The Theme Of Power In David Mason's Poem 'Song Of The Powers'

Power has always been a driving force of mankind and society, history has been shaped around the idea of who can get to the top the fastest, no matter what the cost. Power has been the biggest influence from both a political and social standpoint because competitiveness is part of natural human nature. With factors such as greed and selfishness, society can be driven to say and do hurtful things. Damage done by words never truly heals. In the poem, “ Song of the Powers”, David Mason, uses the game, rock, paper, scissors, to show the complex parts of power and the factors that influence it. Life is like a game, if you play your cards right you’ll eventually reach the top, but at what cost?
Each “item” of the game can win, in the mindset of competition,

The poem discusses the different strengths of each item, the rock, the paper, and the scissors. Utilizing the three components of rock, paper, and scissors, Mason can describe the intricate way society runs. Despite being the most powerful, the rock can be beaten by paper, “Mine, said the paper mine are the words that smother stone” (7-10). The stone represents power, however; even in power, there are weaknesses. One of humanity's biggest weaknesses and strengths is the impact that words can have. The paper “smothers" the stone, just as what is said, can hurt deeply. In current society, a political career is affected more by the words said than the actions are done. Words can either be a source of confidence or insecurity. Society leans towards political figures that say things that go along with what they agree with. This is why what is said can sometimes be more powerful than what is done. When scissors cut paper, paper can no longer be mended, fixed, or made to how it was before. “Gashing through paper’s ethereal lives” (15-16). By describing paper's “life” as being “ethereal”, Mason can show the fragility of people and how easy it is for words to be hurtful. Greed and selfishness “gash” through, resulting in

Mason uses the competition between each factor to represent how in the end no one wins because time is the end of it all. The beginning of the poem starts by saying “Mine, said the stone, mine is the hour”(1-2). Here the stone claims to be in the power of the “hour” but the hour is in control. No matter what the circumstance, time will always bring an end. Paper is also referred to as “life” which represents society and the way it works together. Depending on the circumstance the stone will either fail or win. Just like life, what is thrown at you is unpredictable. Again this ties into the game aspect. Whether it is a race against ourselves or the rest of society, the goal to reach the top will always be a race or competition against something. The poem ends with the words, “They all end alone, as you will, as you will”(27-28). Not everyone can make it to the top, which means loneliness is exchanged for power. This is Mason's critique of society and how power is a force that drives humans apart. Society becomes too focused on achieving what it does not have that it loses sight of what is right