THe Spirit is too Blunt an Instrument themes

• ‘The Spirit is too Blunt an Instrument’ in a nutshell

  ‘The Spirit is too Blunt an Instrument’ by Anne Stevenson was published in 1969. The speaker is in amazement over the complexities of a newborn baby’s body and concludes that the human “spirit” is too clumsy to be able to create something so perfectly. 
• Form 


  The poem is made up of 27 lines, which are written in free verse and divided into three stanzas, each of nine lines.
• Theme: life and creation- form 


  Evidence:

  The poem does not have a regular form and each stanza is formed of two sentences. Enjambment is used in each of the three stanzas

  Poet’s intention:

  The lack of regular form could reflect the poet’s enthusiasm at marvelling at the baby’s anatomy and also create a closeness between the reader and the speaker
• Theme: life and creation- form 


  Evidence:

  The poem is written in free verse and so does not use any kind of regular metre

  poets intentions:

  The poet may have done this in order to help the poem move freely and fluidly to make it feel more intimate and conversational

  However, it could also be argued that the free verse reflects the sporadic spirit that the poet refers to as it does not follow a pattern or structure 
• structure 


  The poem is formed of three stanzas that are nine lines long
• Theme: life and creation- structure 


  Evidence:

  The poet has written 27 lines and the lines are divided into  three stanzas, which are nine-lines long

  Poet’s intention:

  The nine lines per stanza could reflect the duration of a pregnancy and the time it takes for a baby to fully form
• language


  The writer uses anatomical language to reflect her awe at the complexity of the human body. 
• theme: life and creation- language

  evidence:

  The poet uses a lexical field linked to precision and complexity. Words such as “fine”, “distinct”, “complexity”, “miniature”, “intricate”, “precision” and “accuracy”

  Poet’s intention:

  The poet has used these words to emphasise how precise and complex the body is and reiterate the point that the spirit/mind cannot create something so complex
• theme: life and creation- language 


  evidence:

  Imagery is used as the poet goes into detail about the body and pays particular attention to features such as the “ear”, “eyelashes” and “fingernails”

  Poet’s intention:

  Stevenson does this to reinforce her argument that the “spirit” could not have created something so intricate
• theme: life and creation 


  Evidence:

  Imagery is used as the poet goes into detail about the body and pays particular attention to features such as the “ear”, “eyelashes” and “fingernails”

  Poet’s intention:

  Stevenson does this to reinforce her argument that the “spirit” could not have created something so intricate
• Theme: the unpredictable nature of the human spirit 


  Evidence:

  Abstract nouns are used such as “passion”, “desire”, “affection”, “love”, “anxiety” and “pain”

  Poet’s intention:

  Stevenson does this to contrast the concrete nouns used when describing the baby. The use of abstract nouns highlights the intangible and unpredictable nature of the human spirit
• understanding theme- life and creation

  • Stevenson was a mother to three children before writing the poem:
  • It could be suggested that she uses this experience to write from the perspective of a new mother who is looking at her baby
  • The poet comments that the baby’s “intricate” form could not have been created by something as clumsy and messy as “the spirit”
• understanding theme- life+creation

  • The use of concrete words such as “bones”, “tendons”, “knees” and “knucklebones” create an image of the baby that is tangible+real, which contrasts with the abstract words that are used to describe the “spirit”:
  • puts emphasis on the body and its minute details and to pull the focus and importance away from the “spirit” and the mind
  • By focusing on specific features+going into detail, the speaker attempts to prove her point the spirit couldn’t have created a baby as each piece must be crafted perfectly+the spirit is too unskilled to be able to do this
• understanding theme- life+creation

  • In the second stanza, the speaker attempts to focus the readers by using words such as “observe” and “imagine” when marvelling at the baby’s intricate features:
  • It could be argued that Stevenson observes her baby as a physical object, like a statue to be marvelled at, rather than focusing on the mind
  • In the final stanza, Stevenson concludes that “passion or sentiment” could not have created something so intricate:
  • However, she decides that it is habit and instinct that has created life
  • This is ingrained in our genes but beyond our understanding
• understanding theme-unpredictable nature of human spirit

  • Stevenson refers to the human mind and spirit as “blunt” and marvels at the physical form of a person rather than the subconscious:
  • This is unconventional as poems usually focus on the “spirit” and the human psyche rather than the intricacies of the body
• understanding theme-unpredictable nature of human spirit

  • The spirit is described as a “blunt instrument” and the use of this metaphor sets the tone and direction for the rest of the poem:
  • The poet then uses abstract words to describe the characteristics of the mind and this creates the effect that the spirit is intangible and imperceptible to the touch
  • However, at the end of the poem, the speaker acknowledges that it is the spirit and the “vagaries of the mind” that add life and emotions to the perfect and intricate body