot yourself in the face now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/if-girls-came-with-instructions-they-would-read-for-best-results/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [In the beginning, God created human beings, which is to say God put the ingredients together, embedded the instructions for building on the template,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/in-the-beginning-god-created-human-beings-which-is-to-say-god-put-the/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [We acquire both the language and religious concepts from our immediate culture – at the same time. A child cannot discriminate between useful survival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrel-ray/we-acquire-both-the-language-and-religious-concepts-from-our/) [Darrel Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrel-ray/) > [Each of us now has 2.27 kg (5 lbs) of plastic embedded in our bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/each-of-us-now-has-2-27-kg-5-lbs-of-plastic-embedded-in-our-bodies/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [I don't think there is ever a direct connection between the philosophical community and the wider populus. I'm very aware of this because I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/i-don-t-think-there-is-ever-a-direct-connection-between-the/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [No theory is too false, no fable too absurd, no superstition too degrading for acceptance when it has become embedded in common belief. Men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-george/no-theory-is-too-false-no-fable-too-absurd-no-superstition-too/) [Henry George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-george/) > [There is the philosophy embedded in the culture we are living. It is quite clear for example that Arabs have a different culture than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/there-is-the-philosophy-embedded-in-the-culture-we-are-living-it-is/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [By 2010 computers will disappear. They'll be so small, they'll be embedded in our clothing, in our environment. Images will be written directly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/by-2010-computers-will-disappear-they-ll-be-so-small-they-ll-be/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [It is never difficult to see images – when the principle of the image is embedded in the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-never-difficult-to-see-images-when-the-principle-of-the-image/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece. Such imperfections are your guides - valuable, objective, non-judgmental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of-2/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [I'm motivated by injustice, which is embedded and constant and wrong - not by a vernacular soundboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-richards/i-m-motivated-by-injustice-which-is-embedded-and-constant-and-wrong/) [Amy Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-richards/) > [At the heart of the gay marriage argument is an untruth: unions of two men or women are not the same as unions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-gallagher/at-the-heart-of-the-gay-marriage-argument-is-an-untruth-unions-of-two/) [Maggie Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-gallagher/) > [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) ## More by Matthea Harvey > [I don't think that you can say by any stretch of the imagination that all Wisconsin or Brooklyn-based poets write in a particular way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-don-t-think-that-you-can-say-by-any-stretch-of-the-imagination-that/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [Not everyone is going to like every carnival ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/not-everyone-is-going-to-like-every-carnival-ride/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I think poetry involves heightened noticing or imagining as well as creating a certain made shape. On the other hand, that shape can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-think-poetry-involves-heightened-noticing-or-imagining-as-well-as/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [When I get interested in a new topic I teach a class on it. There's a graduate seminar I teach in which the students…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/when-i-get-interested-in-a-new-topic-i-teach-a-class-on-it-there-s-a/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > ["Confessional poetry" is another one of those labels. It goes in and out of fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/confessional-poetry-is-another-one-of-those-labels-it-goes-in-and-out/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I don't think all poems need to be written in conversational language - those are often great poems but there should also be poems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-don-t-think-all-poems-need-to-be-written-in-conversational-language/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I let my narrative embroidering impulses take over in prose poems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-let-my-narrative-embroidering-impulses-take-over-in-prose-poems/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [When I have my students do erasures, I'm always amazed by the way their voice comes through, whether they're doing an erasure of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/when-i-have-my-students-do-erasures-i-m-always-amazed-by-the-way/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [Whether you're talking about political borders or aesthetic divisions (and clearly, the political ones have much more tragic consequences), it seems like once they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/whether-you-re-talking-about-political-borders-or-aesthetic-divisions/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [Usually form seems to find me in the process of writing a poem, though I have nothing against starting out with the form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/usually-form-seems-to-find-me-in-the-process-of-writing-a-poem-though/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I'm pretty lenient with myself about time - if I feel like taking photographs of small things inside ice cubes or making animal collages,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-m-pretty-lenient-with-myself-about-time-if-i-feel-like-taking/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [Recently, while I was in England, I saw a documentary on the BBC about the border between India and Pakistan at