Footnotes

1. Originally, I didn't think that this poem should be titled "Paradoxes and Oxymorons." I felt like it better embodied the definition of personification. However, I think the fact that the poem is titled as such makes the poem as a whole an oxymoron/paradox in itself, as evidenced in the first line, which states that "the poem is concerned with language on a very plain level." The simplicity of the poem, especially at the beginning, opposes our preconceived notions of what the poem should be. ▲
2. The first line of the poem is so interesting because the author says something that is ironic. The idea that the poem is about language on a "basic level" even though it is concerned with oxymorons and paradoxes does not seem plausible. The speaker challenges the readers to evaluate the relationship between themselves and poetry. This relationship is illustrated in the text by showing that a poem is something that is trying to reach out to you as much as you are trying to reach out to it. - Kendrick Daniel ▲
3. I agree with Kendrick's argument that the title "Paradoxes and Oxymorons" is already contradicted in the first line stating the poem's goal of discussing "plain level" language. Paradoxes and oxymorons, as literary devices, are complex and complicated, definitely not included in "a very plain level." Additionally, with that being the topic Ashbery chose, I expected the poem to be about...paradoxes and oxymorons. So through my first read I underlined things like "you have it but you don't have it." But upon noticing that there aren't many examples of these devices I began seeing the poem more as having a conversation with me ("look at it talking to you"). ~Kristen Williams ▲
4. The poem is indeed concerned with language on a "very plain level." There is no figurative language or flowery references. The poem flows along like one’s natural, informal voice in conversation. The first line is a paradox because paradoxes and oxymoron are not basic level concepts. The entire poem is a paradox to the normal poem. Most poems are written using elevated language, difficult rhyme schemes, allusions, and imagery. This poem however does not. ▲
5. As the title indicates, this poem proposes its interpretation of the readers, reversing the conventional relationship. The usage of simple diction and colloquial sentence forms reflect the frustration of the poets towards the readers who often take poems too casually, overlooking its intricately interwoven play of words. The phrases, "Look at it talking to you" and "You look out a window" (line 2), is the expression of the writer’s frustration. He demands the readers more closely read the poem, trying to capture the words that it is trying to convey. The deeper meaning lies just outside of the "window," yet readers are often blind. ▲
6. Throughout the poem, the author tries to create paradoxes and oxymorons. He places opposite ideas next to each other on several occasions, which supports his title. I believe he does this to show the relationship of a poem to it's reader can be a difficult one similar to a love relationship. "You have it but you don't have it," is a quote that I think shows the sometimes difficult task of interpreting poetry. In terms of a relationship, I think the author used this line to show that poetry just like love is hard to understand. In addition to that line, the line "You miss it, it misses you. You miss each other," also supports that the relationship between a poem and a reader as well as the relationship between two ex-lovers. For instance, readers misinterpret poetry just as ex-lovers have misinterpreted each other. ▲
7. The subject of the poem "Paradoxes and Oxymorons" seems to be itself. The poet attempts to connect the poem with the reader, and to some extent the poem analyzes the reader himself. The poem is also full of paradoxes, statements that appear contradictory but have some truth in them. "You have it but you don't have it" is one such example. This statement seems to focus on the idea that while the reader has the opportunity to interpret the poem, the poem also controls the reader and, to some extent, his interpretation. The poem is "talking to you," but "the poem is you" as well. ~Diana Fridlyand ▲
8. Ashbery's use of personification and language makes the relationship between the reader and the poem seem like a complex, ill-fated love affair. In lines 3 and 5 the speaker discusses the two being kept apart by something and missing each other in line 4. The teasing in line 14 is also characteristic of the early stages of a relationship. This along with the use of enjambment and the longer sentences towards the end contribute to a sentimental mood and a sense of longing and anticipation. The fact that it is written in second person also contributes to its emotional appeal, by involving the reader in the situation. It is not some anonymous speaker that is experiencing the situation. - Jasmine Jenkins ▲
9. The line "You have it but you don't have it" implies the theme that the reader understand what the poem is at this point, but does not fully understand its meaning. This is a weird line as the reader cannot understand the full poem until he has read the entire poem. I think this line is meant to evoke anxiety and suspense in the reader's mind so the reader continues to read along. It almost makes the reader angry by making judgments about them. This also adds to the "You look out a window Or pretend to fidget" line grabbing the reader's attention. -Michael Solomon ▲
