ElizabethBarbarick

**__"Ars Poetica" by ARCHIBALD MacLEISH__**

//Elizabeth Barbarick//

//**A poem should be palpable and mute As a globed fruit,

Dumb As old medallions to the thumb,

Silent as the sleeve-worn stone Of casement ledges where the moss has grown-

A poem should be wordless As the flight of birds.

A poem should be motionless in time As the moon climbs.

Leaving, as the moon releases Twig by twig the night-entangled trees,

Leaving, as the moon behind the winter leaves, Memory by memory the mind-

A poem should be motionless in time As the moon climbs.

A poem should be equal to: Not true.

For all the history of grief An empty doorway and a maple leaf.

For love The leaning grasses and two lights above the sea-

A poem should not mean But be.**//

Way 1: First Impressions
My first impression of MacLEISH's "Ars Poetica" is that it is lyrical poem describing what a poem should be. To me, it seems that the purpose of this poem is to convey that all poems should take readers away to an entirely different world without their knowing or realizing. This is evidenced through MacLEISH's choice of words in lines 15 and 16 in that "A poem should be motionless in time / As the moon climbs." Here, the speaker is stating that a poem should progress without the reader noticing; just as when the moon proceeds into the sky, people don't notices because it does so in a slow, seamless fashion. In addition, I interpret this poem to not be referring to one specific poem, rather all poems. This is shown through the speaker's continuous reference to "a poem" throughout this piece.

**Way 2: Engaging with the Text**
In "Ars Poetica" the phrase that unlocks the poem for me is the following repeated lines: "A poem should be motionless in time / As the moon climbs" (lines 9 and 10 and lines 15 and 16). To me, this phrase is the most important in the entire poem because not only is it the only trait in the entire poem MacLEISH makes a point of repeating, but also, it sums up all of the meanings within his points into one phrase.

I don't think anyone would argue that throughout this poem, MacLEISH is emphasizing to readers what qualities a good poem "should" contain. First, lets consider the title of the poem: "Ars Poetica." This translates into "The Art of Poetry," and is the title of a poetical treatise by the Roman poet Horace. The art of poetry, or the beauty of poetry is that it can be so many different things and that is part of what MacLEISH is trying to point out within the poem. However, the main point and meaning in "Ars Poetica" is that MacLEISH is describing qualities that a poem "should" have. Every one of the qualities that MacLEISH indicates a poem "should" have are abstract in that the reader can't physically touch the quality. For instance, consider lines 5 and 6 within "Ars Poetica." Here, MacLEISH states that "A poem should be Silent as the sleeve-worn stone / Of casement ledges where the moss has grown-" Thinking about an actual sleeve-worn stone, or casement of ledges where the moss has grown, readers realize that its something that usually goes unnoticed. In that, I mean its one of those beautiful, undescribable things that happen (hence MacLEISH's description of "silent") without anyone realizing it until its fully happened and they actually see moss on the stone. People don't notice the beginning stages of moss upon a stone; one day they just look and all of a sudden it's there. All of MacLEISH's descriptions within "Ars Poetica" are exactly like that-thery are things that happen or that we experience every day and people don't consciously notice them until someone brings it to their attention.

Now, back to the main point of this "Way." I think MacLEISH's repeitition of lines 9 and 10 and lines 15 and 16 where he states that "A poem should be motionless in time / As the moon climbs" is the unlocking element of the poem because not only is it a description of the unconscious trait MacLEISH is trying to bring to light, but it's also a description of the purpose behind any quality poem. Regardless of what story a poet is trying to tell, or what lesson a poet is trying to teach, they do not matter; the phrase MacLEISH conveys in these repeated lines still applies. "Motionless in time" is an important trait of a quality poem because it is a description that it (meaning a quality poem) should be so great that it stays in time. In other words, as time passes, this poem is so great that it will never be forgotten; that it's discussed in future classes; that it's referenced within the literary canon when talking about a good poem; and, that it doesn't ever go away because, hopefully, it's "motionless in time." Now, "As the moon climbs" is a description for "as time progresses." We all know, even as much as we may want to, time can't be stopped and it seems to progress without us even realizing it. Therefore, any quality poem should be "motionless in time as the moon climbs" because even as time progresses, this poem is so wonderful that it's still there and it's still talked about.


