As humans, we desire to live an exciting, meaningful and worthwhile life. What that consists of is different from person to person of course, but in the end we all want to leave this world one day and being able to say that we lived our life to the fullest. However, what does “live your life to the fullest” actually mean? In the poem, “The Lesson of the Moth” written by Don Marquis, demonstrates two different views on how people choose to live their life. One way to live your life is represented by the man speaking who lives his life cautiously to ensure longevity. The other way of living is symbolized by the moth, for all the people that take chances to have a memorable and intense life.
An extremely important quote from the poem is “It
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is better to be a part of beauty for one instant and then cease to exist than to exist forever and never be a part of beauty.” (Marquis 34-37). Personally, I find that line to be extremely relatable because if we do not have reasons to live, in addition to seeing all the amazing things that this world has to offer for us, then it all seems valueless. If you continously allow your fears to stop you from achieving your goals you will not have mind-blowing, and incredible stories to tell your kids one day like we all hope to do. By not experiencing the infinite things that our world has to offer for us you are missing out on exposure and participation in different things that most of you stride to accomplish. Without change our life can become dull and uninspiring.
So many people go through life experiencing the exact same things as the day before. The part that you want to try and avoid is reaching an old age, and looking back regretting all the things you should have done. “We get bored with the routine and crave beauty and excitement” (Marquis 18-20). This line from the poem shows that doing the same thing over and over is not what life's about. Although most of us do have the same daily routine on the weekdays, whether that includes going to school, work, sports, or anything else we should use our free time to our advantage and make our experiences then. It is important to take time out of our busy time and do the things that makes us happy no matter how big or small that thing is. If you deeply think about it what is life without the pursuit of the highest happiness? According to “Psychology Today”, if you are asked the question “Would you give up years of life in exchange for more happiness, in whatever form that may take?” many people would obviously say no. However, nearly everyone engages in day-to-day activities that make us happy in that moment without realizing how is it taking away from our lifespan. For example, alcohol, tobacco, unhealthy yet tasty foods, along with dangerous sports. Even though all of those things are not recommended by doctors and specialists sometimes they are the exciting parts of life for some reason if done in …show more content…
moderation. When you take a moment and understand the moth’s philosophy in this poem you seem to realize how true it is. To live a life where you do not get to experience whatever your definition of “beauty” is then that is heartbreaking. “And before I could argue him out of his philosophy he went and immolated himself on a patent cigar lighter” (Marquis 43-46). The moth’s definition of living his life to the fullest here was by seeing something beautiful. He believed that fire was beautiful. “Fire is beautiful and we know that if we get too close it will kill us but what does that matter it is better to be happy for a moment and be burned up with beauty” (Marquis 21-27). Obviously the moth was unbelievably passionate about the fire. He allowed that fire to take his life because of how much we wanted to experience the fire. What it all comes down to is doing what you are passionate about. According to dailymail.com, Psychologists found that the most cheerful individuals, with the best sense of humor die earlier.
In 1921, researchers began a study called the Longevity Project. 1,500 ten-year-olds were questioned over the next decades about their work pattern, friends, family, habits, and day-to-day lives. The researchers discovered that the happy souls took on more risks with their health such as drinking, smoking, and having bad eating habits. The individuals who were more persistent stayed healthiest and lived longer lives. Even though it is important to stay healthy, life will just get too boring if you are constantly worrying about taking the right
precautions. To conclude, ultimately the main question to ask here is do you want to live a life that may be shorter but filled with passion and experiences, or do you want to play it safe and not be able to have these memories that most people hope to have? At the end of the poem, the last stanza states “ but at the same time I wish there was something I wanted as badly as he wanted to fry himself” (Marquis 51-53). That is showing how even though he believes it is preferable to live safely but longer, he wishes there was something out there that would make him happy enough to go die for it. For some people it may be hard to find something that they see if worth their whole life. Frankly, if you have something whether it is an object, place, or thing makes you happy, and want to devote your life to it you should consider yourself tremendously lucky.
The novel In The Times of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez, consists of a frame narrative told by the only Mirabal sister to survive the reign of Trujillo, Dede Mirabal. This story takes place in the Dominican Republic all the way back in 1938, leading up to the “present” time in 1994. At this time in the Dominican Republic, the country is being ruled by a man named Trujillo, and he is making their homeland an unsafe and horrible place. The Mirabal sisters’ participation in the political movement against Trujillo led to their murder on November 25, 1960. Their action was symbolized as a threat to Trujillo dictatorship, which eventually led to their death.The conclusion that can be taken to assume that the Mirabal sisters were murdered is Minerva
The Mirabal Sisters, otherwise known as Las Mariposas, made their mark in history due to their efforts in the revolution against the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic. Julia Alvarez, a native Dominican herself, wrote In the Time of the Butterflies due to an account told by Dede Mirabal about the lives and tragic fate of her sisters Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa. Dede’s three sisters were murdered due to their involvement in the revolution; Dede did not join the revolution, and thus survived to help recount their story. Since the novel’s publication in 1994, In the Time of the Butterflies has impacted various aspects of life, and contemporary culture frequently alludes to facets of the novel. One critic commented that "In the Time of the Butterflies suggests that the Mirabal sisters not only fought against the Trujillo regime, but also against the Dominican Republic’s patriarchal culture and gender roles. They were very
The short story “The Moths,” written by Helena Maria Viramontes, tells a story between a granddaughter and a grandmother who both share a symbolic connection between each other. The story is in a first person narrative, told by the author, and her experience taking care of her ill grandmother while facing gender and religious oppression in her own home. The author is very distant from her own family mainly because she does not meet the expectations that her parents have embedded for her. There is a motif of rebirth throughout the story told by the author by symbolizing the significance of the gray moths. The vivid imagery of moths in Helena Maria Viramontes’ short story “The Moths” symbolizes the connection between life and death.
