How could I craft a thesis statement to discuss the poem "A Visit to St. Elizabeths"?

There are a number of ways to look at this poem, so there are multiple thesis statements one could use. 

First, here is some background about the poem. It refers to Bishop's visits with the famous American poet Ezra Pound when he was in an asylum. The asylum is St. Elizabeths in Washington, D.C. Pound had been charged with treason (for supporting Mussolini). Pound also shared anti-Semitic ideas and was pro-fascist during World War II. Keeping...

There are a number of ways to look at this poem, so there are multiple thesis statements one could use. 

First, here is some background about the poem. It refers to Bishop's visits with the famous American poet Ezra Pound when he was in an asylum. The asylum is St. Elizabeths in Washington, D.C. Pound had been charged with treason (for supporting Mussolini). Pound also shared anti-Semitic ideas and was pro-fascist during World War II. Keeping him in the asylum likely saved him from a longer jail sentence.

The name Bedlam is a derivation of Bethlehem and refers to the British mental hospital (Bethlehem Royal Hospital) which was notoriously chaotic and regressive prior to the British reforms for mental hospitals.

So, Elizabeth goes to meet a famous American poet (one of the most important poets of the 20th century). He is a great artist but has all of these subsequent flaws, including an insane devotion to unpopular political ideas. Bishop opens the poem with, "This is the house of Bedlam." In other words, this is a chaotic, disordered place. It is an asylum, so this makes logical sense. Her visits must have been even more odd because Pound was venerated as a poet, but he was also justifiably criticized for his political ideas. The poem uses an "add-on" style similar to "This is the House that Jack Built." It creates a redundant style that suggests a "crazy" repeating pattern. A thesis based upon these ideas should explain this odd experience. (Bishop's "Visits" illustrate the conflicting notions of a great and troubled man.)

You could also focus on the form of the poem. (The nursery rhyme style of this poem portrays simplicity, but underneath this is the description of a complicated man.) Then you could go on to describe how the style is useful in connecting Pound's different characteristics: "tragic," "talkative," "honored," "brave," "cruel," "tedious," etc. The repetitive style of the nursery rhyme sounds a bit insane, yet poetic as well. This also describes Pound in this state. He is a great artist, but some of his political ideas are crazy. A thesis statement should address this conflict of greatness and being clearly flawed.