Today in class we began our discussion about "A Psalm of Life" by Henry Longfellow. The class agreed that the poem is progress oriented, but also that the poem is about living in the present and abandoning worries of what is to come in the future. This is interesting because progress is based on the understanding of what is needed or could be needed and how to accomplish this for the future. Without looking into the future and what may be required, projects that lead to progress would be more dificult to imagine and progress would take a much longer period of time. Another point that we discussed was that the reason why people don't live in the present is because they are too busy worring about what progress they are going to make as individuals. Without planning ahead, people become more uneasy and therefore worry about the future rather than living in the moment. This means that, in today's society, progress and the present go hand in hand. This makes for an interesting paradox within the poem.
-Jen
1 comment:
I think it's a testament to Longfellow's genius that he can write such an enduring and timeless poem about a common human problem. Undoubtedly, humans throughout history have lived in either the past, the present, or the future. At the time he wrote this poem, it seems like too many people were living in the past or future. I think this remains true today. People can easily become hooked on past events that they never get over, such as a death or life-changing experience (e.g. the sixties and modern hippies). Similarly, many see themselves as forced to live in the future due to today's fast paced and hectic lifestyle. Longfellow's romantic ideals shine through as he encourages the reader to slow down and remember life is for living, not for worrying about. This poem will ring true for centuries and until people stop reading it, since this issue is one that will never go away anytime soon.
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