The Possibility of Poetry

Annotations of Emily Dickinson's poem, "I Dwell in Possibility"

Claims:
Policy: Emily Dickinson’s poem should be read by all to understand the importance of poetry

Definition: The poem is a metaphor for the wonders of imagination
Comparison: The change in the meter is like the change in our minds and how we process life
Evaluation claim: It is better to be on a quest for knowledge than to quit at the first hard test.
Casual: Dickinson uses her religious background frequently throughout her writing.

Meta Poetica Part II

Writing out and annotating a poem is an excellent way to really pull apart and understand a poem. From this we can really start to form different kinds of claims to talk about the poem:

Policy Claim: Elizabeth Alexander's poem should be read out loud because of how it is paced, the tone, and tension she builds.
Definition Claim: This poem is about the poet's belief that poetry is inspired by happenstance occurrences in human lives, she expresses this through metaphor and questions.
Comparison Claim: Elizabeth Alexander's poem claims that poetry is like the small details and inspirations in a humans life through this poem with metaphors and an assertive tone.
Evaluation Claim: "Ars Poetica: #100: I believe" is best understood as a plea to young people to take poetry seriously and as a way to connect to others by using understandable metaphors and a passionate tone.
Causal Claim: Elizabeth Alexander causes the the reader to reflect on their relationship with poetry, and by extension how it connects them to the world around them by using personal metaphors and asking questions to instigate personal reflection.

Things Left Unsaid

 
             




Much like books, poems, and film life happens in transitions. Books have chapters to mark the start of a new segment. Poems have breaks or verses to indicate the start of a new thought. Films use scenes and various other techniques to indicate the change happening in film. Life happens in the same way with the tags that are put on in the phases of an individual's life. These tags can be identified as newborn, toddlers, teenagers, adults, pre - school, kindergarten, elementary school, high school, college and within the various school phases there are grades to indicate process. With these transitions comes new hardships, trials, challenges, choices, responsibility, opportunities and so on. I'd like to focus on the transition I had from high school to college with a song by one of my favorite artists I discovered in the 7th grade.

Poet & I Didn't Even Know It

8 Steps to Follow and Questions to Ask

1.   Listening or reading the poem out loud without over analyzing it is a great way to start!

 

BY EMILY DICKINSON

I dwell in Possibility –

A fairer House than Prose –

More numerous of Windows –

Superior – for Doors –

Of Chambers as the Cedars –

Impregnable of Eye –

And for an everlasting Roof

The Gambrels of the Sky –

Of Visitors – the fairest –

For Occupation – This –

The spreading wide my narrow Hands

To gather Paradise –

2.   Articulating expectations for the poem allows readers to go into detail about where, when, and how the poem fulfills or frustrates your expectations.

I am a romantic, and I come by it honestly. When looking at Emily Dickinson's title, "I Dwell In Possibility" it excites me. I love nothing more than a possibility, because it has a positive connotation, it means anything could happen- it's possible. I think it's going to be about something she hopes for or something she wants, we know she's talking about poetry even though she never says poetry. 

3.   Analyzing the syntax of a poem allows the reader to truly understand what is being said. 

I had to look up a few different renditions of the poem to understand what exactly Dickinson was trying to accomplish. I looked up the word Prose, and I noticed when she capitalized words to turn them into a proper noun. She capitalizes the end of almost every phrase making it stand out and almost to add emphasis on the terms. 

4.   Consulting reference works for anything the poem may mention that you do not understand.

After a simple google search, I found that Emily Dickinson lived in Amherst, Massachusetts in the mid-1800's. Although part of a prominent family with strong ties to its community, Dickinson lived much of her life in reclusive isolation.

5.   Understanding who, where, when, and what happens is easier after you've come to a literal understanding of each sentence. 

Who: A poet who seeks the possibility

Where: In a house where there are grand visitors 

When: As soon as possible

What: Living a life where poetry is apart of how we live and interact

6.   Addressing those questions allows us to ponder the bigger picture questions such as why does the poem matter and what does it mean?

