Poem
One says: “Go find yourself in life.”
But what would be the point?
The other says: “Go find yourself a wife.”
But what would be the point?
The third one claims: “There is no sense in days”
Yet life was full of pleasure.
The other cries: “I want to stay awake
To savor all the treasures.”
The last one murmurs: “Stop this haste
And just enjoy the moment.
One day we’ll all be gone away
So, breath is life’s component.”
Analysis
I composed this poem being inspired by Albert Camus’ novel The Stranger. My creation discloses the different opinions on life and searches for its meaning. This topic has always been a matter of acute debate since numerous philosophies claimed their view on the meaning of life was correct. However, as the world became more liberal, individuals started figuring out their own sense of this concept. Some started seeing career as a priority which is expressed in the line “Go find yourself in life,” while others were trying hard to create a family (“Go find yourself a wife”). In the meantime, there were nihilists who denied any meaning, and others attempted to search everywhere for it (second stanza).
Nonetheless, the one who has finally perceived the meaning of life recommended savoring every moment and taking a deep breath as it can make one feel relieved. This poem is also about true freedom, which is expressed in the last line “breath is life’s component.” Breath is a metaphor for liberty – when people free to choose what to do with their lives. Freedom can be interpreted in different ways: For example, one can designate it as the absence of prohibitions and unlimited actions, or else, it lies in the ability to choose.
In modern society, individuals rarely contemplate the idea of being limited since everyone is endowed with equal rights: one can choose the faith they want or even gender. Yet there is still no concept of absolute freedom – there are lawful or moral ideals restricting one’s actions. Living bounded by standards can be complicated enough if one wants to realize their full potential regardless of other people’s opinions. Yet there is another meaning of my poem’s last line expressing that breath is the primary mechanism of life; hence, the sense of life is to live.
The Stranger is the debut work of a writer, a kind of creative manifesto which corresponds to my poem’s theme. The concept of absolute freedom is the central postulate of this manifesto. The hero of this story is being tried for murder, which he committed for the stupidest of all possible reasons (Camus). Meursault kills a local resident, an Arab — as he himself sincerely admits, because of the sun. There is no other reason; he seems to be in a strange accident of what happened. Not wanting to throw dust in the eyes of the jury, Meursault agrees to die for the truth (Camus). This is the truth that the hero is not afraid to throw in the face of his judges, go against everything, forget about all conventions and die in the name of his beliefs.
The narrative in the novel comes from the person of the main character: a reader only sees his surname mentioned – Meursault. This is a dry, cold story devoid of vivid feelings and strong emotions. He finds himself inside the absurd and feels freedom as the reverse side of the absurd – the liberty that he did not strive for at all and which fatally leads him to a death sentence. At the beginning of the novel, the hero’s mother is dying, but he treats this event with detachment: “Mother died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know” (Camus 1). It signifies that the character avoided experiencing any emotions.
The climax of the novel is a dialogue with a priest who comes to the cell to confess the condemned Meursault. This is the only time when the main character comes out of the fog of indifference and, with brutal clarity, pronounces some of the ideas revealed to him in the process. In his last moments of existence, he said: “And then a rush of memories went through my mind – memories of a life which was mine no longer and had once provided me with the surest, humblest pleasures” (Camus 65). His phrase signifies that every unvalued moment was to be repented. A human must appreciate and nourish all small things that can become meaningful one day. In general, the message of the novel is in its alienation from life and the late realization of its colorless days.
In summation, my poem was inspired by The Stranger and gave ground for exploring the meaning of life and freedom. These concepts are heatedly debated, especially in modern society. These notions are perceived by conscious people who understand the implications of being human. The character from the chosen novel also realizes all the lasting joys of life in his last moments, whereas the pleasure of it is in every breath.
Work Cited
Camus, Albert. The Stranger. Alfred A. Knoff, Inc., 1946.