Poetry & lives Essay

Poetry is already a part of everyone’s lives. In fact this wasn’t created but sprung in our hearts. The four poems, Songs of the Road, of Men and Women, Quiet, To Mother, and Woman Knitting talks about the lives of every human being, the four works of art tackles about life, family, the realities of meeting and departing, and death. Who would wonder why the poem Woman Knitting was written. This is a kind of poem that touches the heart of a reader. The poem was written by a Vietnamese poet. The poem basically tackles about a typical woman and her usually-done hobby. One of the themes of the poem is about the life of a person. Life is like knitting. Life journey is too long and has no meaning or significance like a roll of wool. At first it is like the other ordinary thread. As life goes by the thread slowly becomes a meaningful thing that is form through knitting. In knitting, the thread crosses and even cut. Well, like life, we have all the ups and downs. We never knew what will the world has to offer. Definitely only the one knitting knows what she is doing and what she will do with the thing. Like God, He is the only one who knows what is happening to our lives. We do not have controls. What God has allowed us to happen is always the best thing that will give us the reason for living. At first we do not know His plans but after many paces we look back the things that happened as a significant factor for what we have and who we are right now. Also because we do not know about the future, we do not know how long we will stay here on earth. â€Å"Patient, for she has the rest of her life. Anxious, for this is maybe her last moment. † These lines really reflect the uncertainty of life. We are not certain about tomorrow, we are only certain that along with life there is death. Like the woman who is seem so anxious for she do not know if that was her last moment. The next theme I see is about family, friendship, or loved ones. These lines: â€Å"She never looks up. Does she look back to the first meeting? Or the last parting? † tells us that every moment we spend with our loved ones should be cherish. We should not waste time for maybe that time will be the last time together. The woman never looks up. Even though the poem did not literally say that the woman is reminiscing the past, we can clearly say that she is looking back either the past memories which is the first meeting or the last parting. When a person is alone he/she will have the tendency to imagine the future or remember the past memories. This instance gives him/her the strength to survive. The past memories give us hope in the future. And, it is nice to reminisce the past. It gives us the picture that life is beautiful and has meanings. One of the themes that really strike in poem is the theme about peace (cooperation). In knitting, the threads are bind as one. The hands of the knitter should be well coordinated so that the final product will have the right appearance as the knitter is planning. The hands and the mind should be well coordinated so that the process will become easier and faster. The woman did not look up because she wants to be focused on what she is doing. The poem is portraying the kind of people that Vietnam should have. The country should have the people that will coordinate with the advocacy of the country. Thus, everything should be deal with coordination and peace. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien portrays the kind of burdens that the soldier is carrying. Their position and the life that they are going thru pictured out the kind of people. Jimmy cross is a person who is bothered by the memories that he have with the lady. His thoughts make him unable to fulfill his duty with full concentration. After Jimmy Cross realized (after the death of his co-soldier) that his thought bothers him and enable him not to concentrate to his duty, he burns the memories that he have with the lady. He burns the letter and the picture that will awaken his heart and thoughts. Basically the poem Woman Knitting tells that everything should be in coordination. Like Cross, his mind and his heart did not coordinate. He was there for the duty but his heart keeps on telling his thoughts about the lady. Also, the poem really tackles about life. At one time they are with their co-soldier but at a single second they were left. What the co-soldier left was the memories and the guilt on Jimmy’s heart. Life slowly unravels its mystery. The poem gives lesson and portrays the meaning of life. And, the book basically gives the events and where the lessons were applied. Life is full of mystery, but there is an assurance that as we go through the journey, mysteries will be revealed. Songs of Road, of Men and Women talks about the nature of life. We are bound to a single journey; death. The character of this poem is the one who is facing the last destination. On the fourth line of the first stanza, the memories flashes like a flame of fire. Memories will be the one that is left when a person die. And, on the last stanza, the poem talks about the reality after a man dies. Men and women will never meet again and after the death of a person, he will be somewhat unremembered since no one will call on him. It surely death that the author is referring since it the poem mentioned about the people who are no longer being called and now with him forever. On the other hand, the poem Quiet talks about memories. This tells us about the kind of life that we are having. People come and go and then leave us behind. This may also refers to the memories after death but this time the character of the poem is no longer the person who will die but the one who will be left behind. On the second stanza of the poem it elaborates the main theme of the poem. That is really the reality. The people we know now will soon leave us. And the one that will be left are the memories. They are like tear drops that once touches the ground will no longer be retrieve. In other words the memories we’ve shared with the people we meet and love will no longer be erased in our hearts; even if a person is far or gone, he is still a pace apart because he rest in our hearts. The poem To Mother talks about the family, especially our mothers. This tackles about what will a person feel when he is far from his family. Mother is the one being given a tribute here because they are the ones portray a real family. One fact is that, even if a son will forget his mother, his mother will never forget him. This is the kind of family that everyone should have. Our family is the first to be there for us in times of trouble. They are the first shoulder that we can lean on when we have problems. One thing also that is remarkable with the family is that we sometimes feel they are unimportant but we can feel their significance or their importance when we are alone or far from them. We may neglect them when they are there but when they are far way we always long to be there on their side. The four poem have slight differences when it comes to there themes. The â€Å"Woman Knitting† talks about out loves ones, their memories and etc. The poem Quiet talks about memories and still the other two talks about the family and about the reality of life. One thing that makes every poem difference from the other is the way or the mode they transmit their themes. They are like patches of poetry that makes the whole theme more concrete. And, one thing that makes them common is that they talks about the life of a person. They talks about families. They talks about the importance of each other. As far as the four poem is concerned, life is really a broad journey that everyday should be cherish. Work cited: Woman Knitting. Retrieved May 5, 2007 from http://www. essaywriters. net/sys/index. php? rate=5&id=65336 O’Brien, T. (2006). The Things They Carried. Retrieved May 5, 2007 from http://www. sparknotes. com/lit/thingscarried/section1. html Songs of the Road, of Men and Women. Retrieve May 13, 2007 from http://www. essaywriters. net/sys/index. php? rate=5&id=67401 Quiet. Retrieve May 13, 2007 from http://www. essaywriters. net/sys/index. php? rate=5&id=67401 To Mother. Retrieve May 13, 2007 from http://www. essaywriters. net/sys/index. php? rate=5&id=67401