Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Wallace Stevens? "Communications of Meaning" explores the paradoxes of language and expression through a series of playful, yet profound, images. This brief poem critiques the limits and absurdities of communication, juxtaposing instinctual sounds with the human effort to ascribe meaning and structure to them.

The opening image of the parrot in its "palmy boughs" humorously sets the tone. Parrots, known for their mimicry rather than original thought, "repeat the farmer?s almanac." This suggests that much of human communication might be similarly mechanical or derivative—a repetition of preexisting patterns and ideas rather than genuine creativity. The parrot becomes a stand-in for rote communication, where meaning is simply reiterated without deep engagement.

The next image, a "duckling of the wildest blood," shifts to a different kind of communication. The duckling "convinces Athens with its quack," an absurd juxtaposition of instinctual animal behavior with the intellectual gravitas of ancient Greece. This pairing highlights the incongruity between natural, unstructured expression and the human tendency to intellectualize or assign undue importance to trivialities. The "quack," simple and primal, challenges the need for elaborate reasoning or lofty rhetoric, suggesting that even the simplest sounds can carry weight if the context permits.

Stevens then pivots to a broader reflection on thought and its extremes: "Much too much thought, too little thought. / No thought at all." These lines underscore the tension between overthinking, underthinking, and abandoning thought entirely. The triad reflects a spectrum of cognitive engagement, where neither extreme nor total disengagement is sufficient for meaningful communication. Stevens invites the reader to consider the delicate balance required to convey ideas effectively and authentically.

The final lines present a cacophony of sensory details: "A guttural growl, / A snort across the silverware, / The petals flying through the air." These images evoke chaos, impulsivity, and the unpredictability of expression. The "guttural growl" and "snort" suggest primal, unrefined sounds, contrasting sharply with the elegance of "silverware" and the delicate "petals." The juxtaposition implies that communication often emerges from a mix of raw instinct and cultivated refinement, neither wholly logical nor entirely chaotic. The "petals flying" might symbolize fleeting beauty or the fragility of meaning as it disperses into the air, reinforcing the poem?s theme of the elusiveness of clear communication.

In its brevity, "Communications of Meaning" encapsulates a central concern of Stevens? poetry: the difficulty of conveying meaning in a world where language is both a tool and a barrier. By combining humor with sharp observation, Stevens critiques the limitations of thought and language while celebrating their paradoxical richness. The poem challenges readers to find significance in the interplay of instinct, intellect, and the unpredictable beauty of expression.

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