Thoughts On A Person/A Paper/A Promise

Sponsored Listings

Sparta
Sparta The history tells us that the first display of European democracy begins, argu

Shakespearen sonnets
Shakespearen sonnets William Shakespeare, in his Sonnet 73 and Sonnet 116, sets forth

The Cask of Amontillado
The Cask of Amontillado Outline 5º C 12/09/04 Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849) American po

Paradise Lost: Miltons Approach To Lust, Sex, and Violence
Paradise Lost: Miltons Approach To Lust, Sex, and Violence There is no reason to appl

A Critical Analysis of Herman Melvilles Moby Dick
A Critical Analysis of Herman Melvilles Moby Dick “Moby Dick is biographic of Melvill

The Leiden Hymns
The Leiden Hymns Ancient Egyptian Poetry The Leiden Hymns evoke images of the sun god

stephen vincent benet, an american author
stephen vincent benet, an american author Only in a time when the pressure of the wor

Comparison of two poems
Comparison of two poems December 16, 2003 Written by Edgar Allen Poe in 1845, The Rav

home is where the heart
home is where the heart Home is Where the Heart is By definition a house is a buildin

The British Renaissance Produced Many Types of Literature and Was Influenced By
The British Renaissance Produced Many Types of Literature and Was Influenced By Shake

>> More Sponsored Search Results

Below is free essays on Thoughts On A Person/A Paper/A Promise by A+ Essays, your one-stop source for free essays, free college term papers, and free term papers. Look for more free essays and free term papers using the search box above.

Word Count: 504
Page Count: 3

Thoughts On A Person/A Paper/A Promise

Thoughts On A Person/A Paper/A Promise

A Person/A Paper/A Promise is by far my favorite poem. It may not be the best poem ever written, but it expresses feelings and situations that I, as a human being and especially as a teenager, can relate to very deeply. The author describes a series of situations in the life of a person that resemble our own experiences or those of people we know. He manages to create a deeply affecting and poignant mood and compassionate, sympathetic feelings in the readers.
The poem is divided into four stanzas, each of which narrates an episode in a boy's life. In each of the stanzas, the events and the people revolving around them are described, and in the following stanza, we read about how those events or people have changed and why. In every stanza, the boy writes a poem about a different subject, which we're led to believe is of major importance to him. The topics of his poetry change as he grows up, from his dog to the season, from his girlfriend to, in the final stanza, Absolutely Nothing. These changes show us how the boy's perspective of life constantly evolves.
As a narrative poem, A Person/A Paper/A Promise has all the elements of a short story, including a rising action, which begins in the second stanza with his discoveries about how the people and things he took for granted, such as Santa Claus or Father Tracy, his priest, or sex, even, are not what they seemed at first. This rising action intensifies in the third stanza, when the kid, already grown-up now, is jaded, doing things because he has to, his family life being practically non-existent. This situation inevitably leads to the climax in the fourth stanza, when they boy writes his final poem, Absolutely Nothing, and commits suicide.
Basically, over the years his life changes from perfect to meaningless, empty and chaotic, and he decides to end it.
To me, this poem represents why we must rely on our inner strength when difficult situation arises and not give in to despair, because life is too precious a gift to waste it that way. I think that though it can touch anyone's heart, A Person/A Paper/A Promise has a stronger effect on people who, like me, have lost (or nearly lost) a loved one to suicide. Sometimes, we just don't understand how a person could kill himself. Throughout the poem, we learn about the kind of life the character's living and we sort of come to sympathize with him and understand his feelings. And yet, we can't help but feel impotent, seeing someone, even if he is fictional character, end his life by choice.
This poem has made me aware of how I should make the best of what I have and live every instant to the fullest. And if I may ever find myself in a situation where I think I'm completely helpless, I'll know that life goes on and ending isn't the way to solve my problems.

Poetry Essays

Sponsored Listings

A Tale Of Two Cities Notes
A Tale Of Two Cities Notes A Tale of Two Cities - Book I (Chapters 1 - 4) Summary It

Kant and Mill’s Theories
Kant and Mill’s Theories Maritza Pelaez Philosophy 213 (Ethics) Spring 04, Section 1

Hypermedia
Hypermedia I am writing this essay on a Macintosh computer, a machine that replaces t

Trials And Tribulations Of Charles Dickens ( His Life Works)
Trials And Tribulations Of Charles Dickens ( His Life Works) It was the best of times

Drugs
Drugs TOBACCO Tobacco is a plant grown for its leaves that are smoked, chewed, or sni

GENTIC ENGINEERING
GENTIC ENGINEERING Abstract This paper sets out to defend human genetic engineering w

Kant and Mill’s Theories
Kant and Mill’s Theories Maritza Pelaez Philosophy 213 (Ethics) Spring 04, Section 1

Look Homeward Angel--Book Report
Look Homeward Angel--Book Report Look Homeward, Angel Oliver Gant was one of five chi

The Values of the Invisible Man
The Values of the Invisible Man I awoke, there was a crash on the upper deck. I heard

Marketing NotesChapter 1 - Marketing In a Changing WorldWhat is marketing?- Creating
Marketing NotesChapter 1 - Marketing In a Changing WorldWhat is marketing?- Creating

>> More Sponsored Search Results

Related Keywords: life, poem, stanza, people, boy, Promise, Paper, Person, feelings, situation, stanzas, action, end, events, rising, free essays, free term papers, free college term papers