LIT 2030
February 20, 2013 Visual Form of “The Emperor of Ice Cream” by Wallace Stevens When it comes to the visual appearance in relation to poetic interpretation and meaning, one cannot ignore the free form in which poet Wallace Stevens constructed his poem titled “The Emperor of Ice Cream”. In a poem created to argue against the constant value placed on mere appearance, the not so rigid form perfectly exemplifies the authors view on the subject. While he used this almost airy method to imply that the true beauty of poetry lies in the freedom of expression the poet has, he does not completely ignore the idea of structure.
When reading the poem it is clear that the poet designed it to get the reader to re-examine their own reliance on appearance. In an almost playful style Stevens wrote the poem as a rebellion against the strict poetic from. Although in some instances he does acknowledge the importance of an overall form, his main purpose is to refrain it, and work against this concept by applying his free form.
By utilizing the free form ,Steven allowed each idea to flow into the next with ease. It allowed to poem to appear casual, and almost conversational. Aside from the couplets, nothing in the poem adheres to the complex, rigid, and almost box-like form applied by other poets.
As stated before, Stevens did not completely throw-away the essential form suggested by others. In an seemingly ironic way, he delivered his most important lines in rhyming couplet. By doing so, the poet acknowledges the importance of the traditional form, but blatantly disregards it in the rest of the poem as if to make fun of the old ways.
In conclusion, the visual aspect of “The Emperor of Ice Cream” helps to denote its meaning and viewpoint of its author. By applying a free form way of writing, Stevens showed that