10. The use of personification in saying the poem is "talking to you" (line 2) brings the poem to life, illustrating how the poem is trying to let the reader know its purpose or meaning. Even though it is trying to reach the reader with a message, the reader becomes distracted and doesn't give it utmost attention to it, just like how college students read the poems but then something like a party or friends distract us from attaining its full meaning. When the speaker says, "You have it but you don't have it" this suggests that the reader will make his own interpretation about what the poem's theme is but in reality it may not be the desired interpretation. The poem is putting its meaning and purpose into words but because everyone has a different way of thinking the speaker is not able to control these interpretations; thus, the poem's intended purpose is not attained by the reader. It is interesting that even before examining the rest of the poem, the speaker already believes that the reader does not fully understand the poem since "you have it, but you don't have it. / you miss it, it misses you" where "it" stands for the meaning/purpose of the poem. (line 3-4) ~Seema Jabbar ▲
11. I agree that the poem involves interpretation in that each reader views the language from his/her own perspective. Yet, the personification of language in line 4 can also be interpreted in a slightly different light. ''You miss it [language], it misses you. You miss each other'' suggests a representation of the power of language in relation to humans since Ashbery places language at the same level as the reader (line 4). The syntax indicates a reciprocal and equal relationship as Ashbery nearly creates a mirror image: ''You miss it, it misses you.'' By stating that ''You miss each other,'' Ashbery emphasizes the close relationship between the reader and language implying the dependence of humans on language and vice versa. When the reader cannot fully understand language, the reader misses the meaning of the language and the language misses the opportunity to be expressed and influence the reader. Thus, a fault exists in their mutual relationship. Stacey Elkhatib ▲
12. In "Paradoxes and Oxymorons", the traditional role of readers interpreting a poem has been reversed. Instead, the poet is trying to interpret the reader, delving into the relationship between the reader and poetry itself. The line "You miss it, it misses you. You miss each other" shows the major theme of misunderstanding and frustration: readers will interpret poems differently despite the poet's original intention. In effect, the poem is "sad" because of this, as it "wants to be yours, and cannot". I think what the poet is trying to say is that poetry exists to convey the poet's message. This message, described as "a deeper outside thing...without proof. Open-ended", can only be shown through poetry and therefore the poem wants to be "yours" in the sense that it wants the reader to understand its original meaning, but the readers do not always understand. Instead, this message is "lost in the stream and chatter of typewriters". In result, the poem, its own acting being, sets the author "slowly down beside you", as what the author has written has become what you believe it to mean and not what it was intended to mean, resulting in the final line: "the poem is you." By describing this situation, Ashbery has personified poetry itself as a being of emotion and action and called into question the meaning and purpose that poetry serves. Ginny Chae ▲
13. The first stanza almost seems like a love poem. In personifying the poem’s language, Ashbery makes it seem like two strangers interested in each other. The poem is talking to the reader and the reader feels awkward and looks away and pretends to fidget. The fact that the reader is pretending makes the situation appear even more awkward and forced. It is almost like a connection between the poem and the reader is forced. The poem has a message to say, “Look at it talking to you,” but the reader is uncomfortable and not listening. “You miss it, it misses you,” further suggests this reciprocal relationship. Ashbery seems to be saying that the poem reveals something to the reader but the reader must interpret it, which also suggests that there is a definite meaning to a poem in that the reader can miss it. Greg Irons ▲
14. The poem is sad because it wants to be yours, and cannot. This line is strange for two reasons. Why is the author attaching human emotions to a poem. Either he considers his work to be a part of himself or he considers the poem to be an entity that he created but has taken its own shape beyond him now. If the first is true, then he is saying that he wants to “be yours, and cannot.” If the latter, the poem is trying to connect to the reader and it cannot figure out how. -Sam ▲
15. In the poem "Paradoxes and Oxymorons"John Ashbery characterizes the poem as a human being. The line "The poem is sad because it wants to be yours, and cannot," gives the reader a sense as though the poem is a living being and is originally sad. The fact that it is a poem, and not a living being, the idea is completely contradictive as the poem can’t feel. Being that it has emotion seems as though the writer himself is pursuing his feelings through the poem. Also saying that the poem cannot be yours, but in reality it is now a part of you, as in some way or another it affects you. The poem says it is about oxymorons and paradoxes, so the reader is already told that there are contradictions taking place through the poem. The interesting thing about poems is that they are written with emotion and feeling and very well thought out, being that this poem has so many feelings repeating, shows that the writer is putting his emotions directly in the poem. It is no longer he that feels that he wants to be yours, but it is the poem which connects with the reader. So as the reader feels connected and emotionally attached to a poem, the same feeling is pursued through the poem.-kvora- ▲
