Where does the breakdown of words and meaning lie...In an inadequate system of language or an intelligent understanding of reality?

From the peom "Adolescence II," I applied the question 'where does the breakdown of words and meaning lie?' From the poem I examined the line, "Then they come, the three seal men with eyes as round"(Dove, Rita). The breakdown of words and their distortion of basic text is what is written above. This line demonstrates that without the words surrounding the words "seal" or "three" the context and illustration would be blurred. So, the breakdown of words and where the meaning within that word lies within the image that it is supposed to be creating. In addition to that line another would be, "Night rests like a ball of fur on my tongue"(Dove, Rita). In this line the meaning and breakdown occurs when the poet uses the words "fur." The word "fur" and it standing alone would for most illustrate some sort of animal, however in this poem the meaning has nothng to do with an animal. When tring to find the meaning of words its impossible to find the meaning of words without surrounding words to give a word meaning or life.


Adolescence II, by Rita Dove