Tear it Down

“Tear It Down” can be likened to a poetic instruction guide on reconceptualizing life in order to find greater meaning. It is written in first person and the speaker of the poem is unnamed, though it may be assumed the speaker is the actual poet. The overall mood is serious and insistent, adding to the urgency of the conveyed message. Although an intense poem, it is meant as a means of guiding the reader toward thoughtfully considering their life and how delving into the minutiae one may take for granted—the morning, love, the constellations—offers a more rich and complete comprehension of the world in which everyone exists.

Gilbert employs both specific imagery and connotations throughout the poem. The speaker begins in a concise, declarative voice placing a more abstract image (the heart) with a more concrete one (the morning): “We find out what the heart knows only by dismantling what / the heart knows. By redefining the morning, / we find a morning that comes just after darkness” (Lines 1-3). Both conceptual and philosophical, these lines explain that through dismantling and redefining personal views, humans can create a fresh understanding of their hearts and circumstances.