A Raisin In The Moon
What happens to a life with no direction?
Does it sway back and forth
like a child on a swing?
Or flap up and down
like a bird's little wing?
Does it float still
on the surface of the great ocean?
Or does it fall straight down
like an apple succumbing to motion?
Or perhaps, it simply decays
like that same apple in a year’s time.
- A parody of Langston Hughes' "Harlem"
Direction can be an important factor in one’s livelihood. For those who yearn to succeed and “achieve great things” in the conventional sense, magnitude and effort without direction can mean nothing. For those who simply yearn to live a happy life without the riches and concerns of a "successful" life, they should also be concerned about direction as it is important not to steer your life in the wrong direction.
In the poem above, I analyze some of the outcomes of a life without proper direction. Many times, we can get sucked up in our mundane lives and continue on with our repetitive schedules, flapping up and down, without making progress in any specific direction. Sometimes, we may be fine with standing still and holding our ground against the currents of the great ocean, the societal pressures of our time, but other times, without proper direction, our lives may succumb to the power of a greater force (Perhaps temptation, greed, or even poor luck) leading us to follow the wrong path. Or perhaps, a life without direction will simply decay and implode, leaving no proof that the given life ever existed.
A life without direction may not necessarily be a bad thing but if we do hope for a better lifestyle or hope to achieve certain goals, then we must put our effort and time in the right direction.
Does it sway back and forth
like a child on a swing?
Or flap up and down
like a bird's little wing?
Does it float still
on the surface of the great ocean?
Or does it fall straight down
like an apple succumbing to motion?
Or perhaps, it simply decays
like that same apple in a year’s time.
- A parody of Langston Hughes' "Harlem"
Direction can be an important factor in one’s livelihood. For those who yearn to succeed and “achieve great things” in the conventional sense, magnitude and effort without direction can mean nothing. For those who simply yearn to live a happy life without the riches and concerns of a "successful" life, they should also be concerned about direction as it is important not to steer your life in the wrong direction.
In the poem above, I analyze some of the outcomes of a life without proper direction. Many times, we can get sucked up in our mundane lives and continue on with our repetitive schedules, flapping up and down, without making progress in any specific direction. Sometimes, we may be fine with standing still and holding our ground against the currents of the great ocean, the societal pressures of our time, but other times, without proper direction, our lives may succumb to the power of a greater force (Perhaps temptation, greed, or even poor luck) leading us to follow the wrong path. Or perhaps, a life without direction will simply decay and implode, leaving no proof that the given life ever existed.
A life without direction may not necessarily be a bad thing but if we do hope for a better lifestyle or hope to achieve certain goals, then we must put our effort and time in the right direction.
I love the creativity and level of thinking you bring to this post. The poem was very well done as well. Not only does this post have a great meaning, but it also leaves the reader with something to think about.
ReplyDeleteBendi, that was simply the greatest poem I've ever read. I agree that all of our actions in life should steer us towards a certain direction, specifically the right direction. Your blog post kinda reminded me of Walter Lee from A Raisin in the Sun. Undoubtedly, Walter's a good man for wanting to improve the life of his family and his sun. However, he might be trying to accomplish his goal in the wrong way, as he believes that "money is life," and he's willing to invest all his family's money into a risky, unstable liquor business. Maybe Walter's trying to find the North Star by looking South. Nice post Sri!
ReplyDeleteI really liked the spin that you took on the poem. This reminded me of both Gatsby and Walter as they both have goals and want to live a happy life but are ultimately unable to achieve that life.
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