Dec 28, 2009

In Particular | Themes

The Unconscious Mind
The poem’s main theme concerns the unconscious, or primitive, human mind, which Byrne initially introduces through the concept of “recognition.” The unconscious mind recognizes, or becomes conscious of, something before the conscious mind does. It is the unconscious mind’s job to recognize an idea or situation and to make the conscious mind aware of this thought so that the conscious mind can choose the best way to respond to the stimulus. Normally, as Byrne notes, the unconscious mind helps humans function on autopilot: it “walks the dog”...