20 pages • 40 minutes read
Tom WaymanDid I Miss Anything?
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1993A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Angel
The appearance of the angel in the poem is significant, since until that point the poem has been about solidly secular and realistic concerns. It is clear from the teacher’s sarcastic tone that the angel is a hyperbolic invention, but it is significant that Wayman uses the particular allegory of the angel. He could easily have chosen any other exaggeration – an alien, a superior technology, even a figure from history – to make his point, but the poet specifically singles out an angel or “any other heavenly being.” Even the alternative is described as a “heavenly being,” which introduces a religious element in the poem. Viewed in this light, the angel symbolism has many meanings. The angel is a metaphor for instant knowledge, implying that the idea of attainting knowledge instantaneously is as ludicrous as the likelihood of the heavens opening up and an angel descending into the classroom. The angel is also an ironic allusion to the hard work religious scholars have always put into achieving their epiphanies; the shaft of light or inspiration that scholars achieve is not the result of serendipity, but the result of showing up for their work with regularity. Through the symbol of the angel, the poet also references the religious origins of formal education in the post-Christian world. Many medieval universities began as monastic orders, including universities such as Oxford in the United Kingdom.
Time
A recurrent motif in the poem, time is the absolute reality against which all actions are framed. By making time a central symbol, the poet emphasizes the value of time. In the first stanza he suggests that the students measure the class in units of time, such as the “two hours” which they missed. Expressing his anger toward the students in Stanza 2 he sarcastically states that they can “take as many days off as you like,” (Line 11), while in Stanza 4 an angel descends into the classroom “A few minutes after we began last time” (Line 15; all emphases editorial). The clocking of units of time – “hours,” “days,” and “minutes” adds to the poem’s theme and the sense that time is in short supply. Time in the poem refers to both time on earth and beyond, as the teacher mockingly suggests that the angel’s wisdom will help the students “to attain divine wisdom in this life and/ the hereafter (Lines 19-20). The use of the phrase “this life” alludes to the idea that learning is a lifelong process, while “the hereafter” is a tantalizing reminder of the far-reaching magnitude of absence. Through the mention of the hereafter or the afterlife the teacher also mocks the archetypal glorification of the afterlife,, immortality, and the human tendency to focus on the future at the expense of the present. The only time the students have is now, on earth, and by utilizing that time poorly, they are wasting vital opportunities.
The classroom and the class
In “Did I Miss Anything,” the classroom and the class – used interchangeably— represent community, activity, and energy. Not only is the classroom a place where the teacher hands out exams and quizzes (Lines 4-8), but it is also a “microcosm of human existence” (Line 26), filled with both tangible and intangible action. In terms of intangible action, that which is beyond grades and marks, the classroom is a place where the class assembles to “query and examine and ponder” (Line 27) experience. It is interesting that the three verbs the poet uses here – underscoring the importance of action – are linked with reflection and critical enquiry. Thus, the spirit of critical inquiry and an exchange of ideas is crucial to the concept of the classroom. The fact that the classroom is a community also makes it perfectly conducive to the exchange of ideas. Thus, the symbol of the classroom illuminates some of the poem’s most pressing themes.
