This piece of writing is what I have been looking for my whole academic life. Math has usually been my best and favorite area of study because there is always a CONCRETE answer, no room for interpretive mumbo-jumbo. I always thought that literature was like that in the sense that everything is open for interpretation. A swell quote I really liked was “'A symbol,' writes John Ciardi, 'is like a rock dropped into a pool: it sends out ripple in all directions, and the ripples are in motion. Who can say where the last ripple disappears?' True. But even a symbol does not have unlimited meaning. The pool in which the rock is dropped has borders" (page 5, sorry for the length of the quote). When I was reading this, I was having a panic attack, thinking that I had mis-interpreted the whole other four pages. However, he highlights how that quote can be inacurate in some situations, which was a breath of fresh air.
I really liked this piece, but I'll admit, it made me feel pretty disheartened. I doubt I'll ever be able to think like that: I didn't even KNOW what to think when I read the flower poem. I'm glad we're dedicating a quarter to poetry because I need some more practice. To properly interpret poetry, I think that one needs a really good understanding of culture, literature and life experiences. The star poem took some serious philosophizing to understand, so I think I shall need quite a bit more practice. Overall, I thought this was a very interesting work.
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