Subject, Theme, Meaning

I was discussing poetry in the staffroom the other day. Most staff hated it at school, said that they didn't understand it and wouldn't go near it. And it was their teacher's fault.

Familiar Scenario?
"Now class this is poetry"
"It's very clever"
"We'll learn to figure out what the poet meant and then love it"
"Poetry can mean whatever you like as long as you justify it"
"No No No No Johnny it doesn't mean that"
"I don't care if it reminds you of your dead granny; your ideas don't count"
"Now listen to me and I'll tell you what you should be feeling, as obviously your feelings are inferior"

Nett result: Teacher 1 Kid 0
Loser

So now I will tell you how to analyse poetry.
Any poem has 3 things:

A Subject,  a Theme and a Meaning
Try this one

The Sick Rose


O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

The subject is what it's about:
The sick rose is not about a young girl losing her virginity and getting aids.
It isn't about a gardeners nightmare.
It's not about dragons
It's not even about the Catholic church and the loss of spirituality through organised religion.

It's about a rose, and a worm and an unfortunate co-joining (for the rose I suppose)
The subject can be compared to the plot in a novel. It is what it's about. It has a story, it has characters, it has a place (called setting)
Don't sweat this bit.
You are out and about and this hot person says to you;....."So Blake's Sick rose...What's it about?"
Easy, ....It's about a rose, a worm and a storm.
Who wants to know?
Keep in the safe territory here.
If you analyse a poem and only say this then you are giving the person the brush off.
Keeping your distance.
Your teacher will say: "you only retell the story", "Please explain" "Not enough analysis", "Look at the details"

So you step into the dark zone.


Theme.
The theme is what the poet is trying to do to persuade you. He knows you have feelings. He knows you use them. He wants to play with them. He wants you to feel about his/her poem. He chooses words, rhymes and rhythms, and combines them to form images, symbols and connections. He alludes to history, the present and the future and tests your ability to join the dots, make connections and see patterns. That's his job. Every single word was chosen. Not one is random or arbitrary. A good poem never lets you out. A good poem is relentless.
This is what your teachers want you to see.  They want you to feel, but they are only human. They don't feel what you feel. They don't see what you see; They are only further down the road, and have more experience and have read more about the poem and tried harder to get what it means.

Yes they have.

They love the poem, or will tell you, I hope.
If they lie, you will know...........

So this is the minefield. The poet is a tricky host. He demands your every attention. He wants you to know every word and nuance and he/she is hoping that you are paying attention to detail.
Because they want you to feel their feelings.
This is hard. It'll make or break the relationship. It's "is it real", "why doesn't he phone", "is she the one" territory.

And it can get heavy. So lighten up. Go for the Meaning.

Meaning is yours. No one can tell you it isn't real or doesn't exist. It's the sum total of your experiences, your feelings and your world view. It comes from your background, your culture, your dark side and your hope. It is real and can't be denied or faulted. It can be wrong, it can be all-seeing. It can't be teacher-demonised. the meaning is what you draw from the poem. It's what you use to make you alive and truthful and beautiful. It's you.

But, you aren't the poet and you aren't the teacher. You are here and now and you can't tell anyone that your interpretation is all there is, or that your meaning is all there is, for that matter.

So now the juggle begins. You start with a subject, and end with a meaning, and somewhere in between, lies the world, the theme the place and context and world it came from.

The way in to the poets mind is where I can help you, so once you're ready, let's go there.
Themeville; symbols, imagery, context, subtext, metaphor
and now my glass is empty, so 'til then au revoir.