 * Way 3: A point about Form and Its Relationship to Content** Archibald MacLEISH's "Ars Poetica" is written in free verse form. This form relates with the poem's content in an extremely comparable manner. For instance, the message conveyed consistently throughout "Ars Poetica" is the point emphasizing the importance of what a poem should be to its readers and how it "should" be to its readers. More specifically, that a poem should not follow a particular format, or structure, but just be. Therefore, the openness of a poem's "being" relates with the free verse format exactly. In addition, it's important to point out, according to Brown & Yarbrough in __A Practical Introduction to Literary Study__, that free verse "does not mean formless verse; it means freedom from the obligation to impose a rigid, regular structure on the expresion of one's ideas" (93). Therefore, in the instance of "Ars Poetica," because the poem is indicating what a poem should be, that readers should not realize that the meaning or story within a poem is progressing, and because the poem is written in free verse, the format of this poem is parallel with its meaning and content.

**Way 4: Unpacking an Instance of Figurative Language**
Here is a good reference for readers of a comparison to what MacLEISH is trying to convey throughout "Ars Poetica." Refer to repeated lines 9 and 10, "A poem should be motionless in time / As the moon climbs." In other words, motionless in time is another way of saying that a poem, if it's good enough, should always be there, regardless of how much time has passed since it was created because it's that good; it's motionless in time. Further, "as the moon climbs" is a description indicting that just as the world doesn't realize that a moon is progressing ("climbing") or moving because it does so in such a motionless manner, poems (good ones at least) should always be there, regardless of how much time has passed. Focusing on these lines a little more, just as is the purpose of using free verse format, MacLEISH wants his readers to understand that poems should convey their meaning in a similar motionless fashion, instead of progressing in a choppy, noticeable manner. A poem should be motionless in time, as the moon climbs.

Way 5: Analyzing the Setting
MacLEISH intentionally doesn't mention or specify the setting in this poem. This omission is symbolic to the meaning of the poem because it emphasizes to readers that poems should just "be." The lack of setting is additionally important because had MacLEISH included a specific setting, it would take away from the abstract qualities of what good poems should contain. For instance, analyze the speaker's repeated referance to different comparisons throughout the poem that readers can relate to. "A poem should be palpable and mute / As a globed fruit" (lines 1-2). Here, the speaker attempts to give the readers a point of reference or description as to what a poem should be; that it should be subtly understood or quiet, just as a world-wide known fruit - like an apple. The speaker then goes on to say that a poem should be "[d]umb / As old medallions to the thumb" (lines 3-4). Here, the speaker is attempting to emphasize that poems don't necessarily need to be very informative, or educational. Both "palpable and mute" and "dumb" are abstract descriptions. I think had MacLEISH specified a specific setting, it would have taken away from the requirement of readers to reach into their subconscious to truly understand what MacLEISH is trying to get across. Also, another point to bring to surface is that within both sets of these lines (lines 1-2 and 3-4), the speaker is saying that poems should be two completely different things. Therefore, by having no setting, the speaker is conveying that poems should just "be."

Way 6: Identifying and Analyzing Point of View
MacLEISH's "Ars Poetic" is written in the 3rd person objective point of view. Readers immediately know this because there is no reference to "I" or "my" and because, according to Brown and Yarbrough in __A Practical Introduction to Literary Study__, that the "readers are never given an insight into the characters' subjective points of view; rather, we must judge, evaluate, or analyze the them from a more distant and more objective standpoint" (64). Reading the poem from this point of view contributes to the meaning of the poem because the speaker is completely detached from all actions within the poem. This is significant because this entire poem is a motif; it continually makes comparisons in a consistent and repetitive way (//Id.,// 62). The significance of the author's choice of point of view relates to MacLEISH's continual comparisons of what a poem should be because what everything a poem should be (according to MacLEISH) is nothing that can be touched and is quite difficult to even explain. In other words, the speaker is conveying what a poem should be by using abstract comparisons from an extremely distant, detached standpoint; just like the meaning of a poem - what a poem should be and mean to readers is, hopefully, unexplainable. Take for instance the description in lines 11 and 12, that a poem should be "Leaving, as the moon releases / Twig by twig the night-entangled trees[.] Consider the speaker's reference of "twig by twig the night-entangled trees." To me, this description gives readers a reference for a complex poem and is emphasizing that even more detailed poems can have that quality where the reader is taken through the story ("leaving, as the moon releases"), even though it may be complex ("twig by twig the night-entangled trees"), without realizing it. In conclusion, the signficance of the author's choice of point of view is meaningful because it conveys a message through continual comparisons of things that can only be explained through feelings, through the voice of a distant, detached speaker.

