Analysis Of Don Marquis's 'The Lesson Of The Moth'

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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 …show more content…

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…

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

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