As my respondent, Amy Laurence, and I discussed the poem Driving Lessons by Neal Bowers, we realized how one's personal background is able to reflect on your views on particular subjects such as poetry. Never before did I realize how different my friend of fifteen years and I really are. This goes to prove how people can "open up" through works of art such as poetry.
             When I first read this poem, I automatically thought back to two years ago when my parents taught me how to drive. Everyone is taught how to drive at some point in his or her life. Whether we liked it or not, we were told when to stop, when to slow down, and when to "try once more" (Bowers 778). At first, like many other young drivers, I was somewhat unstable and insecure in my driving abilities. But after much practice, various mistakes, and guidance from my parents, I was able to drive on my own. With learning how to drive came independence and a rare since of freedom. That is just how it is when it comes to life and the lessons it holds in its grasp. However, when we come up on trials, we have to learn to maneuver them and take them in stride.
             Amy had a different point to make. This poem didn't remind her of something puerile such as learning to drive, but it made her recollect on the struggling time when her parents decided to finalize their divorce. She felt as though she could relate with the speaker as he watched his father change. In line eleven, the speaker describes his father,
             "Driving beside her, slow as a beginner," (Bowers 780). This line brings back some unpleasant memories for Amy. Trying to fight back tears, Amy recalls the struggle for father went through when her mother left. "He was like a baby. He had to learn to live again. I think that is what the speaker was trying to say". After discussing this alternative with Amy, I too feel this is what the speaker wa...