Labyrinth.
A look of confusion flashed across my face as I reread this word. The poem was named “Body”, so every stanza and its respective title should be referring to an anatomic structure. All the pages before and after the Labyrinth contained body structures that are found in the human body. To me, when I hear the word “labyrinth”, I imagined a complicated, irregular network of passages or paths that are difficult to navigate through. Was Everett trying to play mind games? Was there a deeper meaning to the term “labyrinth” that I didn’t understand?
Upon further examination of the text (and a Google search), I learned something new. A labyrinth is a complex structure in the inner ear that contains organs required for hearing and balance. It consists of two components – the bony labyrinth and the membranous labyrinth.
(Bony Labyrinth)
(Membranous Labyrinth)
Based on these pictures, the structure takes the appearance of a maze. There are enough intricate turns, loops, and chambers to confuse anyone who would enter a network like this. Fortunately, the only participants to partake in this crazy pathway are sound waves. This incident illustrates the importance of understanding that words can constitute for many different things. Everett utilizes many different forms of miscommunication throughout his works. The Labyrinth is an excellent example where the limitation of clarification can result in complete confusion and misinterpretation. If readers do not keep in mind this possibility, then it could result in the failure to fully understand the author’s message. As a result of this minor confusion, I was able to learn something new about anatomy. It’s also nice to know that the word “labyrinth” has more than one meaning!