A Plan for the Curriculum of the Soul (Charles Olson Interpretation)

by Sarah and Brendon

It seems as if what Olson is telling us in this poem is very much about being a well-rounded individual. Dance, Bach, mathematics, heiroglyphics, history, God, heaven... knowing about these things (or rather, many subjects) is essential in the human experience. The human experience is what is important in life.

By writing it in a splotted/random/chaotic manner, he is subconsciously telling the reader that it doesn't really matter what order you accomplish these things in life, because life itself never happens in a perfect left-to-right, top-to-bottom order.

He incorporates several strategies into writing this piece:
On the second page, more specifically, the employment of grammatical notes that make the text appear edited and re-written (like inserting words, re-routing words so they go on the same line, etc...) may have been used to tell the reader that it is an unfinished work of writing. Similarly, in life, the accomplishments for being a well-rounded person will never ever be finished. There is always things to change and fix and edit.

He also uses abbreviations (for example, "&" and "/cf.") to help clearly and more quickly convey his message. By using these abbreviations, he is telling us that it is not so much the words on the page that are important, but the meaning behind them.