Probably the closest point of view that we can find in our poem is third person omniscient. I am eliminating the objective narrator because this narrator can get into people's minds; here the narrator tells of people dreaming.
Purpose
What is the purpose of this poem? Why do you think this poem was written?
By looking at this poem, it appears that the narrator is trying to explain to us what it is like where he lives. He not only gives us the physical description but also the emotional description.
Meanings: Surface Meaning and Underlying Meaning
Unlike some prose, short stories or novels, poetry usually has at least two meanings. In a prose work, the theme is the central idea of the work. Poetry works somewhat differently. A poem often contains a surface meaning, the story, description, or emotional explanation described in the poem. In "Not Your Problem," the surface meaning is the description of the place which the narrator is describing.
The second meaning is the underlying meaning. The underlying meaning is what the surface meaning represents, what the narrator is really saying. Let me give you an example:
You are taking a chemistry class under Dr. Jones. You tell your friend Marty that you are taking Dr. Jones's class. He says, "I hope you have a bunch of NoDoze for class." You know that what he really means is that Dr. Jones is incredibly boring.
That is how poetry works. There is often an underlying meaning that may take a little effort to uncover.
I like to make my meanings as simple as possible. I often try to break the meanings up into simple words or phrases. Here are some underlying meanings in this poem:
- confinement
- fear
- oppression
- we see a narrator who is unhappy with his home
- we see oppressive forces
