“Nobody heard him, the dead man, / but still he lay moaning:” This is how many people go on through life. Many are dying inside but you would never know. It is possible for people to create masks to hide their emotions. Sometimes these masks are so deceptive that even close friends or family members cannot see through then until it is too late. In Stevie Smith’s poem, “Not Waving but Drowning” the writer effectively highlights how someone’s cry for help can be mistaken for joy. It is important for people to at least have someone who cares about them and knows them well enough to see when something is going wrong in their lives. This can often be the lifeline that saves one from drowning.
Recently I learned firsthand how deceptive these masks could be. Someone that I know but that I was not really close to took his own life this past week. On the outside he seemed like a happy person. He had a lot of ‘boys’ and everyone seemed to know him. But could it be that something was going on inside that no one knew about? “Poor chap, he always loved larking / and now he’s dead / It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way, / they said.”(Lines 5-9) This is how it was with his guy, everyone cold only speculate why he would kill himself because none of them knew anything except that he was a fun guy to be around. It’s a shame that it takes something as drastic as suicide to make people even wonder if people have conflicts going on inside them that can be extremely detrimental to them. As the speaker states, “Oh no no no, it was too cold always, / … / I was to far out all my life” (lines 10-12). Only a true friend would know this and like the man I referred to earlier it can be assumed that the man in the poem had no true friends.
Many people in this world have no true friends and those that do have very few. A true friend could have seen that something was not right with this man. Perhaps the first speaker in the poem thinks that he was closer to the second then he actually was.
Grief played a large role in the lives of the Boatwright sisters and Lily Owens. They each encountered death, injustice, and sadness. Grief impacted and left an imprint on each of them. Grief proved fatal for May. August knew that grief was just another aspect of life; that it had to be accepted and then left in the past. June and Lily learned to not let grief rule their lives. Life is not inherently good or bad – events not solely joyful or grievous – it is glorious in its perfect imperfection.
For fear of judgment based on appearance, any human being might cover up his sorrows as to not display any signs of weakness. Throughout Dunbar’s poem, the characters reflect upon their perception of the world and ironically accept the world the way it is. Revealing the true nature of the world, Dunbar states, “Why should the world be over-wise, /In counting all our tears and sighs?” (Dunbar 6). The poet insists that everyone need to be more comfortable and open to new ideas while embracing each others uniquenesses defined by strengths and weaknesses. The world was never “over-wise” because people dismiss the idea of helping others in fear of ruining their own reputation. Because of the utter nature of society, citizens have no other option but to wear a mask of apathy and cover up their insecurities. The narrator feels the need to conceal their feelings by “wear[ing] the mask that grins and lies” (Dunbar 1). They use “lies” to cover themselves, but at the same time question why no one seems to care. This contradiction complicates the battle between the world and the individual. Nevertheless, by changing their identities, they spread the idea of disguise, making everyone blind to the truth of human
Robert Hayden is an African American poet whose poems, most of the time portrayed the ill-treatment and pains of the African America. This poem takes a turn from his usual racial theme and perspective. I will be referring to the diver as a male character to avoid repetition. In this poem the diver or the speaker tried to commit suicide at first but when he got close to death and saw how difficult and uneasy it made him feel, he had a second thought and he decided to let go of death and go back to his life. I see irony in this poem in that the diver, though suicidal, dove into the sea with
as told from the point of view of a friend serving as pall bearer. The poem
Fear is an amazing emotion, in that it has both psychological as well as physiological effects on the human body. In instances of extreme fear, the mind is able to function in a way that is detached and connected to the event simultaneously. In “Feared Drowned,” Sharon Olds presents, in six brief stanzas, this type of instance. Her sparse use of language, rich with metaphors, similes and dark imagery, belies the horror experienced by the speaker. She closes the poem with a philosophical statement about life and the after-effects that these moments of horror can have on our lives and relationships.
He includes himself and others in many of his poems. Jack says if you are a friend or a family ...
