Problem

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

André 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.