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Guest Posted 21 years ago

Anyone know what this poem means?

0 "Thief by Alice Major 02br
02br
00You have made the others in this house 02br
00more careful. Locks drilled 02br
00-------In doors. Boards nailed 02br
00to basement windows. 02br
00-------The cats *** cautious ears 02br
00at the covert crumble of leves 02br
00------ in the outer dark. 02br
02br
00You pawed the intimate clinging 02br
00confusion of drawers. Your breath 02br
00mingled with the potpourri that scents 02br
00my shelves. All the time, your face 02br
00in shadow. Your hands, hasty, random 02br
00stupid for what they take 02br
00------and what they leave behind. 02br
02br
00But you will not make me take 02br
00precautions. I know your face too well. 02br
00You are the thief who, one day, will 02br
00-------seize all 02br
00that I hold precious. You will come 02br
00again, lock-breaker, thug with thick fingers. 02br
00No care that I can take, no shutter 02br
00on my heart, can keep you out. I know 02br
00the scythe-curve of your shadow 02br
00-------on the wall." 02br
02br
02br
00* The ------ means blank spaces. The spacings are supposed to have a reason why they are spaced out, so if u got an idea plz tell me . 02br
02br
00OK ... Wat do YOU thing the poem's meaning is?? 02br
02br
00WHat i think so far is that the writer is talking about someone that she's in love with and that person cheated on her before, and now she's afraid that her lover will cheat again, yet there's nothing she can do about it because she's in love with him. "No care that I can take, no shutter 02br
00on my heart, can keep you out" 02br
02br
00By the line "Your hands hasty, random, stupid for what they take and what they leave behind" ...i think it means that she thinks she's better than the other woman her lover cheated on her with. 02br
02br
02br
00If you find any metaphors, personification or anythin else PLEASE let me know05002br
02br
00Btw..i got all the alliteration and stuff... 010id5
  

Top answer

0 A marvellous poem! And a sad one... 02br 00I'd rather say it's about an accident or death, or about whatever danger you can't protect yourself against, all the epithets in the poem seem to describe it.

— Fair Lady

  • 0 A marvellous poem!
  • And a sad one...
  • 02br 00I'd rather say it's about an accident or death, or about whatever danger you can't protect yourself against, all the epithets in the poem seem to describe it.
  • g.
  • hasty, random, stupid hands, lock-breaker.
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12 Answers
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0 A marvellous poem! And a sad one... 02br
00I'd rather say it's about an accident or death, or about whatever danger you can't protect yourself against, all the epithets in the poem seem to describe it. "Thug with thick fingers" and "skythe-curve" - the most vivid images, and there're some others, e.g. hasty, random, stupid hands, lock-breaker. The whole poem is metaphoric, and th
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0 I think it's about death...Because there's all kinds of things she says that hint it. 02br
02br
00btw... What does the "Thug with thick fingers" supposed to mean...? Is it literaly what she says, the real meaning or is it a personification? 0-
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0 In my opinion it's a personification, the meaning is that this implied danger is like a killer with thick strong fingers, which will defeat you inevitably... That's my impression. 0-
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0 The poem is about death, and the big clue is in these lines: 02br
02br
00"I know 02br
00the scythe-curve of your shadow 02br
00-------on the wall." 02br
00 This is the traditional image of Death as the Grim Reaper. 02br
02br
00The imagery is outstanding, as she describes a thief in the dead of night rummaging throu
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0 "Thug with thick fingers" is an example of alliteration, and adds to the musical sound of the poem. 0-
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0 At first instance it looks like she is taking about herself, or her shadow... But no. It is about DEATH. See the lines... 02br
02br
00You are the thief who, one day, will 02br
00-------seize all 02br
00that I hold precious. 02br
02br
00what she holds precious is 'Life'. She probably suffers from heart desease and has gone till t
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The poem is about a lady that got raped and is talking about how she will not change her life because of what he has done to her, even though others have takin percautions against him.

This part here is how you know she got raped...

"You pawed the intimate clinging
confusion of drawers. Your breath
mingled with the potpourri that scents
my shelves"

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AnonymousThe poem is about a lady that got raped and is talking about how she will not change her life because of what he has done to her, even though others have takin percautions against him.

This part here is how you know she got raped...

"You pawed the intimate clinging
confusion of drawers. Your breath
mingled with the potpourri that sc
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There can be many interpretations...for example the poet is talking about a thief but this is obvious so this thief may be a metaphor for death or even age...meaning how time ages everything...however the sentence'You are the thief who, one day, will -------seize all that I hold precious.' seems to be referring to death..as death seizes all. As for the dashes, i think that they are employed here
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0Um, sorry. The poem doesn't mean she is cheated on by someone. The poem is about death, how you can't hide from it and that she is resigned to this fact. The hints that it is death, is the symbol she uses, scythe-curve which is a blade the grim reaper uses. Also, in the second stanza, it is mostly about how she can't hide from it and that death is everywhere and will not be denied entrance. The
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