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13 Ways of Self-Questioning The composition “Thirteen Techniques for Looking at a Blackbird” is definitely written by Wallace Stevens. It includes thirteen sections, each section provides all of us a picture that may be centered by the element of blackbird. Blackbird inside the poem implies people’s mind.

So this composition wants to tell us that every person has a perspective to look at the world. It queries our procedure for thought to be familiar with world, and reminds us know the problem from it. In “The Language of Paradox” by simply Cleanth Brooks, he introduces the notion of paradox and its particular application in poetry.

In Stevens’ poem we can also find just how he uses the device of paradox to improve the question for many times, and also the use of paradox leads us to reexamine our thought. Stevens exhibits several common understanding in human being. According to Brooks’ viewpoint, “Our prejudices push us to regard paradoxon as mental rather than mental, clever rather than profound, logical rather than divinely irrational” (Brooks 58). The first section is an intro of the complete poem: “Among twenty cold mountains, / The only going thing as well as Was the attention of the blackbird” (I).

This is certainly to tell all of us the nature is huge, but with it the only existence that may be conscious regarding it is human consciousness. 20 snowy mountains stand for the broad natural environment, but they are still and seem lifeless. Then he transmitted the focus towards the eye from the blackbird which is the only shifting thing. Stevens uses “the” instead of “a” when he refers to blackbird because he wants to make it clear that he refers that particular to human’s mind.

In section twelve, he admits that “The water is moving. / The blackbird must be flying” (XII). This section responds to section one, because he uses the modifiers “moving” and “flying” in two sections correspondingly to express similar notion which our consciousness is changing after some time. Cleanth Brooks describes paradoxon this way: “Paradox is the dialect of sophistry, hard glowing, witty” (Brooks 58). In Stevens’ poem, in order to make visitors realize the challenge in the process of our thought.

He narrates: “It was night time all evening. / It absolutely was snowing / And it was going to snow / The blackbird seated / In the cedar-limbs” (XIII). Afternoon is definitely before night time, but he admits that “it was evening every afternoon”. This could signify a passive frame of mind to life. Night time is the time that close to death in people’s lives, and this individual tells us possibly during the evening which is all their declining period someone previously live in the status of evening. 2 weeks . typical occasion of paradoxon in the last part of the poem.

The language appears contradictory and never logical, although actually it is to draw the attention to the awareness of the thought. “It was it is snowing / And it was gonna snow” reveals us people’s foresight through their experience and observation of nature. So Stevens put the consequence before the experience. After that he refers to the blackbird sitting still inside the cedar-limbs to indicate that in people’s retirement years the awareness is less active as its youth period. However , the feeling we get in the whole life turns into precious possession and provides us the insight.

The last section has a connection with section two: “I was of three heads, / Such as a tree as well as In which there are three blackbirds” (II). The blackbirds inside the tree usually refer to the minds. So I am a tree, and I have 3 minds which are represented by three parrots. In this section, Stevens most likely suggest the three levels of householder’s mind in respect to Freud’s “Id, ego and super-ego” theory. In section four, Stevens says: “A person and a woman / Will be one. as well as A man and a woman and a blackbird / Will be one” (IV). This is one more application of paradox.

In “The Language of Paradox”, when ever Brooks research Wordsworth’s composition he says “It is not my objective to twist Wordsworth’s individual consciousness from the paradox involved” (Brooks 60). Here we can seek out how the narrator maybe unconsciously applies the paradox. Whenever we say two or more than two distinct existents are a single, it certainly sounds not acceptable and can bring a consideration of this idea especially when we partly duplicate the story but add another subject matter at the second time. Section four might try to discuss some spiritual thought in this world.

He implies every individual, no matter male or female, is from source. Since objective lifestyle, we and our mind are all designed from one. Through this poem, Stevens applies paradoxon through both equally audible and visible experiences. Brooks advises: “But I am certainly not here enthusiastic about enumerating the possible variants, I i am interested alternatively in our simply because the paradoxes spring from your very nature of the poet’s language: it is a language when the connotations enjoy as wonderful a part because the denotations” (Brooks 61).

From a broader eye-sight, we may get the competence of paradoxon language simply by Stevens by way of analysis of his job. In section five, he narrates: “I do not know which will to prefer, / Beauty of inflections as well as Or the magnificence of innuendoes, / The blackbird whistling / Or just after” (V). When the blackbird is whistling, there is a beauty of inflections along with it, yet just after that people will see the advantage of innuendoes. Right here the blackbird signifies the poem.

While we are browsing or match the composition, the pronunciation is similar to inflections of chicken because of the rhythms and composition. Nevertheless, following reading it we can recognize the innuendoes implied coming from it. A fantastic poem is not only to let visitors enjoy their inflections, nevertheless also trigger us to rethink in our heart. Moreover, it has a interesting connection with section eight. Similarly, the narrator refers to highlights and rhythms to recommend the structure and recitation of the poem which creates the clear enjoyment intended for readers.

Then he tells us his believed is also inescapable involved into the poem. Individuals two portions provide us how Stevens is applicable paradox with the sensory by hearing. Furthermore, he makes the metaphor from visual aspect. Brooks states that “I have said that however, apparently guaranteed straightforward poet is forced into paradoxes by the character of his instrument” (Brooks 62). We can see this situation in section 9 where the narrator describes an image which advances into each of our imagination: “He rode above Connecticut as well as In a goblet coach. Once, a dread pierced him, / Because he mistook / The shadow of his equipage / To get blackbirds” (XI). The phrase “In a glass coach” tells us he can in a delicate status, and even more than that glass is definitely transparent. An illusion of blackbirds demonstrates his afraid emotion. Section three is another example of consumption in this physical respect. The narrator says “The blackbird whirled inside the autumn gusts of wind. / It was a small part of the pantomime” (III). It commences with the simply image of the blackbird that may be overwhelmed by autumn winds.

He paintings a close-up of the blackbird, and then tells us it is a small part of the mimodrame. This gets bigger our eye-sight from close-up to the spectacle, and shows us the blackbird is really a symbol of our life which is always unmanageable and runs into uncertainty. Brooks suggests that “there is a sense in which paradox is the terminology appropriate and inevitable to poetry. It’s the scientist whose truth needs a language cleared of every find of paradox, apparently the reality which the poet utters can be approached just in terms of paradox” (Brooks 58).

In Wallace Stevens’ “Thirteen Ways of Taking a look at a Blackbird”, he actually displays 13 types of interpretation from where people develop their knowledge of consciousness. The application of paradox provides the poem an additional explanation from the theme. Through the usage of the symbolic approach and different aspects of sensory, the narrator discusses several levels of social and cultural thought. The most crucial function of paradox with this poem is usually to arouse someones awareness of each of our consciousness and the ability to question our natural understanding of each of our thought.