Module 06 Discussion - Thanks for the Compliment (I Think)

Conduct an online search for Andre Breton's poem, "Free Union." Upon locating the poem, read through it and share your thoughts about the following discussion with your classmates:

Andre Breton's "Free Union" follows the form of a French blason, a poem that is made up of a list of qualities that describe a person, usually a woman, often to flatter, but sometimes to mock sarcastically. Maybe you have heard or read one before, something like, "Your eyes are like emeralds; your hair shines like the sun; etc." You can see that the poet is making comparisons: eyes with emeralds, hair with the sun. In "Free Union," Breton seems to be comparing "Woman of mine" to some really bizarre images.

Choose a few examples of these comparisons in order to see if you can make sense out of them. Remember what the Dadaists and Surrealists stand for, with regard to conventional poetry. What kind of thinking is needed to make sense of these images? Is it all logical? Is one even supposed to make sense of the poem? If not, then what do you think was Breton's point for writing it? Be sure to refer to examples from the poem when you share your thoughts with other classmates.

Please respond to students post

By. Mr. Nelson,

My first impression of this poem was he must have hated his wife. I had to read it a couple of times to understand I think that he is meaning that a normal comparison wouldn’t do his wife justice. She is different and shouldn’t be compared to anything normal. The end of the poem is the part that I found to be the most flattering:

My wife with shoulders of champagne

And a dolphin-head fountain under the ice

My wife with her matchstick wrists

My wife with fingers of chance and the ace of hearts

Fingers of mown hay

The shoulders of champagne reflect the shape of her body representing a fine bottle of champagne that you relish and drink on a special occasion. The matchstick wrists and fingers of change and the ace of hearts to me mean that she is delicate with a strong heart. To fully understand the poem you have to think outside of the box and get away from the standard which is exactly what he is saying, his wife is anything but normal.