Aesthetic Analysis
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Institutional Affiliation
The Poem “A Psalm of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This is a poem that I came across while researching on poems done by popular American poets in the 19th century. Reading through this poem, it is evident that the principal message gioven is on seizing each moment and making the most of every minute that is allotted to us. The subtitle itself already demonstrated it as a dramatic monologue spoken from the heart of a young man to the composer of the psalms. The speaker starts with begging the Psalmist to not sing in many sorrowful ways on the emptiness and unrealistic nature of life, this is because he feels that passively experiencing life makes one’s soul dead. Additionally, onee should not assume that life should follow a particular Christian perspective. The speaker demands life to be more real and have more meaning as the meaning of life does not lie in death. Following the Christian saying of sust to dust, this is just a reference to the body and not soul which needs to be full of life, human’s destiny should not be in the indulgence but rather the ability of making constant progress daily. This message of hope and encouragement is what was striking and an important strength of this poem especially in this contemporary world.
The modern world has been characterized by constant connections that have made people judge themselves constantly based on the lives of others. However, modern life has failed to focu on the challenges of life such that people end up feeling very bad about the lives they live. However, this poem teaches on learning to be happy in the present while working to make forward progress. The main disadvantage of this poem is its insistence on people laboring constantly as this will guarantee success. Reality does show that not every labor we put in will bring in success. Therefore, even as people get optimistic, they need to realize which is the actual work that will benefit them.
The aesthetic question to this poem is, “Will struggle remain a constant foir a fulfilling life?”
References
A psalm of life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=3448
