A Vast Confusion by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

A Vast Confusion

Long long I lay in the sands

Sounds of trains in the surf

in subways of the sea

And an even greater undersound

of a vast confusion in the universe

a rumbling and a roaring

as of some enormous creature turning

under sea and earth

a billion sotto voices murmuring

a vast muttering

a swelling stuttering

in ocean's speakers

world's voice-box heard with ear to sand

a shocked echoing

a shocking shouting

of all life's voices lost in night

And the tape of it

someow running backwards now

through the Moog Synthesizer of time

Chaos unscrambled

back to the first

harmonies

And the first light 

A Vast Confusion by Lawrence Ferlinghetti Analysis

In this poem Ferlinghetti is reflecting upon the fact that he’s confused about the world. This poem is an example of what many poets write about called a “beat” poem. A beat poem is a poem that represents poets anti-conformists attitudes, basically a poem talking about poets hate for politics or just how the world works. The main theme in this poem is confusion. Ferlinghetti seems to be confused about the way the world works. The metaphors in this poem are “and the tape of it someow running backwards now through the Moog Synthesizer of time”, and “a vast muttering a swelling stuttering in ocean’s speakers”. In the first metaphor Ferlinghetti is comparing a tape running backward through a Moog Synthesizer and going back in time when the world was less complicated. The second metaphor compares the people’s thoughts that are being said to muttering in ocean speakers. The mood and tones in this poem are confusion and chaos. The mood in this poem is confusion because Ferlinghetti seems to be talking about how he doesn’t understand society and how everyone has different opinions on everything, however, in the end, no one’s voice really gets heard. Also chaos is the tone is this poem, this is because the way Ferlinghetti looks at society its one big mess, which is chaotic. The fact that people are trying to get heard but no one listens. Instead of the world changing, it’s just the same thing over and over again.