"That time of year," by William Shakespeare

My attention was immediately captured after reading the first three lines of Shakespeare's sonnet, "That time of year thou mayst in me behold." It is a beautiful poem that I found myself reading more than a few times, not just to discover its true meaning but to allow each word to sink in. This sonnet is filled with metaphors that signify the speaker's awareness of his seniority and the loss of springtime (i.e. his youth.) It offers great imagery which really pulled me in and honestly displays the speaker's emotions. My favorite lines are the last two, which are:

 

“This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,

To love that well which thou must leave ere long.”

I gathered the main theme of this poem is that life is short and our time while we are young is even more fleeting - we should enjoy this season while it lasts. This sonnet exemplifies the fear and distress one can experience when growing older; something I'm sure a lot of people can relate to.

Here is a funny comic that I found:

Response to Andrew Hudgins "Begotten"

Security, love

A true gift from above

Comfort, support

Something you can never sell short

Joy, laughter

A bothersome brother to chase after

Hardships, pain

Sometimes we lose, sometimes we gain

Near, far

It doesn’t matter where we are

Acceptance, care

Sometimes a thought, sometimes a prayer

White, brown

We’re still the same all around

Together, divorced

Love should never be forced

A meow, a bark

In my heart – a deep mark

Smiling faces, hugs that are free

That is what family means to me

"We Grow Accustomed to the Dark" by Emily Dickinson

After listening to this poem in class the first thing that popped into my mind was the movie, Silver Linings Playbook. I saw it in theaters last Sunday and it really spoke to me, as did this poem. In the movie the main character, Pat, suffers from bipolar disorder and is finally released from a psychiatric hospital after eight months. He returns to his family fully determined to turn his life back around. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling the movie for those who haven't seen it, but the main point of the movie is Pat searching for his "silver lining" after many miles of stumbling in the dark.

Emily Dickinson's "We Grow Accustomed to the Dark" is similar to Silver Linings Playbook because I feel that both depict the struggles and uncertainty we face in life and how we can eventually overcome them. "You have to do everything you can. You have to work your hardest. If you do that, if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining." This is what came to mind after listening and reading this deep, meaningful poem.