Poetry is an effective means used to convey a variety of emotions, from grief, to love, to empathy. This form of text relies heavily on imagery and comparison to inflict the reader with the associated feelings. As such, is displayed within Stephen Dunn 's, aptly named poem, Empathy. Quite ironically, Dunn implores strong diction to string along his cohesive plot of a man seeing the world in an emphatic light. The text starts off by establishing the military background of the main protagonist, as he awaits a call from his lover in a hotel room. After his significant other finally calls him, presumably to end the relationship, he then aimlessly goes to the zoo. Empathy, by Stephen Dunn exponentially displays the interplay of empathy and self interests, as the main protagonist seeks out his individualistic desires by searching for an empathetic connection through other living vessels.` Dunn explores many prominent themes of empathy throughout the given text. One of the most substantial is loneliness. The main protagonist goes through all the stages of grief after his significant other ends their relationship, looking for any sort of companionship. Dunn uses the image of getting a mermaid tattoo on one 's bicep to further the feelings of future-less and insignificance. The tattoo symbolizes wishing for companionship, even if one must endure pain to achieve it. Getting any form of tattoo on one 's body is typically met with immense pain, the feeling of powerlessness is met with