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Here’s a list of unfamiliar or difficult words and phrases from the poem:
Difficult Phrases :
Explanation of this poem with the style and approach of I.A. Richards in his work on 'Figurative Language.'
So the poem is very easy to understand because its talk about justice here in this poem justice is compared with bread though it's very strange and unique at the same time to compare justice with bread. It very easy to understand this poem but without knowing about author's life and historical background of that time and main purpose to write it without this things it's very difficult to tell that in which context this poem was written furthermore its very hard to tell that our interpretation is right or wrong and what poet want to tell us did we get it as be wants.
Let us understand this poem deeply with four different angle:
1. Sense
2. Feeling
3.Tone
4. Intention
Let's begin with....
1. Sense:
In this poem the poet talks about justice and how it is served and what happens after justice was served. To provide us an example which is understandable to everybody, the writer compares it with bread.
Ex. "Justice is the bread of the people"
2. Feeling:
Here in this poem the poet is happy and angry with the justice served in society. We can see this kind of mixed emotion from beginning to end. Sometimes we can assume that the author's personal experiences can be a reason for this mixed emotion.
Ex. "Sometimes is plentiful, sometimes it is scarce
Sometimes it tastes good, sometimes it tastes bad."
3.Tone:
Here we can see a polite tone in the poem but it creates a paradox like first the writer talks about positive aspects and suddenly points out negative aspects.
Ex. "Throw away the bad justice"
4. Intention:
From my perspective the poet wants us to know about the situation of justice serving. In society the people who have money they can buy new bread and enjoy their meal but the poor people who can't afford that bread have to eat a bread which taste bad as like bread justice is served like that as well black people or you can say so called lower cast people faces too much discrimination every day the difference between the white man and upper caste people all these people living in a same same society under a same same sky even though there is no surety that justice will be served evenly. We can see the reflection of my interpretation in these lines
"The people requires the plentiful, wholesome
Daily bread of justice."
"The bread of justice must be baked
By the people."
Here is where my interpretation ends and now Let's look at AI ganerated interpretation of this poem:
Introduction:
Definition: What is articulated; the 'items' alluded to by the writer.
In the realm of Sense, Brecht presents an extended metaphor where Justice is equated to Bread.
The Literal Items: The poem speaks of baking, crusts, flavor, hunger, digestion, and daily meals. It describes the physical necessity of eating to survive and work.
The Figurative Argument: The "sense" here is that justice is not an abstract philosophical concept, but a physiological necessity for society.
When justice is "scarce," society suffers (hunger).
When justice is "bad" (corrupt), there is social unrest (discontent).
"Stale justice" refers to delayed legal outcomes or outdated laws.
The core logical argument is found in the final stanza: If justice is as necessary as bread, and the people bake the bread, then the people must also create (bake) the justice.
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Definition: The writer's emotional attitude towards the subject; the bias, accentuation, or coloring of feeling.
Brecht’s Feeling toward the subject (Justice) fluctuates between disgust and reverence, depending on the kind of justice being described.
Disdain and Rejection: Brecht harbors a feeling of intense displeasure toward the current state of justice. He uses visceral sensory words to convey this: "grey crust," "stale," "tastes bad." He urges the reader to "Throw away the bad justice," showing an attitude of intolerance for corruption or incompetence.
Urgency and Desire: Conversely, his feeling toward "wholesome" justice is one of desperate need. He colors it as essential ("Nourished," "plentiful").
Empowerment: The feeling shifts in the final lines. It moves from complaint to confidence. He feels that the common people are capable and skilled enough to handle this task.
3. Tone:
Definition: The writer's attitude towards the reader; the recognition of the relationship between writer and audience.
The Tone of the poem is egalitarian, direct, and conversational.
Solidarity: Brecht does not speak down to the audience as a superior intellectual; he speaks to them as a fellow worker. The use of the word "friends" ("Who, friends, shall bake it?") establishes a peer-to-peer relationship.
Plain-spoken: He avoids high-flown legal jargon (like "jurisprudence" or "litigation") and uses the language of the working class (baking, kneading, crust, work).
Didactic but Familiar: The tone is instructive, like a union leader speaking to workers during a lunch break. He acknowledges their reality ("In hard times and in happy times") and validates their labor ("At work which is an enjoyment").
Definition: The writer's purpose (conscious or subconscious); the effect the writer endeavors to evoke.
The Intention is the driving force of the poem: Mobilization and Democratization.
To Demystify: Brecht intends to take the power of law away from the elite (judges, kings, the wealthy) and place it in the hands of the common man. By calling it "bread," he makes justice seem accessible and manageable.
