Theater (allegory)
Stevens uses theater as an extended allegory for poetry: "the script," "the theatre was changed," "a new stage." In using one art form to talk about another, the poem draws attention to the verbal and performative aspects of poetry, specifically its interactions with its audiences—a topic that poets might be less likely than actors to think about. This symbol encourages the poem's readers to think about poetry's role on the 'stage' of society, and that stage as a physical environment that undergoes changes as time goes on: changes that must be reflected in the poetry of the era.
The actor (symbol)
Likewise, the "insatiable actor" who is the focal point of the middle of the poem is a personified symbol of modern poetry, a figure of creative power and urgency. This symbolic comparison implies that poetry should be imbued with some of the active, human potency of its maker: despite being printed on a page, a poem should feel to the reader as if it is speaking directly into his or her ear. The use of "actor," a type of artist who dons costumes or adopts a persona, also implies that the poet needs to dress up their poetry in a certain way in order to make it effective for audiences—all combining to demonstrate how tricky and nuanced the poet's job is.
The musical instrument (symbol)
The twanging stringed instrument featured in the latter half of the poem is another symbol for modern poetry, this time specifically in its capacity to bestow sense and clarity on its listeners. The "Sounds passing through" the instrument may stand for the words of the modern poems—language that forms into meaning—or perhaps more broadly, the ideas and societal circumstances, like war, that feed into a literary work, which are then treated in such a way as to provide some reflection or catharsis for the audience.
The mind (motif)
The mind recurs frequently in the poem as the focal point of the action of poetry, reminding the readers that what matters most is how poems affect audiences' abilities to think and find satisfaction in the world. The mind is both creator and subject, and must be dynamic and willing to change on both ends of the process: poetry is the "act" of the mind that has put effort and intention into its art, and its effects will ideally shape and comfort the minds of the recipients.
Speech (motif)
Like the extended use of theater as an allegory, much of the descriptions of poetry rely on the motif of speech: the "script" of traditional poetry, "the speech of the place" that modern poetry must learn and "speak words" to audiences. Aside from the emphasis on poetry as a public art form, this recurring emphasis highlights speech as a form of communication, as something that brings people together and helps form societies—a way towards unity that would have been sorely needed during the war-torn 1940s.
