I Don't Understand Anything: Thoughts on Tocqueville from Tocqueville

I found it really frustrating that I could not figure out what even a small portion of this poem means. I don't understand how to read and decipher poetry. If I did I think I still would have no idea what's going on with this 20+ page poem.

The biggest issue I have with it is the format. It's super disjointed and there's no continuous flow. It's hard to read and understand when the narrative jumps around so much. I like the concept of including real people's stories but not when I don't know how to follow them. Some parts of the poem I can make some pretty good, I think, guesses about what he's trying to say but then the next part will be seemingly on a completely different train of thought. It is exhausting to try to string everything together.

I'm pretty sure, based on the other poems in the book and some of the discussion we have had in class, that basically the poem is supposed to be about global issues dealing with race and religion. Specifically, commenting on Middle Eastern relations and culture juxtaposed with and influenced by American culture. However, I can't really get any more specific because I'm just not sure. Every guess I make about the poem will have evidence supporting it and evidencing contradicting it so I don't think I can narrow it down much more. Maybe that is how it is supposed to be. I don't know.

I do like some things about Tocqueville. I like the language because it varies so much. In some parts it is casual dialogue, some parts are descriptive narratives, some parts are blunt criticisms; all of that together makes it an interesting experience to read. I also like that it is trying to convey an important and relevant message about American culture. I just wish I knew exactly what that message was.

Basically, my reaction to this poem is that I want someone to tell me exactly what the author is trying to say and how he's saying it so that I can go back to the beginning and reread it with that in mind so that hopefully it will all click into place and I can move on from this poem with something more than awful feelings of confusion and inadequacy.