Great Minds Think Alike

A popular poem by William Michaelian inspired by the saying, "Great minds think alike, fools seldom differ." The undated work is whimsical in tone, with a philosophical undercurrent. It consists of eight rhymed verses of twelve lines; the corresponding lines of each verse contain the same number of syllables. The poem is therefore relatively easy to memorize and lends itself to recitation.

Synopsis
In each of the first seven verses, the poem's narrator meets two people of disparate backgrounds or potentially conflicting world views who calmly pass judgment on him while in his hearing, citing him as evidence of their own moral and intellectual superiority. In the final verse, he meets a halfwit and a donkey; the donkey calls the evidence into question, thereby restoring meaning, however dubious or transitory, to the narrator's life.

Analysis

While the narrator's observations are presented in humorous, often stereotypical terms, the poet affords him the opportunity to pass judgment of his own; a spirit of pity and humanity, however, predominate. The result is a tragic-comic effect that makes it easier for the reader to see himself as part of a larger cosmic whole. This is reinforced by the poem's title, through which the work acquires an added sense of truth, familiarity, and longevity.

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