Topic, Idea, Theme

When I ask you what a poem is about, you can answer me by giving me the topic, the main idea, or a theme.

The topic is the subject(s) discussed in the poem. For instance, in “The Anecdote of a Jar” the topic is a “jar” placed upon a hill.

We already covered idea, in a previous post. The (main) idea of the poem tells us about the purpose of the poem. By figuring out the idea, we are figuring out the message that the poet or the narrator (speaker in the poem) is conveying to the reader. An idea in “Anecdote of the Jar” may be the interrelation between man, art, and nature. Man creates art using material from nature; therefore the artist (man), the artifact (in this case the “jar”), and nature (the “clay” used to make the jar) are all connected. Another idea in this poem can be man’s dominion over nature, with the “jar” becoming a symbol for man; or man’s domestication of nature: "the wilderness rose up to" the jar, "no longer wild" (lines 5 & 6).

A theme is any broad idea which is common in literature. There are many themes in literature and with a little practice and lots of reading you will start to recognize them easily. For instance a popular theme is the Forcefulness of Love (think for example of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”), the Inevitability of Death (Wallace Steven’s “The Death of a Soldier”), or Man versus Nature which is the theme in “Anecdote of the Jar.” Another theme, related to Man versus Nature, is Natural versus Artificial. A poem may have more than one theme. Whenever you want to discuss the contents of a poem, it is important to figure out what its themes are.

The idea of a poem is usually based on a theme, but is more specific than a theme. In "Anecdote of the Jar" the theme may be Man versus Nature; but more specifically, the idea is Man's Domestication of Nature. The theme tells us that there is a figurative battle between man and nature, and the idea tells us who is winning this battle. In the context of this poem it is man who is winning, as the jar, which is a symbol (metonomy) for man, takes "dominion everywhere" (line 9).

Prose Meaning, Idea, Total Meaning, and Tone

It is possible to get a meaning of a poem by writing a prose paraphrase of the poem. Through this summary of the poem one gets what is known as the prose meaning of the poem. If one is to summarize the poem even further, into a single thought, or in one or two sentences, one is left with the main idea of the poem.

The prose meaning, however, loses much of the original poems richness. The richness of the poem is contained in the specific words chosen and their connotative meanings, the various images, the poetic devices used, the sound quality of the poem when read, and so on. The prose meaning does not convey these truly poetic qualities of the poem. To really understand the poem in all its richness, one need to do an explication (detailed explanation) of the poem, which take into account all the poetic elements in the poem. Such an explication will give us the total meaning of the poem.

Such an understanding of the poem may also give as a prominent feeling, an emotional quality that seems inherent in the poem. This feeling is known as the poem’s tone.

Exercise 1: Explain how a poem that expresses an idea with which you do not agree may, nevertheless, be a source of appreciation and enjoyment. (From “Reviewing Chapter Nine,” Sound & Sense, p. 152.)

Exercise 2: How is tone conveyed in spoken language? How is tone conveyed in written language?

Exercise 3: Tone is usually identified by an adjective. With what adjectives would you describe the tone in Wallace Stevens’ poem “Snow Man”?

Assignment: Read Wallace Steven’s poem “Anecdote of the Jar.” In a paragraph explain the prose meaning of the poem (in other words, give a summary of the poem.) Also indicate the main idea and the tone of the poem.