Way 7: Analyzing Complexity, Ambiguity, & Difficulty
What I find difficult in MacLEISH's "Ars Poetica" is that the speaker consistantly states that a poem should be things that almost had to have been experienced by the reader; the things the speaker says a poem should be are things that can't been seen, or even touched. For instance, consider lines 7 and 8, the speaker says that "a poem should be wordless / As the flight of birds." What if someone was reading this poem to a blind person and this blind person has been blind his entire life and has never seen a flight of birds in the sky. I don't think he has the capability to fully understand or appreciate what MacLEISH is trying to convey through these descriptions.

There are several ambiguitys within "Ars Poetica." Take for example the speaker's reference to "dumb" (line 3), "climbs" (line 16) and "mean" (line 23). Throughout the entire poem, the speaker states that a poem should be various things; as previously mentioned, all of the things are descriptions that can not be seen or touched.

Consider the speaker's reference to "dumb" in line 3. While the word has various meanings, the ambiguity within the speaker's reference to "dumb" arises because, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, this word could be a description of "lacking intelligence" or "lacking the human power of speech." Throughout the entire poem of "Ars Poetica", the speaker states that a poem should be various things that can not be seen or even touched. Therefore, considering the context, I see the meaning of "dumb" as meaning "lacking human power of speech." This relates to the overall meaning or to the scheme of the poem because the speaker is trying to convey to readers that all poems should be so great that it's difficult to explain, and that in order to fully understand the poem, it's really something that the reader has to experience for themselves. In essence, all poems should be so touching and meaningful that the reader has a difficult time finding the words to describe them.

The speaker's reference to "climbs" in line 16 is another ambiguity. "Climb" could mean to physically move up something or it could mean to gradually progress. The context in which this word appears is "A poem should be motionless in time / As the moon cimbs" (lines 15 and 16). Obviously, the moon doesn't the ability to literally climb into the sky. In fact, a moon moves so slowly that observers can't even see its progression. Again, using the poems consistent context of the speaker continually stating that a poem should be something that can't be touched, the meaning of "climb" in this circumstance is "gradually progress." This ambiguity relates to the overall scheme of the poem because the speaker is saying that a poem should progress just as gradual as a moon climbs-that readers shouldn't notice the transition.

There is also an ambiguity found in the word "mean" (line 23). "Mean" can be interpreted as "being rude" or as "imply." The speaker states that "A poem should not mean / But be" (lines 23-24). Considering the overall theme of the speaker's intention to convey that poems should be so great that they are unexplainable, the meaning of "mean" in this context is "imply." Continually, the speaker is stating that a poem should be some sort of thing that can't be seen or touched-it should be something that is hard to explain. Therefore, the speaker's intention is to help readers realize that poems shouldn't noticably imply anything-moreso that they should just "be."

**Way 8: Considering Canonicity**
According to Brown and Yarbrough in __A Practical Introduction to Literary Study__, the canonicity of any given work of literature are its perceived aesthtic value, its historical or cultural significance about the time in which it was written, the societal values at the time of the reading or judgment, and its longevity or subsequent influence on other works of literature (2). Further, Brown and Yarbrough define aesthetic value as being "value attributed to an art form because of its artistic beauty. In terms of literature, this may apply to the wordcraft and mastery of language that the author employs" (2). Considering "Ars Poetica" then, readers notice that the poem contains a considerable amount of aesthtic value. Specifically, within every line, the speaker is telling readers what a poem should be through comparisons that can only be experienced through emotion, feelings or personal experience. Therefore, the aesthetic value in this piece is conveyed through the artistic beauty contained in the author's brilliant choice of words and mastery of language sensed through the many comparisons contained in the poem.

I think this poem's longevity will be everlasting. MacLEISH does a brilliant job of explaining how a poem should be written by comparing "a poem" to descriptions of feelings brought about by a readers' experiences to different things. Future authors and readers will continue to forever find significance within "Ars Poetica" because, after truly analyzing the poem, while its easy to understand the message that is being conveyed, the excellence and awe comes from the way in which MacLEISH came up with the descriptions of what a poem should be. Future authors and readers can use "Ars Poetica" as guidance and motivation when tackeling other difficult tasks that come along with trying to explain something. Attempting to parallel the significance of MacLEISH's ability in "Ars Poetica", I give you this scenario: While the regular person would be at a loss of words if asked to describe the feeling and beauty that comes from smelling freshly mowed grass to someone who lacked a sense of smell, MacLEISH would create some other comparison where the experience would be equally significant as this feeling.

