Complete 6 page APA formatted essay: Writing Poetry.Understanding its meaning and rich undertones can be a challenging task for the reader. Several readings and a careful, systematic analysis is calle

Complete 6 page APA formatted essay: Writing Poetry.

Understanding its meaning and rich undertones can be a challenging task for the reader. Several readings and a careful, systematic analysis is called for, in order to fully comprehend its significance. But in the long run the effort is worthwhile as “The Snow Man” is a remarkable poem and reading it can be an enriching and rewarding experience.

The poem begins by introducing the reader to a human, and it is through the eyes of this person that the paradoxical nature of winter, with its cold beauty and innate harshness is revealed. Initially the poet emphasizes the importance of being finely attuned to the nuances of winter at a mental level. Further by dint of prolonged exposure one must be inured to the hardships brought on by the wintry winds. Only then will it be possible for the process of metamorphosis to take place, transforming one into a snowman, which is truly integrated with the magnificent landscape. One evolves into “…the listener, who listens in the snow, / And, nothing himself, beholds/ Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is” (Stevens 9).

Speculation as to the events that led to the shaping of the poem may help the reader to better grasp its import. It would appear that Stevens had written this poem, while merely gazing at a wintry landscape and studying its nature. Or, on a more profound note the poem may be his way of giving expression to the realization that the winter of his own life had approached, bringing with it a curious mixture of despondency and hope and the need to shed the unnecessary trappings of civilization, in order to become one with nature, and thereby achieve a purer

state of being. This probably explains the sheer intensity of the poem and its theme of learning to let go - giving up everything and thereby acquiring everything which may just turn out to be nothing.

From looking at the poem’s antecedents, the reader may divide it into its structural parts for purposes of comprehension. The