Having a Coke With You Essay Questions

O'Hara alludes to visual art throughout the poem. What purpose does this serve?

In this poem, allusions are compelling, imaginative alternatives to metaphor and simile. By describing ways his lover is unlike famous works of art, the reader may imagine how the lover actually appears to the speaker in both attitude and form. This technique also subtly establishes the poem's argument about how life is greater than art.

How could O'Hara's poetic manifesto "Personism" be applied to "Having a Coke With You"?

In "Personism," O'Hara writes that this style "puts the poem squarely between the poet and the person." Because of the poem's casual, conversational tone, it isn't difficult to image the speaker telling the poem's lines to his lover. In the sense, the lines separating poetry, art, and life dissolve. O'Hara's speaker doesn't need elaborate literary techniques to craft a thoughtful, effective, and moving poem: he just needs his voice, an audience, and a reason to begin.