Analysis Of Lawhead's Poem The Sun Goes Down On Summer

Analysis of Lawhead’s Poem “The Sun Goes Down on Summer

Lawhead’s poem the “Sun Goes Down on Summer” deals with Lawhead’s focus of the change from a relaxing summer to the routine of school. He focuses on the change of conforming to others to becoming his own person. The purpose of Lawhead’s poem is to illustrate how routines change when summer is over and school begins, and students feel pressured to be someone they are not; However, ultimately students find themselves.

Lawhead describes his feelings about the start of the school year by using an extended metaphor. He states “The water is calm around me. It’s a warm, silent sea of thought dyed in the rich blues of night and memory” (Lines 6-7). Some student’s summer lives are are less full of strict schedules, so when school starts it is kind of like a surprise for students. Their summer lives are not full of “Schedules, passes, and teachers” (Line 15). Their summer is like calm water because they do not have so much to worry about with all the stress of school. Many students days are like a peaceful lake with only a couple ripples instead of waves. As school starts students do not have as much free

time. Instead they have loads of stressful school work and long nights filled with extracurricular activities.

Next Lawhead describes why he thinks the first day of school is the worst.

“The first day is the worst. Not knowing who your friends are or what’s changed since last year. Trying to pick it up where you left off” (Lines 19-21). As the school year starts, it is a big transition as students go from one grade to another with new teachers, students, and curriculums. Sometimes students struggle and get really stressed. There is so much pressure to get used to new schedules and classes that it is very overwhelming. He and other students are further overwhelmed by the busyness of the school year as it gets deeper into the year because there is more work as the year goes on. To support this Lawhead writes, “It won’t be gentle water I’ll be swimming in” (Lines 13-14). All the gentle water is over as the school year

starts.

Lawhead shifts his ideas by addressing that change is a risk. “Growing is a risk. Change is a risk” (Line 38). He also states “What would happen if I just stayed the real me? Would they turn me off? Label me weird? Would I ever get another date?” (Lines 34-36). As students grow and change there are a lot more things that they have to worry about with school work and relationships. A lot of students struggle with the fear of being rejected or disliked by their peers. A lot of students are worried that their peers will find them strange if they stay true to themselves, but real friends do not reject each other no matter what. It is a hard thing for students in middle school and high school to understand the difference between true friends and friends that come and go.

In conclusion, “The Sun Goes Down on Summer” illustrates how the change from summer to school is difficult, students struggle with all the homework and pressure, but it also gives students a fresh start to finding themselves.