16. I was very intrigued when I saw this line. Most poems we read are not ours in that the language is more complex, as well as woven into the piece specifically by the poet. However, the poet here is interested in making something ours and not his. On lines 13-14 however, the poet becomes a little angered by the fact that we are not really "there" when his attempt in making something for us is quashed. I felt a very simple connection to the poem, mostly because on the surface, its simplicity is attractive. But on the other side of the spectrum, this attraction for simplicity was nothing too impressive for me. I actually now realize that the more complex the poem, the more intrigued I become. ▲
17. The speaker questions what a "plain level" is, referring to the earlier statement that the poem is "concerned with language on a plain level." The idea that a poem uses language on a plain level is a paradox because a poem with words that mean nothing beyond what their literal meanings are is hardly a poem. Even when a poet uses seemingly "plain (language)" the poem can be interpreted in any number of ways, making it more than just plain language. "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams uses what some could argue is plain language, but even this can be interpreted in multiple ways, and these interpretations shape what the theme of the poem is. The speakers statement that "this poem is sad because it wants to be yours, and cannot," is seemingly a paradox, because a poem cannot physically be sad; it can incite feelings of sorrow but cannot actually be sad. This phrase's proximity to the plain language assertion implies that the poem is sad because it cannot actually have plain language, as anyone can interpret this language. The poem cannot be "yours" because anyone can read it, and draw interpretations of what is happening. ▲
18. This line continues the theme of the author speaking of his poem and poetry within the poem. Throughout the poem the author has personified the poem so that it seems as if the poem is a person who has actually created itself. It is as if the poem has decided what words will be a part of itself and these words form a connection between us and the poem. This line shows how the poem is using words in order to be playful and allow the form of the poem to be enjoyable. The speaker tells us that the poem has brought "plain" language "into play." What may seem at first to be simple and uninteresting words are actually very interesting and create this theme within the poem. At the end of the line the poet places a question mark after the word Play. This is representative of the audiences own questioning of whether the poem is actually being playful in its plain language. By asking this question and thinking about it to ourselves we realize the truth of this line. –Zack Roward ▲
19. This poem accurately represents the tone it appears to portray. Paradoxes and oxymorons are often associated with things that may not often be related, or they may be opposites of each other. Oxymorons, specifically, are words that contradict each other. Throughout this poem, many contradictions are made. From a poem being called "plain," "you have it but you don't have it," "you miss it, it misses you," and "it wants to be yours, and cannot," they are all examples of conflicting language and ideas. Ashbury is straightforward with the tone and conflict he tries to imply by the title of the poem, and then continuing the theme with examples in the poem itself. Such examples may lead to lack of clarity and confusion, which may be another theme in itself. -Cara Weiner ▲
20. The poem in the first two stanzas seem to examine 3 things introspectively; the poem, the poet, and the reader. However by the third stanza, Ashbery recalls the "outside thing" which I believe refers to the outside world. By looking at the poem from a different perspective, we no longer have to pay closer attention to the poem but focus on the world which contains the poem itself. By saying that a poem is a "dream role-pattern" also suggests that a poem has an element of control, which goes along with "pattern", and also a sense of mystery, which goes along with "dreams." This idea of a poem encompassing these features simultaneously goes along with the poem's title as well- that a poem is an entity of paradoxes and oxymorons. ▲
21. Clearly stated in the title, this poem illustrates the paradoxical nature of poetry. In line 11, Ashbery forms a sentence that exemplifies this paradoxical theme: "Open-ended." This sentence in itself represents both freedom and constraint. On the one hand, open-ended literally denotes the freedom of which the reader has in analyzing the content of a poem. In contrast, Ashbery portrays constraint by placing a period after the word, making it its own sentence. Being such a small and brief sentence symbolizes the paradoxical limitations of the "open-endedness" of poetry. Furthermore, Ashbery places the small sentence in the middle of the line, in the middle of the stanza, and practically in the middle of the poem. Thus, the sentence is surrounded, almost engulfed, by the rest of the poem. This also represents the constraints and limitations that this paradoxical sentence has. With this sentence, the poet shows how the "open-endedness" of poetry can result in the reader losing a poem's true meaning. Patrick McFarland. ▲
22. The play on words of "open ended" in line 11 is a statement about the form of the poem itself. Given that the theme of the poem is paradoxical and ironic, this statement plays into that by literally and metaphorically commenting on the form. It also reinforces the light and playful tone of the speaker; they want to give you an appreciation for poetry in a funny manner that forces you to think about the ambiguities that arise in analyzing verse. ▲