I think Dickinson's poem matters because she longs for this world where people connect and interact through poetry. Misunderstood herself, she longed to be heard, understood, and for people to respect her writings. 

7. How does the form of a poem contribute to its effect and meaning?

Her form is three tidy quatrains, I think it was symbolic that while it may look like a normal poem that follows all the rules, it ends up getting wild within the meters, and she is making a statement. She isn't a poet you can just put on the shelf, but she is a powerhouse who knows what she wants and how she is going to get it. 

8. Consider ways the poem both uses and departs from poetic conventions, especially those related to form and sub-genre.

Dickinson doesn't follow the generic form that was used within these types of poems, but rather uses different lengths of imab to get her point across. It's a piece about the limitless power of poetry that can awaken human imagination, so why would she write it in a constricting meter? She knows what she's doing and she does it to make a point. There is no right or wrong in poetry, but rather its as far as the imagination can percieve it to be. 

photo  credit: https://quotefancy.com/quote/7429/Emily-Dickinson-I-dwell-in-possibility

Learning to Love Poetry

8 Steps to Follow and Questions to Ask

1.   Listening or reading the poem out loud without over analyzing it is a great way to start!

Ars Poetica #100: I believe by Elizabeth Alexander

Poetry, I tell my students,
is idiosyncratic. Poetry

is where we are ourselves
(though Sterling Brown said

"every 'I' is a dramatic 'I'"),
digging in the clam flats

for the shell that snaps,
emptying the proverbial pocketbook.

Poetry is what you find
in the dirt in the corner,

overhear on the bus, God
in the details, the only way

to get from here to there.
Poetry (and now my voice is rising)

is not all love, love, love,
and I'm sorry the dog died.

Poetry (here I hear myself loudest)
is the human voice,

and are we not of interest to each other?


2.   Articulating expectations for the poem allows readers to go into detail about where, when, and how the poem fulfills or frustrates your expectations.

Not once is the phrase "I Believe" written in the poem, but as the author described what poetry is to her students I figured toward the end of the poem that the description she was giving of poetry was "her belief" of what poetry is. The poem was split into couplets so when the final line came about I was not surprised it was a single line with a question added for effect. The free verse really allowed the poem to have the flow required for the ending effect.


3.   Analyzing the syntax of a poem allows the reader to truly understand what is being said. 

Every sentence begins with the word poetry, which is to add effect or meaning to the poem that what is being read is a poem about poetry. Sentences are elongated through the use of couplets and commas. The authors use of modern prose eliminates ambiguities and the need to reorder sentences.


4.   Consulting reference works for anything the poem may mention that you do not understand.

Sterling Brown was an African American poet and literary critic who lived form 1901 - 1989.


5.   Understanding who, where, when, and what happens is easier after you've come to a literal understanding of each sentence. 

Who: A teacher and a the students and the reader.
Where: No specific setting other than references made by the speaker (ex. in the corner, on the bus)
When: No setting, but the speaker being a teacher may imply a classroom.
What: Describing what poetry is and why it matters.


6.   Addressing those questions allows us to ponder the bigger picture questions such as why does the poem matter and what does it mean?

This poem about poetry is important for understanding what poetry can be and how it can function in our lives. It is a form of expression that can be seen as an art of various forms. It can be as loose as this free verse that is being examined or even more complex such as a sonnet. Poetry can serve to respond to the life around us, express feelings, tell stories or anything in between.


7. How does the form of a poem contribute to its effect and meaning?

The use of couplets and elongated sentences through commas allows me to believe that this poem could be in the mind of the speaker. Perhaps it is a reflection or a retelling to the reader by the teacher. I could also see it as a flow of thought.


8. Consider ways the poem both uses and departs from poetic conventions, especially those related to form and sub genre.

The poem uses poetic conventions through its use of couplets and free verse, but departs from the couplets at the end of the poem with the final line standing alone. The use of free verse contributes to the idea that poetry can be whatever it needs to be regardless of structure and complexity. Ultimately poetry is a form of expression that is as diverse as it can be deep.

