Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Marge Piercy's poem "Learning to Read" is a poignant and reflective exploration of the process of acquiring literacy and the accompanying realization of its complexities. Through personal anecdotes and vivid imagery, Piercy delves into the layered experience of learning to read, revealing not just the triumphs but also the frustrations and humbling moments that accompany this journey.

The poem opens with a recollection of Piercy's mother adhering to the advice of contemporary "experts" who insisted that children should arrive at school without prior reading instruction: "My mother would not teach me to read. / Experts in newspapers and pop books said school must receive us virgin." This notion of arriving "virgin" to school underscores a sense of purity and unspoiled potential, which Piercy juxtaposes against her own burgeoning curiosity and desire for knowledge.

Piercy then describes her early fascination with books, which seemed to contain "secrets... locked in those / black scribbles on white, magic to open the sky and the earth." This metaphor emphasizes the transformative power of literacy, presenting reading as a key to unlocking the mysteries of the world. Her yearning to understand the cryptic marks on the pages is palpable, particularly in the anecdote about trying to infer a story from illustrations alone: "In a book I tried to guess from pictures, a mountain bad in its side a door through which children ran in after a guy playing a flute dressed all in green, and I too wanted to march into a mountain." Here, Piercy evokes the classic tale of the Pied Piper, symbolizing her longing to follow the enchanted path of stories and knowledge.

The poem then shifts to a cultural and familial context, as Piercy recalls sitting at her grandmother's seder, where the act of reading the Haggadah (the Jewish text recited at Passover) was a communal and participatory ritual: "When I sat at Grandmother's seder, the book went around and everybody read. I did not make a distinction between languages. Half the words in English were strange to me." This moment highlights the intersection of language, religion, and family, and Piercy's initial confusion and awe at the complexity of written words. Her childlike belief that mastering reading would grant her complete understanding and access to adult knowledge is both touching and revealing: "I knew when I had learned to read all would be clear, I would know everything that adults knew, and more. / Every handle would turn for me."

As Piercy progresses in her journey to literacy, she describes her fervor in embracing the written word once she finally learns to read: "At school I grabbed words like toys / I had been denied. Finally I / could read, / I, me." The joy and sense of accomplishment in these lines are palpable, depicting reading as a newfound superpower. She voraciously reads everything she encounters, from road signs to cereal boxes, revering all printed material as "sacred."

However, her confidence is soon challenged when she returns to the seder, now feeling "self-important, adult on my cushion," only to encounter the unfamiliar Hebrew script: "But the squiggles, the scratches were back. Not a letter / waved to me. I was blinded again." This humbling experience reveals the limits of her literacy and introduces the concept of linguistic diversity. Piercy's grandmother, fluent in multiple languages, becomes a symbol of the vast linguistic world beyond Piercy's immediate grasp.

Piercy's determination is evident in her declaration, "That's okay, I said. I will learn all languages." Yet, she acknowledges the reality that mastering all languages is an unattainable goal: "I no longer expect to master every alphabet before death snatches away everything I know." This realization marks a shift from youthful ambition to mature acceptance, recognizing the beauty and challenge of lifelong learning.

In the closing lines, Piercy reflects on the allure of the unknown: "But they are always beckoning to me / those languages still squiggles and noises, like lovers I never had time to enjoy, places I have never (yet) arrived." The metaphor of languages as lovers and unexplored places conveys a sense of longing and wistfulness, celebrating the endless possibilities of discovery and the perpetual journey of learning.

"Learning to Read" by Marge Piercy is a rich, introspective poem that captures the excitement, challenges, and humility inherent in the process of acquiring literacy. Through personal narrative and evocative imagery, Piercy not only chronicles her own experiences but also reflects on the broader human desire for knowledge and the inevitable limitations we encounter along the way.

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