Abstract
This paper discusses the view of perception and reality presented in each stanza of "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" by Wallace Stevens. The issues of reality and imagination, or the perceived and perception, is discussed as it was presented by Steven in each stanza. Poetical devices, images, and quotes are used too.

From the Paper
"In his poem entitled "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," Wallace Stevens states that in the silent winter landscape, "the only moving thing / Was the eye of the blackbird" (2-3). This raises an interesting question. Who is looking at who? Does Stevens see the blackbird or does the blackbird see Stevens' Stevens' poem is about the blackbird in its environment, but on a deeper level it deals with the state and mutuality of focus and context, imagination and reality, perceiving and perceived. The distinct and seemingly disjointed images provide the work with continuity and a series of paradigms depicting this relationship between thought and perception."

Tags:american, analysis, blackbird, explication, images, looking, perception, poem, poet, poetry, stevens, thirteen, wallace, ways

Abstract
This paper describes the SR-71 Blackbird, which was built during the Cold War as a spy aircraft, and is the only production plane to fly at speeds of up to 2,100 miles per hour. The author provides a detailed description of the aircraft and the technology with which it was outfitted, and explains its capabilities and how it was used by the U.S. military. Some of the missions on which the Blackbird was used are discussed, and some of its statistics and world records are listed. The paper concludes that without the Blackbird, the United States may have not won the Cold War and might not be the super power that it is today.

From the Paper
"When the Blackbird first took flight in 1964, it met, if not exceeded all expectations. It was built and designed to be the fastest, stealthiest, most reliable spy aircraft in its class, and it did just that. The SR (strategic reconnaissance)-71 Blackbird had many characteristics that proved it was the right plane for the job. For example, the most typical thing someone thinks about when they hear the plane's name is that it is really fast. And, they are right. The Blackbird can fly at about Mach 3.17-3.30; this is about 2,100 miles per hour. For a real life example, the Blackbird can fly from New York to London in under 2 hours. (Kucher) As of today, the top record speed for the plane, and for all production aircraft, is 2,193 miles per hour. (Sharpe, 89) The only plane to beat the Blackbird's speed record is the X-15, but this does not count because it is not a production aircraft."

Tags:ramjet, radar, CIA, Lockheed, Reagan, navigation, engine, failure, camera

Abstract
The paper reveals that beneath the quiet surface of the ordinary American businessman, Wallace Stevens was one of the greatest American modernist poets of the 20th century. The paper looks at "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," perhaps his most famous poem. The paper discusses how his choices as a poet reflect the idea that one need not go to Europe to apprehend the evolving great ideas and ideals of the modernist movement. The paper concludes that Stevens made his mark as a uniquely national modernist poet.

From the Paper
"Yet the poet Wallace Stevens stayed at home. But in his verse this mild-mannered executive at a major insurance firm in Hartford, Connecticut had "a flair" for the "flashiest titles," and turns of phrase in his verse such as "Peter Quince at the Clavier," "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," and "Le Monocle de Mon Oncle." Thus "Stevens, the aesthete par excellence" pressed "back against the pressure of reality" with a modernist spirit of innovation in his simple yet startling words and images ("Modernism." Poets.org, 2006) But Stevens' first work, rather than the result of engagement with other modernist authors, entitled "Harmonium" emerged as an unusual first book."

Tags:modernism, nationalism, Europe, traditions

Abstract
Discusses John Keats's ode "To Autumn" in which he personifies the season; Wallace Stevens's "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird", which cites multiple reactions to nature; and John Hollander's "Adam's Task", which addresses the limits of humans.

From the Paper
"A poet's selection of a particular aspect of the relationship between humanity and nature often directs her/his choice of a mode of address. Various ways of addressing nature are examined here in four very different poems. In his ode To Autumn ..."