Well, it is time to blog once again and this time I have decided to blog on Of Mere Being by Wallace Stevens. I ran across this poem and had to read it a few times to even begin to understand. I really liked the fact that the meaning of this poem doesn't hit you in the face. You have to really think to analyze this poem.
*Quick side note: this poem is made up of four stanzas made up of tercets. To me the structure is significant because with each stanza, Stevens realizes more about this bird. Each tercet shows his thoughts progressing into more of an understanding.
After about the fourth or so time reading this poem, I realized that it was talking about a bird.
Just kidding.
No, I think that this poem talks about this majestic and strange bird that Stevens is seeing. As stevens is watching this bird, he is at first frustrated by it's foreignness. As humans, we have to really think about things that are out of the ordinary before we can even think about liking them.
What is this bird?
Is it bad?
Good?
How can I relate this bird to my life?...
In the end of the poem, Stevens realizes that he doesn't have to understand this bird. The bird exists and he just needs to appreciate it for what it is. I took this poem as Stevens commenting on today's world. So many people just have to really think about and understand every little thing in their busy lives. Sometimes, things in life don't make sense, and we just need to realize that they are there. They are what they are.
This is a curious poem, isn't it? I am still not sure I totally get it. I think you've done a nice job breaking it down.
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