Imagine that the person you love most in the world dies. How would you cope with the loss? Death and grieving is an agonizing and inevitable part of life. No one is immune from death’s insidious and frigid grip. Individuals vary in their emotional reactions to loss. There is no right or wrong way to grieve (Huffman, 2012, p.183), it is a melancholy ordeal, but a necessary one (Johnson, 2007). In the following: the five stages of grief, the symptoms of grief, coping with grief, and unusual customs of mourning with particular emphasis on mourning at its most extravagant, during the Victorian era, will all be discussed in this essay (Smith, 2014).
Even though we believe there are so many happy things around us, these things are heartbreaking. The poems “Tips from My Father” by Carol Ann Davis, “Not Waving but Drowning” by Stevie Smith, and “The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop convey the sorrow of growing up, of sorrowful pretending, and even of life itself. The poem “Tips from My Father” depicts an episode of the life of a father and his son. The pain from the childhood, the betraying of a lover, countless secrets are settling during the period of life, which can absolutely not be shared and understood by others.
Furthermore, emotional masks typically covers how others really feels on the inside. Some people be having a rough time, and they do not want everyone to know what is happening with them. So, they place a mask on and continue to smile to cover their real feelings. Everyone can not relate to people situations, and they can say things that are hurtful to others. Wearing the mask only shows the outside of someone, not the inside. To bring to light, most children commits suicide because they keep their feelings balled up inside, which can cause them to eventually break down. Their mask be super strong in public, but they can be
It is common for those experiencing grief to deny the death altogether. Many people do this by avoiding situations and places that remind them of the deceased (Leming & Dickinson, 2016). However, by simply avoiding the topic of death and pain, the mourner only achieves temporary relief while in turn creating more permanent lasting agony (Rich, 2005). In this stage, mourners will begin to feel the full weight of the circumstance. Whether the death of a loved one was sudden or long-term, survivors will feel a full range of emotions, such as sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, hopelessness, or grief. While many of these emotions can cause serious suffering, it is important for the survivor to feel whatever emotions come up and deal with those feelings, rather than trying to suppress any
Of all the topics Wordsworth covered in his poetic lifetime, friendship stands out as a key occupation. His own personal friendship with Coleridge led to the co-writing of Lyrical Ballads in 1789. The poem “On Friendship,” written to Keats after an argument in 1854, states, “Would that we could make amends / And evermore be better friends.”
Most individuals have experienced the everlasting joy and love that comes with caring family and friends, but the realization is that agony and despair will always win the war of light and dark, and family and friends are simply just impeding the end result. When a child is born, agony is already set in place, for screaming and crying will commence as soon as the child feels hands clasped on to him. However, this agony is soon met with joy as the child is met with his mother’s soothing heartbeat. Moreover, sometimes this heartbeat never comes, and thus, agony and despair stay within this child’s heart forever. Jimmy Baca, a lost young man who has only witnessed pain in his life, is this child. Furthermore, there comes a time in every individual’s
Imagine looking down from heaven and witnessing your family mourning over your passing when you still feel so alive. How do you change their view of your death? In the poem, Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep, the poet explains herself in various ways and wants to be remembered and around in spirit. The form of the poem is a simple monologue that is between a deceased person and their loved ones. Through repetition, rhyme scheme, tone/mood, and the author’s purpose, Mary Elizabeth Frye explains the meaning of the poem and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.
In the passage, “Nooses give; /Gas smells awful; /You might as well live,” Parker describes that no matter how bad life may be, attempting to kill yourself is much worse. The first impression of this poem may seem negative, but in fact, it is positive because of the way it portrays the pain involved with suicide. Suicide does not guarantee a quick painless exit from an individual’s seemingly gloomy negative view of his or her world. Imagine as you view your life as a thumbs down experience at every turn, and your only way out is to end it all. You decide to hang yourself, but the “Nooses give” or you decide to slit your wrist, but you do not quite cut deep enough. All the pain you feel up to the point of wanting to commit the hideous act of suicide surely cannot compare to the physical anguish of a suicide attempt that just does not go as planned.
Others may not agree with my argument, that we are all able to connect with others so deeply, but I interpret this poem, that it is meant to show what deep connection that some may experience with others. Perhaps, individuals can go through out life never having such a connection with another. I hope that most are able to find someone that they love, and cherish. There is nothing better in this world then to have someone that you can always rely on to be there no matter the circumstances.