By: Billy Collins

The Butterfly Effect by Billy Collins vividly describes the interconnectedness of light, how even a butterfly flapping its wings can affect an event multiple years later. Immediately you notice the vivid details and imagery used to bring the reader into the poem. This is seen when he describes the butterfly as “a brilliant mix of bright orange and vivid yellow with a soft dusting of light brown along the edges.” (12-14) Within this imagery you can almost feel the butterfly fluttering near you with sensory words like, bright, vivid, and soft being used. This is important because the details he gives on the butterfly amplifies the feeling that the butterfly is the central theme, that everything depends on the butterfly. This is shown by the discussion  of events that can be caused by the butterfly doing something as small as flapping its wings. Another line that stood out to me is the commentary he provides towards the end of the poem. Stating, ”it might interest you to know and possibly distract you from your vexatious dread with regards to the hopelessness of the future” (23-26) In these lines he refers back to his earlier comments that a butterfly flapping its wings can impact events later in time. Thus implying chaos theory, that all the random events in life are predetermined by unregistered laws of nature. This theory that all events, even random events are somewhat predetermined can be somewhat depressing as it can feel as if your actions don’t matter. Therefore, when he uses the words, “vexatious dread” he is referring to possible reactions (of anxiety and unease of the future) to his previous implications. 

However, the following two lines (27-28) are somewhat confusing in nature as they break the ongoing tone by mentioning two British naturalists by name and year. This can be interpreted as a reference back to mimicry and evolution as the previous lines are about the uncertainty of the future. Thus I am inferring that these naturalists studied evolution and the effect of small mutations on an animal and the species as whole. I am a bit confused though why he decided to alter the tone of the poem here, by shifting from a somewhat dream-like tone to a more analytical one. This can be seen in the contrast between the names and years of the British naturalists and the vivid language used in the first stanza.

I found that the first stanza was somewhat easy to understand as it was very straightforward, by establishing the idea of chaos theory and that all actions are predetermined. I have read about chaos theory before and I find it to be a fascinating yet somewhat upsetting topic to think about. The idea that a butterfly flapping its wings halfway across the world could cause an event to happen in the future that could alter someone’s life can be upsetting. 

However, as someone who is interested in science and math, I like the idea that there are some universal laws that humans cannot understand, such as the law of chaos. This poem connects with me personally as my mom has always loved butterflies. Everytime we see a butterfly, she always points it out and smiles. Thus leading me to feel happy and think of her when I see or read butterflies. Reading this poem reminded me that while a day can feel helpless or bad, the little things (like seeing a butterfly) can change everything.

576 words