Poetry Essay

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Life is for the Living
Have you ever been through a rough time and wanted to give up on everything? You might have even wished you were never born in the first place. Some try to commit suicide or just live life in a daze, uninspired and unemotional. The seasons come and go, yet life has not changed any. You may think how long can this last? Why is this happening to me? When can I give up for good? The truth is that everyone encounters rough times throughout their lifespan. However, living things are on Earth to do just that- live. No matter how bad things get, we can overcome it and even adapt to thrive in unfavorable conditions. This is a theme seen in poetry. The poems “Life is Fine” by Langston Hughes, “What the Living do” by Marie Howe, and “Root Cellar” by Theodore Roethke, all tell a message that life is meant to be lived no matter what the conditions are. In each of these poems imagery is the main element, but the situations described are unique. Langston Hughes wrote during the Harlem Renaissance, a time period when black life and culture began to flourish. However, a lack of rights, discrimination, a low quality of life, and hate crimes were still a part of everyday life for minorities living in America. Hughes writing shows that death is perceived to be a permanent solution to problems. People in tough situations generally think that death is a quick and simple way to run from the struggles that life creates. However, “Life is Fine” reveals an opposite side; it is actually harder to give up on life than to keep moving forward. Hughes creates a picture of how a man struggles with forcing himself to die and through two failing attempts at suicide; he becomes more conscious of what he has been given. This introduces the concepts of life being fine and how people should appreciate it instead of easily giving it away (“Poetry Analysis- Life Is Fine”). People should fight back, thrive, adapt, and do the best they can in life. Hughes says, “Though you may...
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