Wallace Stevens

“A Study of Two Pears” Wallace Stevens
I struggled (as always with Steven’s poetry) to interpret what the poem was actually about. I wouldn’t decide whether he was attempting to show the various ways that you can see a pair; through a painting, scientifically, as a beauty of nature, or just simply as what it is. My knowledge of Stevens brilliance in his other works such as “Thirteen ways of Looking at a Blackbird” (which also proves to be a poem that the more I learn about it the less I think I understand it) or “The Snowman” cause me to think that he is just trying to depict a regular everyday object in a way that we will be able to see it in a new light even better than the first time. I have yet to break the code though on this one even after searching for outside help from the internet. I hope to gain an understanding of what he is really trying to depict in class tonight.
“Thirteen Ways of Looking At A Blackbird” Wallace Stevens
I also have struggled for a while at gaining meaning from this poem . I have a shaky interpretation that the blackbird could represent human intelligence in general. It is alone at the top of the world as we as a race are the most advanced over all the other animals. The three birds signify the relationship between our minds, body, and soul the three tools that we alone are given. The blackbird whirling in the autumn winds signifies our inability to control nature or the world in general even with these gifts. The man women and blackbird are the same because when a man and women are brought together in marriage they are considered one overall the intellect that they have is also the same; blackbird representing intellect (pretty shaky interpretation again). This is where I have some different thoughts on the rest of the poem but none that make it come together. I am hoping again to gain a better understanding in tonight’s class.