Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens
I had a hard time reading and understanding Wallace Steven's poem, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird." The poem to me did not seem to flow smoothly and it seemed to go in different directions. After sitting and contemplating how this poem was to be read, I came to the conclusion that this is 13 different poems wrapped up in one. Each section to me kind of stands alone and the only thing each section seems to have in common is a blackbird. Am I way off base on this analysis or do others feel the same way I do about this poem? I won't be offended if someone calls me crazy on my analysis so give me your true opinion!
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Brian,
ReplyDeleteI understood this poem to be one poem with a collection of 13 different ways to relate to a blackbird. Such as in the first way of lookin at a blackbird, we have a blackbird sitting amont several snowy mountains...as if frozen due to the climate, and the only thing moving are the birds' eyes. In section III, I understand it as the blackbird is like a pantomime that is moving up and down and around with the autumn winds...no sound, just visual, like a human being doing a pantomime of a being inside a box...the person doesn't say anything at all, but we can see they are depicting being trapped inside a box.
this is how I saw it...however, like you, I needed to read it a couple times to get to this conclusion. If you re-read the section above it, that will help, too, I think. It certainly helped me to understand the poem itself.
Hope this helps!
Brian,
ReplyDeleteI too found that this poem did not read smoothly, or make much sense. The way you took to the poem was a way i had not yet even thought of.. Love the new insight you brought to it. Just shows how different readers have different ways of interpreting things. Like patrick i too thought the poem was thirteen ways to relate to a blackbird... but great idea brian
Brian, I also had a horrible time with this poem. I had a difficult time seeing the art in the writing. It seems to be so scattered and random with the thirteen sections. After reading it several times and trying to pick apart each section, I found myself looking too hard and getting way off track. I think it simply is just thirteen ways to look at a blackbird, as the title says.
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