Thirteen+Ways+of+Looking+at+a+Blackbird

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"Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" can be quite difficult to understand. It is one of those poems that the reader has to really stop and think about the true meaning behind the words. By u sing a mere thirteen stanzas, Wallace Stevens manages to create a poem of deep philosophical and artistic value. ( Stalcup, Bre t)

According to Trent Lorcher, “Modernism is marked by a strong and intentional break with tradition. This break includes a strong reaction against established religious, political, and social views.” Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird reflects this kind of thinking. Throughout the poem, Stevens asks the reader what is their true identity, how can they find it, and many other thoughtful questions.

By using blackbirds as an example, Stevens shows how corrupt society really is. For instance, in stanza seven, Stevens remarks about the men of Haddam worshiping the golden statues, but he may also be telling the readers about how wrong it is to worship idols such as millionaires, movie stars, and powerful leaders. Also by remarking on how the blackbirds are everywhere in the world, among all the people, Stevens may be referring to how society is a part of everyone. It creeps up and makes all the individuals into one. “A man and a woman are one. A man and a woman and a blackbird are one.”(Steves, Wallace) These examples are perfect about the mindset of the Modernistic author. As said above, modernistic literature wished to break from established political and social views. (Lorcher, Trent)

Stevens’s life may have had a little effect on his writing. Most biographies show that he was a simple office man who loved to travel. “Wallace Stevens traveled a great deal during his life. His job took him many places into the South and he spent a great deal of time in Florida fishing and writing. His poetry reflects his travels and the images he saw. He gives the reader no clear indication of his interpretation of the image. He leaves it up to them to discover what the image or poem means to them.” (Wallace Stevens Resources ) This kind of double life, the office man then the wildlife explorer may have led Stevens into the mind set where he could compare our "corruptive" society in a business man point of view to the laws of nature. “More than any other modern poet, Stevens was concerned with the transformative power of the imagination .”(Poets.org) “Much of Stevens’ poetry has been described as obscure. The meaning is not transparent; the reader has to think deeply, to make personal and literary connections in order to comprehend and find meaning in it. Like the man who composed it, the work is full of contradictions. He was an odd combination of attorney and artist; the officious businessman who found personal solace in the most superfluous of art forms, poetry. ” (PAL)  This may be the greatest definition of a modernist author. He wants the readers to understand his poems the way they want to interpret it. Much like realism, modernists want to break from society and find their inner self. This can be found true in many works from the Modernistic Era. Each author wants to dig under society and find what else the world has to offer. For instance, in "//Recuerdo"// by Edna St. Vincent Millay, the characters try to avoid the dreariness of society and have a night of fun and enchantment. And in //"Breakfast"// by John Steinbeck, the character finds that even though the migrant worker families are going through harsh times, they can still go against the gloomy outlook on life and show a little kindness to those others in need.

In conclusion, //"Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird//" is a very difficult poem to understand. Wallace Stevens created it that way to make the readers think about the true meaning behind the words. Such as in many other Modernistic works, Stevens uses imagery and personification to show the true meaning of the passage. And that is what makes this work and this author the true Modernistic works and persona that they are.

Works Cited:   Lorcher, Trent. "Modernism in Literature." //Bright Hub//. 26 Dec. 2009. Web. 2 May 2010. .

"PAL: Wallace Stevens (1879-1955)." // California State University Stanislaus | Home //. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. < http://www.csustan.edu/ english/reuben/pal/chap7/ stevens.html >. Stalcup, Bret. "A Look at Wallace Stevens Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird - by Bret Stalcup - Helium." //Helium - Where Knowledge Rules//. Web. 26 Apr. 2010. . "Wallace Stevens." // Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More //. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. < http://www.poets.org/poet. php/prmPID/124 >. "Wallace Stevens Resources." //MU Personal Web Pages//. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. < http://faculty.millikin.edu/~rbrooks/MApoetry/stevens.html >.