Meta Poetica

8 steps to responding to your poem (especially if it's a poem about poetry):

1) Reading the poem out loud is a good way to start, go ahead!

Ars Poetica #100: I Believe
by, Elizabeth Alexander


Poetry, I tell my students,
is idiosyncratic. Poetry

is where we are ourselves
(though Sterling Brown said

“Every ‘I’ is a dramatic ‘I’”),
digging in the clam flats

for the shell that snaps,
emptying the proverbial pocketbook.

Poetry is what you find
in the dirt in the corner,

overhear on the bus, God
in the details, the only way

to get from here to there.
Poetry (and now my voice is rising)

is not all love, love, love,
and I’m sorry the dog died.

Poetry (here I hear myself loudest)
is the human voice,

and are we not of interest to each other?

Appearances and Redemption

Aragorn's appearance isn't much, but he sure is a lot more than he appears.

I cannot say that I have ever read a piece of poetry that truly changed me in one distinct moment. I do have a deep love for literature, however, most of that is made up by a conglomerate of stories that i have read or were read to me by my mother. My deepest affection for literature lies with the fantastical, the wonderfully unreal; the things so different and so amazing, that they become completely foreign to this life, like visiting another world. It should come as no surprise, then, that the most personally moving work of poetry that I have ever read wasn’t written by Robert Frost or William Shakespeare, but by J.R.R. Tolkien.

For All the "If"s in Life

If there was one phrase, to sum up how my parents felt about my age maturity in my youth,
it would be both of them saying, "Allie is three going on thirty". They weren't wrong. I constantly preferred hanging out with older kids, talking to adults, and discussing topics most would deem “out of my age realm”. My soul has just always craved the wisdom that only age and time have permitted. When talking one on one with someone who is my superior, I always ask, “What’s the advice you wish you were given at my age?” and while I’ve been given great and knowledgeable answers, Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” was best. I stumbled upon his knowledgeable words earlier this year while preparing a poem for my public speaking class, and have since committed it to memory. He wrote the best advice for his son to live the happiest life imaginable, and I too have found much-needed wisdom in his words.

Something When You Thought There Was Nothing

This past year I have finally gotten into a piece of media that I had seen on people’s t-shirts in high school. After listening to just the first episode I was ready to drown myself in fan art, shipping, Pinterest boards, cosplay, fan theories, etc. Welcome to Night Vale is a podcast that started in 2012 and in written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, the person who is the main voice is Cecil Baldwin and I could happily listen to his voice for an eternity. The show is in the form of a radio broadcast that tells the surrealist, horrifying, beautiful, mysterious, and absurd tales of a town called Night Vale. For me, these genres are all I could ever ask for. The first lines give a perfect description of this quirky town, “a friendly desert community, where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep… welcome to Night Vale.”

Myriad Emotions of Video Poetry

There are so many different emotions that are summoned to me when I watch videos of poetry. It’s amazing all the different possible interpretations. In the Simpsons adaptation of “The Raven” I find myself laughing at the sardonic, mocking tone, yet when read by Christopher Lee I find myself shivering because, man, that crap is creepy! So much more than words goes into a performance of video poetry. Depending on how it’s read, what is playing on the screen, and if there is music/what the music is like, any poem can be beautiful or haunting, dazzling or just plain boring. My favorite rendering of video poetry so far is Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 (Shall I Compare Thee to a Summers Day?) sung by David Gilmore. It is a phenomenal rendering that allows one to get lost in the true meaning of the poem, with the music and Gilmore’s voice complimenting the somewhat magical nature of the poem, allowing us to truely FEEL more easily what the poem is trying to tell us. The scenery helps also, showing us a beautiful summer’s day on a lakeshore, helping us to not only see how a summer’s day looks, but also understand truly how beautiful the woman of the poem is.