23. This line could be a sentence without the additional four words before it in the previous line, but, by adding those four words, the author adds a personal touch to the poem. The author gives his audience something to relate to and miss as the poem disappears into the “stream” (12). This relates back to line five when the poem is described as sad because it wants to have a personal relationship with its reader but it cannot when it is lost. The poem is sad because so its reader should be as well. The title indicates the irony of a poem; it is suppose to have a personal connection with its reader but it is also meant for the world to read. -Andrew Mulhall ▲
24. The connection between the content of the poem and the title’s poem is very significant. Ashberry personifies the poem in the second line when he writes, “Look at it talking to you.” The phrases “it misses you,” and “the poem is sad,” are also instances of personification. Realistically a poem being sad and a poem missing somebody are paradoxes. However, since this personification is used in poetry it is in fact less of a paradox, as poetry provides the author with endless possibilities, especially possibilities to break the rules of normal prose, which relates to Dickinson’s poem “I dwell in possibility.” Another significant part of the poem is the last line, in which the author says, “the poem is you.” If you substitute the word poem with you in the text, it makes even less sense, and becomes even more of a paradox. I think this is a very clever way to end the poem, as it toys with the ideas raised in the title, sort of bringing the poem full circle. -Marcus Patterson ▲
25. This poem is an elongated metaphor for a person. Although the author tries desperately to help the speaker understand the poem (other person), the speaker struggles with trying to accomplish a different attitude from the other person. Also, the other person (poem) is sad because "it wants to be yours, and cannot" and also because the poem cannot understand the person and instead wishes to "play" (lines 5 and 7). The word "play" is also played upon with its meaning. The person that the speaker is with seems to question this word, and the speaker then plays with the word. Instead of using it as "bringing a system of them into play," he uses it as something deeper, a "dreamed role-pattern" (lines 7-9). The ending of the poem brings the metaphor to a end when the speaker says: "The poem is you" (line 16). However, the one idea that is confusing to me is the title. I did not understand why it was called paradoxes and oxymorons. I may have skipped some, but I do not really remember any of these devices jumping out at me while I was reading the poem. I wonder if the author was trying to be ironic or if he simply wanted the reader to think about something else as they read the poem. Alyssa Perez ▲
26. This poem shows the author's frustration due to misunderstandings and miscommunications that frequently happen around us. The last line of first stanza apparently shows the misunderstanding and paradox happening between two people loving each other by using the verb "miss", which conveys two opposite meanings. In the following stanza, the author is dejected due to the fact that his words and writings (particullary in play) do not work as a mediator that connects himself and the readers: "it gets lost in the stream and chatter of typewriters" (12). He eventually moves his level of language to the reader's very plain level of language by writing this poem: "And the poem has set me softly down beside you. The poem is you"16). -- Juhee Ban ▲
27. This poem explores the fascinating concept of changing around the roles in traditional poetry. Instead of a narrative poem, the poem begins to start talking directly to the reader, at times teasing him or her because they can't quite grasp the poem. Ashbery makes note that the reader and the poem both exist on different planes of existence: the poem, on paper and in a world of literature, and the reader, in a world with "lone August days" (line 10) when the poem tells us "you miss each other"(line 4). Towards the end of the poem, however, the two worlds seem to be merging, and as the reader tends to get lost in the poem as he reads more in more, the two all of the sudden are able to be beside each other, until they are both one. After the reader walks away from the poem, he is now the poem itself, carrying it with him in his head forever (or at least until he forgets it). Ashbery uses plain language to draw the reader in and convince him to read until the end, so that he absorbs the poem easily. Difficult or verbose language would contradict the purpose of the poem: to stick in the reader's mind, perhaps to be told to someone else so that it can be recycled and re-used. -Lance Hayden ▲
28. The speaker personifies the poem itself and uses the poem's uninterpreted message as a symbol of his love for another. The poem is depicted as a seductress that lures the speaker into participating in questionable activities as stated when the speaker says, "To tease me into doing it, on your level, and then you arent there." It seems that the author is contemplating rather he should or shouldn't pursue his forbidden love. However when the speaker believes he has made his decision on the matter his courage "gets lost in the steam and chatter of type writters." The speaker as a result is unable to express his love openly for the potential mate and must confess his love through the contents of this poem. ▲