Critics look at someone else's work and say what they think it should have been. It might take a very strong writer to ignore comments like that and keep on doing what he wanted to do. In Letter 7, paragraph 2, Rilke talks about a poem the young man has written. He follows his own advice and comments on it without being critical of it. In this paragraph he models a way that the poet might think about his own poems, or how he might think about what other people write.

These three paragraphs show Rilke's way of mentoring. He makes suggestions about what to read. He makes suggestions about how to learn about himself. He makes suggestions about what to read, and even what not to read. But he never does what the poet asked for first. He doesn't analyze the poet and tell him exactly what he should...

Instead, he helps the young man find his way himself.
This kind of help might be valuable today for all sorts of people. His help is supportive but does not take over the young man's life. Rilke never tells him how or what to write. All of that is good. However, one thing bothered me. It was probably good advice to not read criticism. It was good advice to tell him to read literature. However, Rilke seemed to have a very strong opinion about what Rilke should read. There is so much to read in the world. Was all of it bad except the things Rilke liked? Those things might have been right for Rilke, but maybe they would not be as good for the poet. In telling him what to read, I think Rilke went a little too far. But for the most part, what Rilke had to say would help any writer today.