POETRY SLAM

My skin prickles as I look around the room, feeling a slight chill. I have
my buzzer waiting for my grilled chicken sandwich, and see the wall
workers fumbling with the mics ready to begin. Not my usual crowd or
spot of choice for a Saturday night, but cést la vie, the lights dim and
they begin. Everyone was animated, honest, and real in this room.
The presenters had courage, confidence, and something interesting
to say in a way that works with their minds. I just did a speech for my
public speaking class about the importance of stretching our creative
muscles, and this is the correct way to do so. It was warm, kind, and
a forgiving group of people open and receptive to everyone around
them. I liked the “buzz” of being in a room where energy was
flowing so freely and openly.

One of my favorite poets was a girl who got up there and really bore
her soul. She made reference to her family and her friends. I
resonated with her and her struggles and I felt like she was someone
who was real, and honest, and just a genuinely good person. I liked the
way she lit up the stage and gave herself her own personal spotlight.
She used ABAB rhyme style and it was compelling, witty, and
interesting. She was my favorite for the night.

All in all, it was something that I would go back to. The Wall creates
this great atmosphere where everyone feels welcome and valued. A
rare scenario to behold in a cliquey campus. I thoroughly enjoyed
the night.

Invasion of the Mind

All the different genres of poetry that I looked at, with the text was written, spoken, or both. They all showed me how alive poetry if, and how it has always been a source of expression. Whether it is a personal expression of feelings to share out loud with the world. Or in film talking about personal, but relate-able experiences with the time and culture. In the films where poetry was performed in clubs, not only was that an example of the performance nature of poetry that has continued, but mixing that with instrumentals gives it new life and vitality. With videos that put the text on the screen and/or mix it with images also give new ways to experience poetry which is really cool and caters to a changing, digitally oriented audience. This is also effective in the music adaptations, they give way to entertaining new ways of performance, and the chance for the artists to express the poetry in new ways. With new poetry (and some old) seeing it read aloud by their authors is also neat, although I've seen it be not as great for the poem, but it can also be very inspiring to hear the author's emotions or how they imagined it to be read. I admire all these different forms of presentation, and I love to see the passion and time that people put in to the performance and creation of this art.

Something When You Thought There Was Nothing (Draft)

This past year I have finally gotten into a piece of media that I had seen on people’s t-shirts in high school. Welcome to Night Vale is a podcast that started in 2012 and in written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, the person who is the main voice is Cecil Baldwin and I could happily listen to his voice for an eternity. The show is in the form of a radio broadcast that tells the surrealist, horrifying, beautiful, and absurd tales of a town called Night Vale. The first lines give a perfect description of this quirky town, “a friendly desert community, where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep… welcome to Night Vale.”

The format of this work, in addition to the media is very unique, as it is all auditory and has to paint a picture in the listener’s mind. In addition to the fun day to day reports on the terrifying and fascinating things that go on in the town, Cecil will often go into very gorgeous and deep monologues, some with obvious purposes, some that leave you confused and stunned for a good hour after listening. They do an excellent job of balancing the humor and the absurd, with the deep and meaningful. What I will be analyzing is a perfect example of this.

This poem (and I believe it to be poetry, fight me) is from the second episode of the show, when it was just finding it’s footing and voice. When I first listened to it, it moved me just as other great writing I’ve read. Every sentence was its own story, commanding your mind to go somewhere, to wonder its purpose, and the implications of what you find. I would suggest listening to it before you read the rest of my post, since part of what characterizes it is how Cecil reads it. Takes place 17:45-19:10

Even if you chose not to listen, part of this media and community around Welcome to Night Vale is the fan art. It may limit the work since you are now perceiving it through someone else’s imagination, but I also think it reflects a shared experience that is an integral part of this medium.

There is no context given as to why he is listing these things, or what exactly these “things” are. It starts off very powerfully as it makes the listener think of the emotions they feel when viewing a sunset, and why they wouldn’t understand them. It catches the listener off-guard, and addresses us directly. The listener is put into a state of confusion, but then the list continues with no answers.

Not only is there an instant change in subject, but the wording is strange and provoking. What does it mean for a pet to be unfound? What are the implications? The illustration certainly has ideas, but why are we talking about pets? I loved the power that 6 well placed words can have.

