VamsiK

by Wallace Stevens**
 * Thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird



[|Voicethread] (might need to increase the volume, sorry about the static sounds, my mic isn't very good)

Imagery: The imagery in this poem centers mainly on blackbirds, specifically their flight, and fall/winter. Blackbirds are described as “whirling” and in flight directly or indirectly (through their shadows). The fall and winter imagery is found at the throughout the poem with the winter imagery progressing from positive to negative (starting with snow capped mountains, then to an icy window under the shadow of a blackbird, and finally to an evening snowfall). Structure/rhyme scheme: this poem follows no particular rhyme scheme. It is divided into thirteen numbered sections, each discussing a particular aspect of what a blackbird represents. The poem also draws some influences from haiku (if each stanza is looked at individually). Symbols/Metaphors/Similes: The main symbol of this poem is the blackbird. The blackbird does not represent one meaning throughout the entire poem, but is split into thirteen different interpretations. The first stanza for example, shows the blackbird’s eye as the sole moving thing in a range of mountains, implying that it sees all and is engaged at all times while others rest or sleep, attributing some God-like characteristics to it. The fifth stanza uses the blackbird to make a point, making a distinction between the stated (the blackbird’s whistle) and the implied (what comes after, or the meaning behind the whistle). The twelfth stanza, which is the shortest shows the blackbird’s ties to nature, for as the river moves (implying nature’s continued existence) the blackbird, will continue to exist. The shadow of a blackbird is mentioned twice, in stanza six and eleven and represents gloom and fear bordering on paranoia respectively. Allusions: The poem refers to the town of Haddam, located in Connecticut (which is also mentioned, in stanza eleven) which implies that it is the setting or central location for this poem.
 * T:** The title suggests that the poem will somehow divide itself into 13 sections, or address thirteen aspects of a blackbird. The aspects addressed may pertain to an actual blackbird or will use the blackbird symbolically.
 * P:** The poem begins with scenes of a wintery mountain range, still except for the roving eye of a blackbird. The speaker then equates a tree with three blackbirds on it to his state of mind (split into three). A blackbird is then described as dancing in the autumn wind as a man and a woman are described as one entity, the addition of a blackbird does not change this entity. The speaker states that he cannot decide whether he likes the stated or implied more. A window with icicles falls under the shadow of a blackbird as it sets a mood whose cause is unknown. The men of Haddam are criticized for desiring golden birds when there are blackbirds already among them. The speaker than praises his speaking abilities but attributes them to the blackbird. The speaker then says that the point at which a blackbird flies out of sight marks the end of a circle. Those who deal out pleasant sounds would emit sharp cries after seeing blackbirds flying in a green light. A man rides a fragile carriage through Connecticut, and sees shadows of his carriage as those of a blackbird. The blackbird is flying along a river and snow begins to fall in the dark afternoon, as the blackbird comes to rest on a cedar tree.
 * C:** Diction: This poem’s diction is a mix of complex and simple words. For example “icicles filled the long window with barbaric glass” uses a simple word to describe the window, yet uses “barbaric” to describe the sharpness and cold of the ice.
 * A:** The attitude of this poem can be considered gloomy. The plentiful winter imagery, and the mentions of the shadow of blackbird, and the very appearance of the blackbird itself contribute to the sense of gloominess that pervades the poem. This becomes stronger towards the end of the poem, where mentions of an evening snowfall and the blackbird coming to rest represent death the end of something.
 * S:**The main shifts in this poem are between the thirteen stanzas. They are a bit jarring if one does not understand the structure of the poem and serve to separate the different aspects (“ways of looking at”) blackbirds.
 * T:** There are several themes in this poem such as humility and nature. Humility is shown clearly in the seventh stanza (“O thin men of Haddam, Why do you imagine golden birds? Do you not see how the blackbird, Walks around the feet, Of the women about you?”) when the speaker chastises the men of Haddam for having their heads in the clouds and desiring golden birds when the more accessible and humble blackbird is present. Nature is referenced in different ways. In the first stanza the blackbird’s eye represent’s the all seeing essence of nature, the sense that we are subject to its whims. The twelfth stanza connects blackbirds to nature, almost as if the flying blackbird is a sign that nature is thriving.
 * T:**The title is a description of the structure of the poem and how it relates to the main focus of the poem (thirteen stanzas each describing a particular meaning of a blackbird).