Way 9: Biographical context
The Gale Literary Database contained an article that helped me understand MacLEISH's desire and reasoning behind writing such an idealistic poem using abstract descriptions, such as "Ars Poetica." Speicifically, the article explains that "MacLEISH's personal dilemma, and the constant theme of his early writings, was the reconciliation of idealism with reality." This is evident in MacLEISH's "Ars Poetica" considering the way he explains the ideal characteristics of any poem. Because all of the descriptions and characteristics that MacLEISH claims a poem should be are things that the reader has to actually experience in order to understand, the descriptions and characteristics could definitely be considered idealistic. The point I'm trying to make is that just like idealism, all of MacLEISH's descriptions and comparisons of qualities a poem should contain are abstract. Therefore, MacLEISH's personal delemma with idealism is evident in the way he wrote "Ars Poetica." He could have chosen to convey his idea of a perfect and impressionable poem by using concrete qualities or comparisons, but he didn't; he intentionally chose to write "Ars Poetica" in a very idealistic fashion and his biography gives readers a deeper understanding into his motivation behind "Ars Poetica."

Way 10: Historical and cultural contexts
The article titled "Literary Culture and U.S. Imperialism" found in EBSCOhost explained what U.S. culture was like in the U.S. during the 1920's, which in turn gave me a deeper understanding into MacLEISH's "Ars Poetica." Specifically, the article explains that U.S. culture was rampant with idealistic believers during the 1920's. In addition, the 1920's were pretty prosperous times. People were rebelling against prohibition, technology was advancing, people were going against other traditional moral ways of life; even women were branching out and obtaining more rights in freedom. In fact, people of that era had every reason to be idealistic rather than realistic considering how good the majority of things were. It was almost as if anything was possible. Now, "Ars Poetica" was written in 1926, and as mentioned above, MacLEISH had a personal dilemma with idealism and reality throughout his life. Therefore, by reading about what culture was like in the U.S. and then reading "Ars Poetica," I have a better understanding about why MacLEISH was so idealistic which is portrayed within "Ars Poetica."

Way 11: A theoretical application
In __A Practical Introduction to Literary Study__, Brown and Yarbrough describe Freud's creation of psychoanalytic criticism as "a set of theories concerning the relationship between conscious and unconscious thought processes" (214). Therefore, while MacLEISH doesn't have any characters within "Ars Poetica," he is constantly noting what a poem should be by describing different items. Specifically, consider the repetion in lines 9 and 10 to lines 15 and 16 that "A poem should be motionless in time / As the moon climbs." Like this comparison, MacLEISH consciously and consistently creates these abstract comparisons throughout the entire poem. Therefore, I think he is trying to address the point his poem by attempting to bring readers' subconscious to the surface to help them understand the true meaning behind "Ars Poetica." Take for instance, in lines 1 and 2, where the speaker indicates that "A poem should be palpable and mute / As a globed fruit." The majority of readers have tasted fruit and understand the meaning behind the description of "palpable" and "mute." However, as the majority of readers may have eaten fruit, they don't consciously think as they are eating about that it is "palpable" and "mute." This is exactly what MacLEISH is trying to bring to the surface of his readers minds; he is trying to get his readers to bring their subconscious to the surface in order to truly understand the meaning of his poem in hopes to gain a deeper appreciation of great poems.

Way 12: Another theoretical application
In __A Practical Introduction to Literary Study__, Brown and Yarbrough describe feminism in that it "embodies a way of reading that investigates the text's investment in or reaction to the patriarchal power structures that have dominated Western culture" (226). MacLEISH purposefully doesn't mention any feminist or masculine references within "Ars Poetica." Every reference and comparison the speaker makes is completely objective and could be interpreted as being either feminine or masculine. The entire meaning behind "Ars Poetica" is that MacLEISH is trying to convey what qualities a good poem contains. He isn't trying to explain the qualities of a good poem by using masculine or feminine traits because they have no purpose in the overall meaning of the poem. In other words, his omission of any feminist reference is done purposefully; he doesn't make any feminist references because that's not at all what the poem is about or has to do with.

Way 13: Overall, unifying, coherent interpretation
In essence, "Ars Poetica" by Archibald MacLEISH is a coherent explaination of the qualities a good poem "should" contain.