Remember the absurdity I was talking about? The suspense that was built by the unfound pets is just destroyed by this idea. Your confusion about what came before is distracted by this weird and funny idea.

This portion seems to play into different forms of paranoia to create an unsettling feeling. Playing into people’s fears of dark forests and unwanted listeners. Whatever your feelings are about space, nothingness, vastness, to have something large and mysterious have thought, how can that not be frightening?

More terrifying images presented with no context. The feelings it produces are so tangible, I just eat it right up as a shiver is sent down my spine. Of course, we then break character, unless you don’t know what they are, it’s hard to have spooky feelings about sandwiches. With how it is read by the narrator, the hands are not reaching for the sandwiches either, they are simply a part of this list.

I like the images that this artist used to depict this portion, because the drawings don’t convey sound or the lack thereof.

Continuing with the juxtaposition of situations, but this one seems very personal, it has been awhile since “you” were addressed. This imagery seems almost tactile as the poem plays very real human feelings very real human feelings.

The random objects, the repetition of such a strange word as “sheets,” to me it is just as funny as it is confusing. A common tactic in this piece and other narratives in Welcome to Night Vale is putting random, modern, material objects into places where they don’t quite make sense.

Single words end this poem, and they are very much concluding words as following this they episode finishes. However, the questions it provokes do not end. Is this simply the end of list? Or do these words indicate some sort of ending that we don’t understand? Now that the list is done we must process what we have listened to or read.








Some people might discard it as just a weird little thing that a teenager posted. Or maybe people have a response similar to mine where I sit back and think on all the feelings that just ran their course in my body in a manner of seconds. It is obvious that authorial intent was to get you to feel something as they worked so hard to bring up things that elicit a response from the listener. Having it in text does lose some of the intonations and pacing of when it was originally spoken and the music that accompanies it, I think that adds to the nature of poetry being oral. However, the imagery still manages to paint a picture whether they're reading or listening. What I think is even more special is that their are mediums by which those who experience poetry like this can share their feelings, such as fan art in this case, it is truly wonderful.

All Hail the Glow Cloud!

We Are More Than We Appear

I cannot say that I have ever read a piece of poetry that truly changed me in one distinct moment. I do have a deep love for literature, however, most of that is made up by a conglomerate of stories that i have read or were read to me by my mother. My deepest affection for literature lies with the fantastical, the wonderfully unreal; the things so different and so amazing, that they become completely foreign to this life, like visiting another world. It should come as no surprise, then, that the most personally moving work of poetry that I have ever read wasn’t written by Robert Frost or William Shakespeare, but by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Tolkien describes Aragorn, the heir to the kingdom of Gondor, with a special poem that really has two names: The Riddle of Strider or All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter. This poem is presented to the protagonist, Frodo Baggins, by the wizard Gandalf, in order for Frodo to be able to recognize who the true Aragorn was. The themes that the poem presents are themes that I feel are universal to all people, and that is why it touched me more deeply than most. The first line:

All that is gold does not glitter, 

is obviously a twist on the phrase “not all that glitters is gold,” and yet I do not find it to be cliche, rather original, because it sets the tone for the entire poem. It also introduces us to Aragorn, who is heir to the mightiest kingdom in middle earth, yet dressed as nothing more than a vagabond. The second line:

Not all those who wander are lost.

Touches me even more deeply than the first. It makes reference to Aragorn’s personal struggles with his identity and his origin. What is powerful about it, however, is not that he is wandering, but the idea that just because he wanders does not mean that he is lost. The story of Aragorn is in great part his coming to terms with who he is and accepting his role as king, returning from the wanderings of his youth, in this case being both physical travel and wandering from his destiny. The last two lines of the first stanza:

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not touched by the frost.

These lines also deal with the question of identity and origin, but in a different way, in this case referring to his lineage, with the reference to “roots” and “the old that is strong”, because Aragorn comes from a line of kings, the strongest possible bloodline that a person can have in terms of earthly powers.

