Wendell's Essay

Wendell Frink
Mr. Salsich
9English
7 April 2009

Journeys, Smallness, and Love;
An Essay on a Poem

There are many unknown themes in the process we call life. Some are more crucial [FAST] than others, but they all fit under the umbrella of life, for they are all necessary for life. Each theme has its own place, whether that place is small or large. The poem "Courage," by Anne Sexton contains themes that occur in my life.

After carefully reading this poem for several days, I have noticed three themes. The first theme is journey’s. Throughout the poem, the life of the said person is a long and arduous [FAST] journey. The person starts out as a child, becomes a young person, reaches middle age, and then old age and death, and along this journey the person faces discovery, death and definite enlightenment. The second theme I noticed is smallness but largeness [Antithesis]. People “call[ing] you crybaby or poor or fatty or crazy” makes you feel small, and insignificant. Courage is “a small coal” and is sometimes not even noticed in times of great despair even if you feel your pride swelling. The third, final and most important theme I noticed is love. “Your buddy,” when he saved your life in battle, did it because it was love. The love he contained was “as simple as shaving soap.” These three themes, as small as they may be, make up the poem “Courage,” by Anne Sexton.

This poem can be related to my life in through journeys, insignificance, and love. I have journeyed to many places in my lifetime. I have gone from the mountains of New Hampshire and the museums of London and from the beaches of Florida and to the snowy mountains in Massachusetts [Polysyndeton]. I go to many different places in my head also through reading books. Secondly, there have been people in my life that have made me feel small and insignificant. Making me feel very small in the world, they put me down, called me names and made life not fun at times [Loose Sentence]. But after a while, I would ignore it and be the better person and walk away from their insults. Finally, I have loved many people and things. I love my family, especially my loud and sometimes irritating [FAST] brother. I love the things that I do and have in life, from friends, to sports and to living. Surprisingly, the themes from the poem “Courage” by Anne Sexton can relate to my life.

Themes in poems and in lives can intertwine, and I am no exception. Some of the themes are different from the poem to the person but they are generally close. Some of these are necessary for life. But some of them just may keep your life intact.