Acquainted with the Night Theme of Dissatisfaction

We think that The Rolling Stones should read "Acquainted with the Night": the speaker just can't get no satisfaction. He's sad, lonely, and distant, but at the same time, nothing seems wrong, either. Stuck in a limbo between wrong and right, the speaker seems empty. Yet, he has walked at night so much that he can't have hated it – there's something about the beauty of the moon and the night attracts him, though he is left unfulfilled.

Questions About Dissatisfaction

  1. What is the speaker dissatisfied about in this poem?
  2. Is the speaker more than dissatisfied in this poem? What about the night upsets him?
  3. On the other hand, is the speaker content in this poem? What about the night does he like?
  4. Does the speaker have a goal? Why is he walking around at night?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

The imagery in this poem shows that, like the time, nothing is wrong, but nothing is right for the speaker.

The speaker in the poem is walking around at night to try to shake his feelings of dissatisfaction.