Taken as a whole, I find this first stanza so appealing because of how well I have always felt like it applies to me and others concerning our identities. When viewed from my religious perspective, this poem resonates with truth. Many of us here on this earth are not glittery, sparkly, or flashy. We may not appear to be worth much at face value. But, as the poem says, “all that is gold does not glitter”, and likewise, our personal worth is made up of much more than what others can see on the outside, and we are all gold, though we may not look it at first, just like Aragorn. It also applies to us because, though man of us may wander down different paths than what our heavenly destinies require, that does not mean that we are lost forever, and that theme of redemption is echoed in the second stanza of the poem. The last lines of the poem strike me so powerfully because they too instill a truth: hardships and challenges will not defeat us. This is also a testament to our origin because if we consider that we are all children of God, then rely on someone who is both old and strong past the point of withering, and by our very natures we have the deepest roots that there ever were: relation to deity. That relation cannot be changed, no matter how many trials or “frost”, piles up above us. I love this first stanza of the poem for that reason: it echoes so much truth to me and that makes me find it very beautiful.

The second stanza is just as powerful to me as the first, but it is ruined a tad because every time I read it I do so with Arwen’s voice in my head, reciting it from the third movie. I still find it plenty powerful, however. the first two lines are like this:

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring:

Here comes that beautiful theme of redemption again, the first line evoking the imagery of a phoenix, both lines indicating life and goodness from things that are dead and wasted. The third and fourth lines of the final stanza drive this point home even harder:

Renewed shall be blade that was broken, 

The crownless again shall be king. 

The blade discussed here is the blade of Aragorn's forefather Isildur, the last king of Gondor and a fallen man on account for failing to destroy the ring. Much of Aragorn's struggle is to become the man that Isildur never was, in being able to resist the temptations of the ring. This gives added context to the first two lines of this stanza, indicating that even though part of his heritage may be that weakness that Isildur had, he will have to overcome it.

Once again I find this stanza perfect in it's echoes of truth. We all have demons in our pasts, be they our earthly heritage or situations, or our own misdeeds and failures. What is so amazing about this poem is the hopeful way in which it confronts these issues, as if it is our destiny to triumph, to rise above those things that hold us back. I think this is most perfectly embodied by the last two lines of the final stanza: the sword that represents Aragorn's kingship will be fixed, and though he has no crown, that wont stop him from inheriting his rightful place as heir. Much the same way, in a gospel sense, we are promised that is we do things right our broken things will be restored and even though we don't have crowns, we'll still inherit all we were ever meant to. That's what I find so beautiful about this poem. 

Aragon's appearance isn't much, but he sure is worth a lot more than what he looks like.  

Communication Error

The Silent Child documents a fictional family with a very realistic situation. The youngest daughter, Libby, is deaf and mute and struggles to find her place in her British all hearing family. They hire a caring social worker that has a passion for sign language and a undying love for Libby. After some initial trouble communicating with Libby the two begin to understand each-other overtime and not only learn to communicate but become dear friends. However, Libby's mother begins to feel jealousy that she can't communicate with her daughter through sign language and fires the social worker moving Libby into a school she is not prepared to go to. The closing scenes show Libby's inadequacy at a school that clearly doesn't understand her disability. The depressing sadness upon Libby's face finishes with closing wording across the screen pleading for sign language recognition in every school. Clearly this is a film directed at more recognition and sign language but I also believe that it is a strong message about the lack of understanding between people in the world today.

The mother is the prime example. Each day the social worker comes to the house she attempts to teach the mother about her process or how to better work with Libby. And each day it is the mother that runs out, is distracted, or has her own agenda. The mothers lack of ability to listen and even greater problem of spending too little time with her child set her back in the relationship. This allows her jealousy to grow later in the film. A line is repeated by the mother twice throughout the film, "She follows what we say really well." Even though the film makers make it clear that Libby doesn't understand or connect with her family. This mother is oblivious to this blatant miscommunication between her and Libby because she is too engaged with her own life. Meanwhile we are given a beautiful montage of the social worker and Libby taking the time to learn and grow together building not only sign language, but understanding.

