1) In many ways, "Kubla Khan" serves as social criticism. What parts of society do you think Coleridge is specifically criticizing? What was 19th Century England like at that time? What do you think were the social norms and conventions that the speaker in the poem is trying to subvert?
2) "Variations of the word love" addresses the overuse and therefore dilution of the word "love." The poem was originally published in 1974. How has the proliferation of the Internet and social media affected our use of language such as words like "love?" Do you "love" your new phone? Do you "love" caramel macchiatos? Do you "love" your children, parents, spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend? What does it mean to "love" an object as opposed to a person? Is Atwood correct in her assessment? If so, what recourse do we have?
3) Atwood's "Siren Song" is ironic on numerous levels. What are these ironies? What is their point? Clearly the poem has a feminist tone to it, so how do the ironies present in the text serve to accentuate or articulate the point the poem attempts to make about preconceptions or prejudices?