Friday, March 23, 2007
One of Several Analyzations for a Somewhat Contraversial Poem
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
A PSALM OF LIFE
WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN
SAID TO THE PSALMIST
TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream ! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real ! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal ;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way ;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
Be a hero in the strife !
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant !
Let the dead Past bury its dead !
Act,— act in the living Present !
Heart within, and God o'erhead !
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
Many writers write poems for interpretation. This is done with the intention for there to be multiple ways of analyzing a poem. A Psalm of Life is one of those poems that could become controversial about the meaning. A Psalm of Life must be analyzed by referring back to the title after every stanza, putting yourself in the time period that this was written and listening to the subtle details. Even though many might disagree, A Psalm of Life could be analyzed as a pessimistic poem in the viewpoint of the writer.
One cannot analyze this poem simply by dissecting it, stanza by stanza. One must finish a single passage, and then refer back to the title and think about the connections between the two. It is quite easy to tell from the first stanza that the author is arguing with the psalmist. “Tell me not, in mournful numbers…” This tone could be found through each passage of the poem. Therefore, the restlessness of the author is quite apparent. He is tired of listening to the bible and the people of mainstream. He sees no reason in relying on fate, which is the obvious thought process of the time. The passage, “And our hearts, though stout and brave, still, like muffled drums, are beating funeral marches to the grave.”, could certainly be taken as the author as saying that people are dying without making an impression on the world. They think that it is simply okay to die off because fate knows what is in store for them. All of these passages and subtle details lead to the conclusion that the author, indeed, could have been feeling pessimistic.
However, before jumping to conclusions about this article, one must first take in the meaning of the word pessimistic. This word, like many others, is up to the mainstream idea to form. For instance, is it true that a person committing suicide, over a feeling of helplessness, is pessimistic? Of course, the answer would be yes. This whole idea of pessimism is up for society to form, and to say what is pessimistic or not. To the people of Longfellow’s time, the writer of the poem would be pessimistic to the viewpoint of the bible. He no longer wants to accept it, and therefore is taking his own path in life. Is that not what the person committing suicide was doing? The writer was denying the idea of the bible, just as the victim of suicide was denying the idea that everyone has a reason to be on earth. Just as we are taking the idea of suicide as a mainstream viewpoint, we must do the same with this poem.
When analyzing a poem, you must be open to all ideas. It is up for each individual to decide what the poem means to them. It would be incredibly rude, to the author, to deny that poem the chance of having several meanings. So all that this article is asking, is that it be accepted. Just as it accepts ideas that the poems could portray optimism.
A PSALM OF LIFE
WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN
SAID TO THE PSALMIST
TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream ! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real ! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal ;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way ;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
Be a hero in the strife !
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant !
Let the dead Past bury its dead !
Act,— act in the living Present !
Heart within, and God o'erhead !
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
Many writers write poems for interpretation. This is done with the intention for there to be multiple ways of analyzing a poem. A Psalm of Life is one of those poems that could become controversial about the meaning. A Psalm of Life must be analyzed by referring back to the title after every stanza, putting yourself in the time period that this was written and listening to the subtle details. Even though many might disagree, A Psalm of Life could be analyzed as a pessimistic poem in the viewpoint of the writer.
One cannot analyze this poem simply by dissecting it, stanza by stanza. One must finish a single passage, and then refer back to the title and think about the connections between the two. It is quite easy to tell from the first stanza that the author is arguing with the psalmist. “Tell me not, in mournful numbers…” This tone could be found through each passage of the poem. Therefore, the restlessness of the author is quite apparent. He is tired of listening to the bible and the people of mainstream. He sees no reason in relying on fate, which is the obvious thought process of the time. The passage, “And our hearts, though stout and brave, still, like muffled drums, are beating funeral marches to the grave.”, could certainly be taken as the author as saying that people are dying without making an impression on the world. They think that it is simply okay to die off because fate knows what is in store for them. All of these passages and subtle details lead to the conclusion that the author, indeed, could have been feeling pessimistic.
However, before jumping to conclusions about this article, one must first take in the meaning of the word pessimistic. This word, like many others, is up to the mainstream idea to form. For instance, is it true that a person committing suicide, over a feeling of helplessness, is pessimistic? Of course, the answer would be yes. This whole idea of pessimism is up for society to form, and to say what is pessimistic or not. To the people of Longfellow’s time, the writer of the poem would be pessimistic to the viewpoint of the bible. He no longer wants to accept it, and therefore is taking his own path in life. Is that not what the person committing suicide was doing? The writer was denying the idea of the bible, just as the victim of suicide was denying the idea that everyone has a reason to be on earth. Just as we are taking the idea of suicide as a mainstream viewpoint, we must do the same with this poem.
When analyzing a poem, you must be open to all ideas. It is up for each individual to decide what the poem means to them. It would be incredibly rude, to the author, to deny that poem the chance of having several meanings. So all that this article is asking, is that it be accepted. Just as it accepts ideas that the poems could portray optimism.
# posted by Simply Black and White @ 4:55 PM 