Atypical things and creatures have been used in the form of symbolism for different stories and poems, and in the case of Virginia Woolf and Annie Dillard, it has been the paltry creature of the moth to represent serious, significant subjects. Virginia Woolf uses a moth as a symbol for life, and as the moth is confined inside the windowpane, he struggles to live and eventually dies. This symbolizes the struggle to circumvent death, as life is treasurable. In the case of Annie Dillard, the moth is attracted to the candle flame, and ends up being burnt and shriveled by the flame. However, while the moth is being scorched, the flame burns brighter, denoting that everyone does have purpose after death, but this story also has religious meaning. Both authors, Annie Dillard and Virginia Woolf, use the same creature to signify different meanings and storylines.
He regretted all of the opportunities that he had missed and by the time he realized that he never lived his life, it was too late to live it to its fullest. Therefore, life should be lived to its fullest so that when it is over, there are no regrets. So many people have ideas of things they want to do, whether they be business-related, something that scares them or even just asking someone else out on a date. Everyone has ideas about how they want to live their lives, but most people never wind up following through. They are so afraid of failure or of looking bad that they run from any kind of challenge.
Julia Alvarez's novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, tells the story of the Mirabal sisters and their unusual demise. In the 1960's Dominican Republic, three of the sisters, Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Patria Mirabal, are members of the underground movement against the rule of the dictator, Rafael Trujillo. The story leads the reader to how they were ambushed on a small road and murdered, though it was unjustly covered up as an accident. Alvarez’s novel is made up of three different sections, with a finishing epilogue at the end. Each chapter was dedicated to one of the sisters and passage of time, telling their experiences through intimate first person narratives or personal diaries. Alvarez wrote in several different perspectives from each
The diversity in the stories The Moth has to offer is incredible. The two stories that I listened to could not have been more different. One was about the capture of one of the most notorious criminals of all time, the other was about a simple pastry chef who ends up getting a job at the white house. Both stories were incredibly well told and interesting, despite being different in every way possible.
In the short poem, The Butterfly by Pavel Friedmann, the poem uses a butterfly to symbolize freedom. To illustrate this idea, the poet writes, “It went away I'm sure because it wished to kiss the world goodbye” (stanza 2). In this quote, the butterfly refers to it wanting to be free, rather than be living in a dismissive environment. It seems to me that the butterfly contributes to the mood of the poem, since the butterfly reveals a depressing emotion to one as a reader. Additionally, this makes the reader understand a lifeless and trapped world created in the ghettos which is impossible to find happiness within.
After listening to an hour of the Moth, I would have to say a lot of these stories are sad but there’s always something to learn from them. How much Darly McCormick loved her son and protected him from racism, how Adam Gopnick learned how to communicate to his son through instant messaging, what Erin Baker had to face when she learned her mother was pregnant with someone she had an affair with. They also share funny moments as well during the story so it is all not doom and gloom but the stories also share lessons they learned from their experience.
As American society has evolved in the past 100 years and technology has increased and improved, so has the life expectancy for individuals. Currently, females can expect to live for 81 years on average, while males can expect to live for 75 years, giving an average life expectancy of 78.3 years (Santrock, 2013, p.536). According to Santrock (2013), “since 1900, improvements in medicine, nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle have increased our life expectancy an average of 30 additional years,” but another important factor is the decreasing infant mortality, allowing a larger population of people, including older adults (p.536). Making good choices in diet, regular exercise, avoiding drugs and alcohol, along with getting enough sleep and maintaining a low and healthy stress level can all increase life expectancy. Relationships, emotional well-being, and having purpose all also play an important role in determining how long an individual will live. As people are living longer, more ...
Health and Aging Often we take our health, or the absence of illness, disease, or injury for granted until we become sick. It is then that we recognize the worth of being without ailments. It is then that we appreciate feeling strong, robust and healthy. Being healthy and, being physically and mentally sound, is associated with one's satisfaction with life.
healthy is a major component in ones’ overall wellbeing, more so mentally, but being healthy
There are many different opinions on how a life should be lived, Henry Longfellow's poem, "A Psalm of Life" is a perfect example of that. There is emphasis on making tomorrow better than today and not conforming to the way everyone else lives. Longfellow's philosophy in this poem is to live for today, however, one should be conscious of the future and lead a life that is good and that will inspire others after we are gone. Longfellow has a distinct outlook on life, using a philosophical approach, "A Psalm of Life" is about life as a whole and how its meaning is to live each day as a new day, be original, and to leave something behind that inspires others.
Healthy living is a change not everyone is willing to do. Even with small replacements in your daily life, you can start to see big changes in how your body starts working. Maintaining a healthy life style can benefit your life in many ways. Being healthy can improve your bodies ability to stand against infections or diseases. It can also aid in giving you more energy, as well as helping you sleep better. Another advantage to keeping a healthy life style is you'll be stronger, and feel better about the way your body feels. Despite the overly expensive food or the pricey monthly bills from the gym you hardly go too, simple steps can assist you in living a long healthy life without the extra effort.
Do you dream of living a long, healthy life? Fortunately, it is much easier to achieve this dream today, in a world that is more technologically and medically advanced than ever before. Because of these favorable advances, the life expectancies in most countries have increased. It is not enough, however, to solely rely on technology and medicine to increase your life expectancy. In order to make your dream a reality, you need to take a few additional steps. To improve your chances of living a long life, you should eat and drink healthy, have a consistent sleep routine, be physically and mentally active, reduce causes of stress and depression, avoid and/or quit smoking, and abstain from overindulgence.