Logic is reasoning conducted by principles that provide validation. As a person logic deals with something you know is right. In Percival Everett’s poem, re:f(gesture), he has a topic titled “Logic”.
Everett goes about getting you to rethink about logic. On page 67 he states, “Are you a composite?… all of you at once, a simple element?”. You think a person is a simple idea that you know is right, it is an idea that is viewed valid, but Everett shows this is not the case. When you hear someone’s name do you see them all at once, just their appearance, or just personality. You have something in your head when you hear a name, however is this valid, and do you know what you are picturing? The next situation you see this faulty view of logic is on page 69 the poem titled 5, “From rags and dust a rat is formed in the cellar. It was not there before. Only rags and dust”. This situation is like picturing a person when you hear their name. When you hear rags and dust does your mind place a rat and or a cellar in the picture as well, even though you were not told they were there?
Everett is showing that you may think your thoughts are logical however they may be false. That is how this poem is set up as well. It is tilted logic, however it goes about questioning logic and it’s ways. The poem it’s self is not logical even though that’s it title. It goes about showing situations in which your mind plays tricks. I feel Everett goes about showing this though out all of his poems. For example in his poem titled, “Body” this can be interrupted as well. Within this section it combines poetry and biology. In the piece you may think many of the words are logical, you already know the meaning, however once you take a deeper look Everett uses these biology words in different context, because they have different meanings. On page 47 this shows an example of this when it mentions the septum. Many people will see the word and say to themselves that they know that it is the piece that separates your two nostrils and move on. However, that is incorrect in this case, Everett is talking about the septum where a thin piece of tissue separates the parts of the tongue. You may think you are thinking logically, however in this context you are mistaken.
Logic is not only reasoning of validation, but also for faulty aspects as well. In Percival Everett’s poem, re:f(gesture), he shows us how logic is not just for validation. Next, time you hear someone’s name, or picture something in your mind when hearing words or phrases, ask yourself if that is actually there, or how are you picturing it?