Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Student Theme" is a poem by Ronald W. Wallace, first published in 1998 in the literary journal "The Gettysburg Review."

Explanation:

The poem explores the relationship between adjectives, nouns, and other parts of speech. It depicts a scenario where adjectives ambush nouns on their way to the verb, and in the process, the language is shattered, leaving the speakers with nothing to say.

Poetic Elements:

• Form: The poem consists of four stanzas, with irregular line lengths and no set rhyme scheme.
• Imagery: The poem uses vivid imagery to describe the attack of the adjectives on the nouns.
• Personification: The adjectives and nouns are personified, as if they were living beings with their own agency and emotions.
• Metaphor: The poem employs a metaphor to suggest the consequences of an unbalanced use of language, where the "vacuum" between the subject and predicate awaits "air" to be filled.

Conclusion:

"Student Theme is" is a thought-provoking poem that uses the playfulness of language to make a statement about the importance of balance and harmony in communication.

Poem Snippet:

"Meanwhile, the object of the whole scene
Was nowhere to be seen; was off somewhere.
Only a vacuum remained between
Subject and predicate, waiting for air."