sat-dog

In her 1952 essay "The Figure a Poem Makes," poet Marianne Moore makes the point that the "figure a poem makes" is not the same as the poem’s subject matter. Instead, Moore argues that the "figure a poem makes" is the shape or form the poem takes. Moore gives the example of a poem about "a single person, the individual." Although such a poem might be about a single person, it can take many different forms, such as a sonnet, a free verse poem, a narrative poem, or a dramatic monologue. Each of these forms would produce a different "figure" for the poem, even if the subject matter remains the same. According to Moore, a poem’s "figure" is a significant element in shaping the reader’s understanding of the poem. What is the most likely reason why the writer uses the phrase "figure a poem makes"?