"She" a.k.a. The Singer
Our musical friend by the shore is a key element in the poem and functions as an extended metaphor for the artist/poet. The singer is the source of the song, just as the artist is the source of the...
The Song
References to the "song" in "The Idea of Order at Key West" function as an extended metaphor for art itself: the actual product of the artist and the inspiration. While the "song" represents just a...
The Sea
The sea—sounds fun, right? Surfing, sand castles, suntans, snorkeling, seaweed (sorry, we're suckers for S sounds—love that alliteration!). In this poem, the sea represents the external world a...