"The Quiet Life"
This poem depicts a man whose identity stems
from the simplicity around him. He is "content to breathe his native
air," and seems to wish for no more than what he has. And why should
he? He has cows for milk, the "fields with bread/[and the sheep's
wool for] attire." He lives a simple life, a quiet life, away from
the rush and hustle of the city. This man doesn't need the gossip or
scandals of town life, nor does he feel the need to travel in order to
experience the world. He has his own world to live in and explore right
there in "a few paternal acres." This man is “sound sleep by
night,” not worrying about how inflation will ruin his investments or if his
daughters will get pregnant before wedlock.
He is content in his environment with no need for what the general
public call culture. He has his own
culture, his own identity, apart from everyone else, and he has found his
happiness.
The other poem I really liked is “Heritage” by
Countee Cullen. I don’t know why I like
this one so much. Well, maybe I do, but
not in a way that can be bound by words.
This poem has a sense of longing in it, a desire to have roots and ties
to something ancient, something deep in a person’s soul. Africa, being such a wild place, seems to
have that sense of origin to the speaker.
On top of the meaning of the poem, the rhythm and rhyme just fill me
with this feeling. I don’t know what it’s
called. But I like it.
I don’t know what these poems have in common. They depict speakers who wish to find identity
differently; Pope’s is content in solitude while Cullen’s seems to wish for a
something deeper, a sense of purpose, perhaps.
Pope’s also looks to simplicity while Cullen’s searches for answers.
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