After examining Perrine's thoughts and criteria concerning the interpretations of poetry, I both agree and disagree with his opinions. I truly do believe that a reader can see absolutely anything in the depths of a poem. Moreover, one cannot limit the imagination by creating one absolute meaning to a piece of literature. It would be completely wrong to do such an action. There are far too many differing people with their own unique beliefs and backgrounds in this world to place one definite reading to a poem. Perrine mentions, "There are no correct or incorrect readings: there are only readings which differ more or less widely from a statistical norm." I find it confusing how Perrine asserts this free spirit statement, but then goes on to list the criteria of what makes an interpretation correct. This way of thinking place a severe restriction on artistry and basically defeats the point of fiction.
This article by Perrine fortified my own belief of interpretations of literature. After reading over Perrines criteria, I see how foolish and narrow minded it is to place a correct or an incorrect reading on a poem. If we were all to be convinced of this, there would be a sense of uniformity that would confine people's individuality. It struck me as surprising of how a professor could think in such a way. One who teaches others should, no doubt, aid their students in developing their own particular styles and ways of thinking. However, I do agree with the notion that not even the author should put labels on his work. It is for the reader to use his or her own personal life to make connections and decide what he thinks the poem to be. In the future, I will use the knowledge gained from this article to form a greater appreciation of my classmates differing thoughts on pieces of literature.
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