Wagah. When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/recently-while-i-was-in-england-i-saw-a-documentary-on-the-bbc-about/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [A lot of people are writing poems and don't realize it. They have this limited idea of how the poem should sound or what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/a-lot-of-people-are-writing-poems-and-don-t-realize-it-they-have-this/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I am pretty interested in hybrid forms. I love graphic novels and I think there should be more graphic poems in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-am-pretty-interested-in-hybrid-forms-i-love-graphic-novels-and-i/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I suppose it's useful in designating writing that tends to come from personal experience, work that delineates an "I," but it's a loose lasso,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-suppose-it-s-useful-in-designating-writing-that-tends-to-come-from/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) [Explore all 63 Matthea Harvey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) ## More Embedded quotes > [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [At the heart of the gay marriage argument is an untruth: unions of two men or women are not the same as unions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-gallagher/at-the-heart-of-the-gay-marriage-argument-is-an-untruth-unions-of-two/) [Maggie Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-gallagher/) > [I'm motivated by injustice, which is embedded and constant and wrong - not by a vernacular soundboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-richards/i-m-motivated-by-injustice-which-is-embedded-and-constant-and-wrong/) [Amy Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-richards/) > [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece. Such imperfections are your guides - valuable, objective, non-judgmental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of-2/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [It is never difficult to see images – when the principle of the image is embedded in the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-never-difficult-to-see-images-when-the-principle-of-the-image/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [By 2010 computers will disappear. They'll be so small, they'll be embedded in our clothing, in our environment. Images will be written directly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/by-2010-computers-will-disappear-they-ll-be-so-small-they-ll-be/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [There is the philosophy embedded in the culture we are living. It is quite clear for example that Arabs have a different culture than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/there-is-the-philosophy-embedded-in-the-culture-we-are-living-it-is/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [No theory is too false, no fable too absurd, no superstition too degrading for acceptance when it has become embedded in common belief. Men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-george/no-theory-is-too-false-no-fable-too-absurd-no-superstition-too/) [Henry George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-george/) > [I don't think there is ever a direct connection between the philosophical community and the wider populus. I'm very aware of this because I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/i-don-t-think-there-is-ever-a-direct-connection-between-the/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [Each of us now has 2.27 kg (5 lbs) of plastic embedded in our bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/each-of-us-now-has-2-27-kg-5-lbs-of-plastic-embedded-in-our-bodies/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [We acquire both the language and religious concepts from our immediate culture – at the same time. A child cannot discriminate between useful survival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrel-ray/we-acquire-both-the-language-and-religious-concepts-from-our/) [Darrel Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrel-ray/) > [We are (most of us) embedded in an exceedingly complex network of social relationships, many of which are vital to our well-being. Every day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-corning/we-are-most-of-us-embedded-in-an-exceedingly-complex-network-of/) [Peter Corning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-corning/) > [Еach song is like starting over. Because somehow, no song's formula works for another. And that's the beauty of it all. Each song's destiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-first/ach-song-is-like-starting-over-because-somehow-no-song-s-formula/) [David First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-first/) > [Anytime you step out of an embedded reporting situation, you're always making calculations about what's safe and what's not safe, feeling out the edges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-rowley/anytime-you-step-out-of-an-embedded-reporting-situation-you-re-always/) [Rick Rowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-rowley/) [Browse all 285 Embedded quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embedded/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Poems tend to have instructions for how to read them embedded in their language.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matthea Harvey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/poems-tend-to-have-instructions-for-how-to-read-them-embedded-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Embedded" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/poems-tend-to-have-instructions-for-how-to-read-them-embedded-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/def/matthea-harvey-10757_embedded_poems-tend-to-have-instructions-for-how_997480.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/def/matthea-harvey-10757_embedded_poems-tend-to-have-instructions-for-how_997480.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/def/matthea-harvey-10757_embedded_poems-tend-to-have-instructions-for-how_997480.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Poems tend to have instructions for how to read them embedded in their language.” — Matthea Harvey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Matthea Harvey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Poems tend to have instructions for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/poems-tend-to-have-instructions-for-how-to-read-them-embedded-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/poems-tend-to-have-instructions-for-how-to-read-them-embedded-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```