No Need to be a Somebody

“Happy the man whose wish and care a few paternal acres bound, content to breathe this native air in his own ground.” The Quiet Life is about a man who is content living alone off his own land and work. “Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread, whose flocks supply him with attire.” This man an can “sound sleep by night” with what was produced on his land. He simply wants to “live, unseen, unknown.” Man can live alone with what is one’s own production.  Nothing made in China. This shows how needy modern society has become. Without stores, the modern society would fail. My family does have a garden we eat some food out of; however, with modern society and our location, it is not possible to live on our own.

I’m Nobody! Who are you? talks about how the narrator does not want to be like a frog “telling one’s name the livelong day to an admiring bog.” The narrator would prefer to be quietly unique and does not need to pronounce her qualities for all to see. She may be a “nobody” in the eyes of society but, she has her own unique qualities she is proud of. I am “nobody” because I do not want to be a big time cheerleader or “cool kid.” I do not desire the attention and admiration of everyone around to me to be happy with myself. “How dreary to be somebody!” How dreary to have so many judging eyes always watching.

I selected these two poems because the show how someone does not need a thousand people around them to be content. Both narrators are “nobodies” and do not want the admiration of others. However, The Quiet Life seems to speak in a more positive tone than I’m Nobody. The message of the second poem seems to say that it is ok to be a nobody; however, it seems to be negative. On the contrary, the first poems message seems to positively say that it is completely ok to want to live alone without anyone else’s help.