To Incite Action: The poem is not meant to be passively read; it is meant to spark change. The intention is to lead the reader to the inevitable conclusion: We must take control of the judicial process.
To unify: By concluding that "The bread of justice must be baked / By the people," Brecht aims to foster a collective consciousness, moving the audience from individual hunger to collective action.
Let's look at misunderstandings in my interpretation:
Part 1: Identification of Misunderstandings in Your Text
I.A. Richards, in Practical Criticism, identified that readers often stumble because they bring external biases or technical failures to the text. Here is how the four specific types you listed appear in your analysis:
1. Misunderstanding of the Sense (Careless, Intuitive Reading)
The Issue: You stated under Feeling: "Here in this poem the poet is happy and angry... Sometimes we can assume that the author's personal experiences can be a reason for this mixed emotion."
The Misunderstanding: This is an intuitive leap that confuses the subject matter with the author's mood.
When Brecht writes "Sometimes it [justice] is plentiful," he is describing the state of the world, not his own current happiness.
You attributed the "mixed emotions" of the scenario (sometimes things are good, sometimes bad) to the poet himself being "happy and angry."
2. Over-literal Reading (Prosaic Reading)
The Issue: In your Intention section, you wrote: "In society the people who have money they can buy new bread... but the poor people who can't afford that bread have to eat a bread which taste bad."
The Misunderstanding: You drifted from the metaphor of Baking (Creating) to the literal economic act of Buying.
The poem asks: "Who... shall bake it?" It is about production and responsibility, not purchasing power.
By focusing on "affording" bread, you applied a literal economic logic that distracted from the poem's actual argument: that the people must make the law, not just buy what is available.
3. Defective Scholarship (Inappropriate Metaphor / External Context)
The Issue: You stated: "Without knowing about author's life... it's very difficult to tell that in which context this poem was written." You also introduced specific contexts like "black people or you can say so called lower cast people."
The Misunderstanding:
Reliance on Biography: Richards argues that a poem should communicate its core "Sense" without requiring a history textbook. Believing the poem is "difficult" without the biography is what Richards calls "Doctrinal Adhesion" or reliance on external scholarship rather than the text itself.
Imposed Context: While valid as a personal application, introducing "caste" or "black vs. white" is an external framework not found in Brecht’s text. Brecht’s context was Marxist class struggle (Workers vs. Owners), not specifically racial or caste-based.
4. Difference in Meaning of Words (Tone/Metaphor confusion)
The Issue: Under Tone, you wrote: "Here we can see a polite tone... Ex. 'Throw away the bad justice'"
The Misunderstanding: You misinterpreted the imperative command "Throw away" as "polite."
In poetry, an imperative verb (Throw!) usually indicates urgency, command, or revolution. It is rarely polite. By missing the force of this word, the analysis misses the revolutionary spirit of the poem.
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1. Sense
Ai Analysis I interpreted the Sense as a logical argument about production and survival. The poem does not just compare justice to bread; it argues that because justice is a daily physiological necessity (like food), the source of that justice matters. The "sense" leads to the conclusion that if the people eat the bread, the people must also bake it.
My Analysis You interpreted the Sense as a descriptive tool. You focused on how the poet uses the bread metaphor to make the abstract concept of justice "easy to understand" for the common reader. You viewed the sense as a method of simplification rather than a political argument about who controls the law.
2. Feeling
Ai Analysis I identified the Feeling as an attitude of disdain and urgency directed at the subject. The poet feels disgust toward "stale" or "grey" justice and a desperate, almost physical need for "wholesome" justice. The emotion is not a mood, but a stance against corruption.
My Analysis You identified the Feeling as the poet's personal emotional state. You described the poet as being "happy" when justice is good and "angry" when it is bad, suggesting a mix of emotions that might stem from the author's personal life experiences or mood swings.
3. Tone
Ai Analysis I analyzed the Tone as egalitarian, direct, and revolutionary. By using the word "friends" and imperative commands like "Throw away," the poet speaks not as a polite observer, but as a fellow worker or union leader urging his peers to take action.
My Analysis You analyzed the Tone as "polite." You viewed the poem as a civil conversation where the poet gently points out positive and negative aspects of society, missing the aggressive nature of the command to "throw away" the bad justice.
4. Intention
Ai Analysis I saw the Intention as mobilization. The goal of the poem is to stop the reader from being passive and incite them to take control of the judicial process (democracy/socialism). It is a call to do something (bake the bread).
My Analysis You saw the Intention as social awareness. You argued that the poet wants to highlight inequalities between the rich (who can buy bread) and the poor (who starve), or between upper and lower castes. You viewed the purpose as helping the reader see the problem, rather than necessarily solving it through revolution.
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