The reality of perceiving environment
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document in English
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published 24/09/2008
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Summary“Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” by Wallace Stevens presents the reader with exactly what its title expresses—thirteen distinct perspectives all involving a blackbird in some form. These perspectives each provide a kind of brief snapshot into thirteen unique realities. From descriptive imagery presenting a clear visual picture to abstract implications of the blackbird as an extension of thought, we find the blackbird perhaps as the only connection between the poetic sequences. Each seems to present its own world, its own persona, its own meaning and its own picture. Yet in this separateness lies the meaning of the poem as a whole. By presenting thirteen distinct realities all involving a single object, Stevens expresses that reality depends upon perception, that one cannot fully express a unified representation of reality because a myriad of realities exist. Yet this does mean a debased sense of reality for Stevens, but rather that people should attend to the vast possibilities of perception by actively observing their environment.
Table of Contents
- Introduction.
- Stevens' illustration of a break in the role of the blackbird and the reality presented to the reader.
- Section IV - the speaker relating the blackbird to his own relationship to the world.
- presentation of a meta-commentary in section V of the poem.
- The significance of active observation and perception.
- Conclusion.
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