Mean Streets The subject of Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia” has to do with a person walking on city streets, but the theme focuses on a certain aspect of the person. The poem describes how easily one can lose his or her identity when no one around knows who they are and how others do not see the neglect and abandonment towards these people. Springsteen develops the theme by using poetic elements such as …showed first 75 words of 568 total…

…showed last 75 words of 568 total…the reader in and relates, on some level, how the speaker feels. The poem is being told through the eyes of someone who is struggling with life and personal tribulations. The reader cannot help feeling compassion for the speaker because of his or her situation. When the reader put his or her self into the speaker’s position, it is possible to see the problem of neglect and abandonment that is being overlooked in society.