The speaker functions as a professor teaching an introductory poetry class. Operating with a creative mindset, the speaker encourages a sensory and exploratory approach to literature. They value the joy of language over rote memorization. The speaker teaches college-age individuals how to experience art without forcing a specific conclusion.

The college-age individuals in the speaker's class represent the traditional American education system. Conditioned to seek a single correct answer, they view poetry as a formulaic problem to solve rather than an art form to experience. Their intense desire to extract meaning leads them to aggressively interrogate the text while ignoring their teacher's advice.

Initially presented as a physical object, the text transitions into a personified victim by the end of the lesson. It represents art and language, requiring patience and sensory engagement to be appreciated. Ultimately, it suffers physical restraint and abuse under the harsh interrogative methods of the class.

The mouse is a figurative subject introduced by the speaker to demonstrate how a reader should explore a text. Dropped into the maze of language, the rodent uses instinct and physical exploration to find its way through the new environment.