Analysis of "The Catch" by Stanley Kunitz

The lesson being taught in this poem is that there is a price for everything we have, and knowledge cannot be captured in a "bottle". The dragonfly is described in the poem as this little delicate creation which is very maneuverable and acrobatic. Less image than thought is saying the dragonfly has very little to show on top where things are obvious, this is an effective simile because people tend to think of bugs as …

…and experience is the water. The powder by it self is pretty useless but it contains nutrients, vitamins, calcium and other things you need, water is pretty good by it self just like experience it helps you survive but it's very plain. However when you mix the two together they create a new great thing, milk and live knowledge which you can apply to your experience and make yourself very constructive and useful in life.