The Panther

I immediately felt the tense tone of this poem, created by the imagery of the bars and the panther's pacing. The bars form the panther's small prison in which he paces, and I felt his restlessness. The simile "like a ritual dance around a center in which a mighty will stand paralyzed" contributes to the overall tone of anxiousness and intensity. I had difficulty interpreting the image that enters into the panther's heart. Perhaps it is some sort of symbol, as is the panther. Maybe the image was one of freedom, or a scene from his life outside of the cage. Whatever the image, it held significant meaning since it "plunged into the heart." It must not have been something the panther cared to dwell in because it promptly disappeared. The line "it seems to him there are a thousand bars; and behind the bars, no world" was incredibly desperate and lonely which contributes to the previous mentioning of weariness. The panther's actions speak of his inner weariness and struggle.