Stanley Fish blurs the distinction between subject and object, between subjectivity and objectivity, in his essay "How to Recognize a Poem When You See One." Using an anecdote from his classroom, Fish notes that when students expect to be reading poetry, they begin to infer meaning and structure where there were none. These fallacies of interpretation show how human communication is a predefined, agreed-upon system. The contents of our consciousness are not as free as we would like to think, argues Fish. There is no "unconstrained self" that can freely interpret the universe. Rather, we buy into a "structure of interests and understood goals" that underlie every human interaction or communication.

Fish shows how easily and often we take for granted the inherent meanings of words or gestures. For example, he notes that when students raise their hands we automatically understand that gesture to mean permission to speak. Another culture would perceive that same gesture differently, proving that no symbol is truly universal or pure. The author's argument is insightful, validating the nature of culturally-created symbols and consciousness.

Most readers would easily understand what Fish means by the constraints of the "system" we all buy into. As the author notes, "all objects are made and not found." The Fish essay is valuable insofar as it brings to light many of the cognitions we take for granted in our daily lives. Every type of communication we engage in: whether written or verbal, proves Fish's point that the structure and content of what we read is co-created by ourselves. The crux of Fish's argument is highly empowering, showing that works of art and literature may not have the absolute meanings many scholars claim them to have. Readers, listeners, and viewers all interpret works of art in their own ways, based on their background and their perception of the particular form at hand.