Dichotomy In Auguste Rodin's Poetry

Auguste Rodin’s iconic bronze sculpture, The Thinker, inspired the above poem, “Peace of Mind.” The Thinker rather famously “depicts thinking as an isolated, serious, and perhaps even painful activity (Greeno et al. 86). “Peace of Mind” portrays the dichotomy that critical thought presents. In particular, it aims to illustrate that thought can simultaneously be a source of agony and yet a key to peace. The poem’s first line, “Herculean in thought” sets the tone for the poem by establishing the dichotomy and contrast between thought and might. Rodin’s sculpture is an inspiration in that it depicts a muscular and even powerful man in a thinking position, creating a potential contrast between what one may stereotypically consider a thinker to
The subsequent line, “bowed in strength” accomplishes a similar objective by creating a contrast between bowing down and strength, which would typically be associated with standing up. This too pays homage to Rodin’s sculpture. The poem’s most extensive metaphor is that of thought being associated with strength. While people tend to think of strength as being physical it can also be mental. Indeed, one could argue that the most important type of strength is that of the mind, as mental fortitude can in fact yield peace by preventing violence, for example, whereas engaging in violence has a tragic tendency to beget more violence. This is illustrated by consideration to innumerable wars and other violent conflicts
The poem was written in free verse for clear reasons. Foremost among them, freedom of thought is about breaking mental bounds and confines. As such, it seemed most appropriate to depart from the rigidness of verse, whether in regards to meter, rhyme, or other poetic devices and conventions. It only seems logical that a poem which calls for critical thinking that enables people to think outside of the box regarding immensely consequential issues would take on a less conventional form. This concept aligns as well with the poem’s fourth line, “the elusiveness of wisdom.” After all, wisdom is not necessarily an absolute. Rather, it is a changeable component of intellectualism. A person can be wise at one point and distinctly unwise at another, depending on the situation. Poetically, it would only seem right for “Peace of Mind” to be unconfined to a rigid form. Free verse is simply a less constrained, less absolute form of