Table of ContentsIntroductionDescription of DeconstructionDeep Reading of BlueBirdDeconstruction of the Blue BirdConclusionIntroductionCharles Bukowski's well-known poem, Bluebird, depicts a metaphorical, invisible bird that dwells within his heart. From the first reading, the poem leaves an impression that inspires readers to search for the inner bluebirds that dwell in their own hearts. In the poem, Bukowski completely dominates the bluebird, feeding the bluebirds as he pleases and locking the bluebirds in his caged heart. The poet tells the readers that he has the power to hold the blue bird despite his desire to go out. However, a close examination of the poem shows the opposite: he only sees the ghost of the bluebird. First of all, Charles Bukowski's assertion that there is a "blue bird" hidden from others in everyone's heart is questionable. Apparently, the blue bird symbolizes man's genuine and unbridled desires. According to Bukowski, human beings are forced to restrict their unlimited desires. Perhaps the blue bird is just a phantom of the poet's imagination. Furthermore, even if there was a blue bird – representing identity, could we control it as Bukowski describes? By deploying the method of deconstructionism, this article attempts to show the opposite, as Bukowski tried to make clear, that readers do not apprehend anything from the blue bird, but simply the ghost of Bukowski's drunken dream. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Description of Deconstruction To pave the way for deeper analysis, this article clarifies the fundamental claim and method of deconstructionism. Deconstruction theory examines a given text in two stages. The first step is to understand the poem, that is, to identify the symbols, metaphors, ironies, tone, points of view, etc. This requires readers to grasp the significance and meaning that a text aims to convey. However, deconstructionists are the evildoers, who question all meanings. In other words, the deconstructionist does not believe that a text has an immortal soul or an overarching meaning that articulates the text. As a result, meanings are always filtered based on people's perspectives, i.e. aspects of reading. For example, deconstructionists use terminologies such as difference to refer to the arbitrariness and futility of meaning. We only know what is by knowing what it is not. In other words, we only identify what is by recognizing what it is not. For example, I pretend it's a book. My claim is valid provided I recognize that the book is neither a chair nor a flower, and the list goes on. Therefore, what it is and what it is not are binary oppositions. Oppositions coexist in the deployment of meaning. The arrival of a privileged meaning requires the recognition of one's difference, that is to say through a continuous process of exclusion. In other words, meaning is a process of “carrying over.” However, postponement does not exclude opposition: what is postponed remains. The so-called arrival at the ultimate meaning is always conditioned by its opposites, that is, what it is not. Under the influence of psychoanalytic theories, deconstruction attacks the apparent, the slip of the tongue. It deconstructs the meaning that other theories attempt to construct and articulate. A close reading of BlueBird Bluebird by Charles Bukowski consists of two stanzas. In the first stanza, the poem directly designates its main target, the blue bird whichlives in the poet's heart. The blue bird wants to go out. The line is repeated four times in the poem, which rhymes to the readers' ears. The poet depicts the non-literary relationship between the bluebird and himself. He completely dominates the bluebirds, as he writes: “I'm too hard for him. » Whiskey and cigarettes are the blue bird's daily taste. Whiskey is a form of strong alcohol, while inhaling cigarettes is detrimental to your health. The blue bird has no choice but to passively accept everything Bukowski offers him. To understand the poem, one must necessarily examine it closely. In the first stanza, Bukowski depicts his relationship with the bluebird in his heart. However, this relationship is not smooth, as the bird struggles under the poet's dominance. The poet tells the reader in the first line of the poem: “There is a blue bird in my heart that wants to come out.” According to the poet, the blue bird desires the outside world, that is to say a world of freedom. However, the poet cancels his wish: "I will not let anyone see you." The red, fat part is repeated several times in this poem, — a use of reiteration, it is the main theme of the poem, the blue bird inside the poet that had never been seen. Nobody knows the blue bird. If only the poet sees the bluebirds, the reader can ask a valid question: does the bluebird exist? The image of the blue bird is a metaphor that represents the hidden face of the poet, another self that no one else knows. The bartenders who serve him drinks, the whores who sleep with him and the grocery store clerks who offer him food every day; they can only see Bukowski's appearance, his face, his movements and his body. However, none of them know that the bluebird inhabits Bukowski's heart. In other words, neither of them really “knows” or “understands” the other/real Bukowski, i.e. the bluebird in his heart. The battle between the poet and the bluebird was a serious war. In the second stanza, the poet depicts war. Once again, the poet emphasizes his harshness in treating the blue bird. The poet asks the bluebird to sit down, stay calm and not spoil it. However, the only response he gets from the blue bird is: he “wants to go out”. Perhaps, out of frustration, the witty poet finds reconciliation with this. As the poet writes: “I only let him out / sometimes at night / when everyone is asleep. » The bird gets the freedom it desires. Only during dark nights, when everyone is asleep. Is it true that no one can witness the existence of the blue bird? The poet claims the opposite, it is enough to testify and affirm the existence of the blue bird. He comforts the bluebird by saying, “I know you’re here, so don’t be sad.” Inevitably, as an inhabitant of the poet's heart, the bluebird carries all the poet's secrets. These secrets, the poet tells the reader, are “kind enough to make a man cry.” These lines create a sentimental feeling: if the blue bird were free, the poet would live as if he had no secrets. However, the secrets are incompatible with reality, because the blue bird would ruin Bukowski's works and cause sales of his books to explode in Europe. Crying feels good because it smoothes scars, secrets are hard because they bring discontent, resentment, and resistance, and life is fragile because humans are mortal, just like the bluebird. Only when night comes does the poet show some tenderness towards the bluebird, and the bluebird sings. The poet is content to be with the blue bird, but only alone. The poem ends in a depressive way, the poet is tough, tough enough not to cry about fragility.