I believe a pertinent sub-issue addressed by this films script and the naturalist acting of the young girl and her social worker is the ability to understand and have a relationship with someone goes beyond the same language. Even before Libby could speak sign language she had a relationship with her social worker that her mother never could. It was not the same language that brought them together but rather the time, nurture, listening, and understanding of one another that built a bond that was crushing to both parties when torn apart. We could all learn to not only be accepting of sign language but to better our intercommunication skills as we build relationships with one another especially those we love.

Asking Myself "If" draft

My parents always said that I was born as a 30-year-old. I always preferred hanging out

with older kids, talking to adults, and discussing topics most would deem “out of my

age realm”. I think my soul has just always craved the wisdom that only age and time

have permitted. When talking one on one with someone who is my superior, I always

ask, “What’s the advice you wish you were given at my age?” and while I’ve been

given great and knowledgeable answers, Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If”  was best.

I stumbled upon his wise words earlier this year, and I have committed it to the

depths of my memory. He wrote the best advice for his son to live the happiest life

imaginable, and I too have found solace in his syntax.

If you can keep your head when all about you   

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

This past year has been a year of growth for me. Not in the length from which my

waist meets my toes, but rather where my heart meets my mind, and my mind meets

my mouth. I learned the way words can grow kindness as water and sunlight can grow

a seed to a flower. Kipling’s first stanza directly addresses the importance of being

confident in the decisions we make-- and taking responsibility for those decisions.

Granting wise counsel that if others, who can’t take responsibility for themselves

react negatively to your decisions, to be patient with them. Kipling notes the importance

of not coming to their level by telling lies or dealing with hate. I’ve made a lot of

decisions in this last year. What to major in, who to invest time in, who to formulate

ideas with, and it shapes and paves the road for what is to come.

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;   

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

I have these grandiose dreams and ideas, and I push and I work at them until the only

the thing I can hear is my heart beating in my chest blocking out the noise from the outside

world. This next stanza notes the importance of being a “dreamer”, but not letting

these dreams control your life. Looking at this from a Marxist point of view, we can’t
let our place in life take over and our lust to climb the ranks that aren’t meant for us
to climb. I think it’s easy to become infatuated with the degrees of glory, and as
Kipling notes- it’s important to have dreams, but not let them control our lives.
I have been far too guilty of letting what looks good on paper be fuel in my
life plans until I realized, that I didn’t actually like what I was doing. For

example, I come from a long line of lawyers and it’s my dad’s dream for me to go to

Law school. I entertained the idea for about 8 months and convinced myself that it

was my life calling. I can now say with assurance that it’s not, but I still have yet to break
the news to my dad. While now I don’t think it is, it’s hard to realize what we want to
do with our lives isn’t what our parents think is best for us.

I am also known for being an incredibly passionate person, developing a swift opinion

on just about everything I do-- deeming it either triumph or disaster. Kipling tells his

readers that they will experience both in their lives, but the critical importance is to

not take them seriously because they are not the substance of life-- but rather

the extremes.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,   

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except for the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

There is something about loss that makes people think about where their life is going.

I have found that every time I have suffered from a “loss” the gain I acquired far

exceeded the struggle and heartache that preceded it. And while it may be a vile

pill to swallow, sometimes it’s exactly what the doctor ordered. My own hardest

loss was when I tore my ACL, MCL, and meniscus my sophomore year of college.

I was on crutches for two months, and couldn’t walk for about five. I went home

for the semester to heal, and I learned more about empathy and the love of Christ

than I could have ever imagined. When we feel like our life is in shambles, is really

the rubble from where we can find the blocks to turn ourselves into a mosaic.

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

This was the point that I realized that this poem was going to be the turning point
in how I chose to live my life. It’s necessary to be able to talk to large groups of
people and yet, not let them influence your belief in what is right, wrong, moral,
or immoral. To stick our courage to the sticking place and to choose for ourselves.
To love people, but not let their return of love be the commander happiness. And if
we learn to do all these things and abide by Kipling’s rules, everything in the world
can be ours.