Hidden Meanings

.(This was revised 10 am CST.)
Some students have trouble understanding that the beauty of poetry includes the subtle use of language and are in danger of believing that it is all a bunch hooey concocted by English professors. One such professor of my acquaintance used to introduce the poetry section in his general education literature classes by playing off of that attitude and (perhaps) putting the students at ease. He began by acting as if poetry was indeed a bunch of hooey. Day one began something like this.

“This here’s your poem.
The purpose of your poem is to obscure meaning.
To find the hidden meanings there are hints at the bottom of the page.
These hints are numbered.
One, two, three are your little numbers.
Seven, eight, nine are your big numbers.”

Probably, like most of these little maneuvers that we come up with, it works better sometimes than others.

I’m sure that you have seen articles from the right about how Obama is not merely wrong, but what he really wants to do is … list your method of choice … and destroy the Republic. Here is another hidden meaning example, this time from the other side wherein Michele Bachman does not merely want to do what she says she does, but really plans to destroy any semblance of social justice in America.

In modern American politics these presentations serve to demonize the opposition and make them appear outside the mainstream and therefore unacceptable. They also contribute mightily to the current sorry state of our politics where winning is more important than governing.

Perhaps these two things are connected by Mario Cuomo's observation that, "You campaign in poetry, but you govern in prose."

But now we don't govern at all, we just win elections.
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