Wallace Steven's poem "The Man Whose Pharynx Was Bad" was written as part of a Harmonium poetry book. The poem is about a poet's inability to express himself because of a bad pharynx. The title is a crucial part of the poem because it defines the theme of the poem. The pharynx is a part of the body behind the mouth and nose that connects to the throat. A bad pharynx would prevent you from speaking and therefore from expressing yourself. This poem is not only about the inability to express oneself artistically, but also about the boredom the speaker faces in the face of summer, while seeking inspiration in a change of season. Seasons are very common themes for poetry, so much so that they have almost become cliché. The first three lines of the first stanza: “The time of year has become indifferent. / The mildew of summer and the deepening snow / Are both alike in the routine I know: » describe a scene where the seasons themselves have become indistinguishable to the speaker (lines 1-3). Summer and winter are often considered opposites because one is hot and dry while the other is cold and humid. Being unable to differentiate even between seasons shows an inability of the poet to express himself through even the most basic poetic means. The last line of the stanza: “I am too stupid being repressed. » uses the archaic meaning of the word "stupidly" to suggest that the poet, by dint of being restrained or artistically contained, has lost his ability to express himself (4). This idea of ​​being artistically retarded leads to the second stanza where the poet is unable to find inspiration. The second stanza depicts a scene of a poet sleeping in the city as a wind passes him by and carries with it poetic inspiration. The wind that accompanies him in the second stanza... middle of paper ......ine grows under the layers of winter. While Stevens gives the speaker hope in this last stanza by using words associated with life such as "germination", the last line of the stanza is "One could." We could. But time will not yield” brings the speaker back to reality as he realizes that winter is not coming and he is stuck with summer and his illness (20). Ultimately, this poem is the speaker's vain dream of approaching winter. replace the uninspired summer. Stevens uses the unconventional and humorous title to allude to the message of the poem which he further explores through his use of imagery and diction. Stevens displays his modernist and Imagist influences in this poem to show some of his poetic vision that merges thought and feeling while investigating the boredom of everyday life and the need for change to bring inspiration..