Timmy's Essay 15

Timmy O’Brien
Mr. Salsich
English 9
8 April 2009

Courage, a Never-Ending Source

An Essay on a Poem

In the poem “Courage” by Anne Sexton, she talks about many things. A first bike ride, a resilient coal kept inside to fuel you forward, and a pampered bit of sorrow are a few of them. These ideas, along with others, share at least one trait – a very important theme to say the least. In addition to that, I have also had to use this specific quality in my life at certain times and as a whole.

Sexton explores many themes in her poem, but I think the main one is, as the name suggests, courage. Firstly, Sexton talks about “the first spanking when your heart when on a journey all alone.” Obviously, this journey takes courage. If one were to set out on the quest for the holy grail – a grand journey – and take no one with them, they would have to brave all the downfalls of the trip with no one to help them through it, much like a child taking their first spanking [loose sentence]. Courage is also shown in the peaceful acts we commit, such as “face[ing] the death of bombs and bullets…with only a hat to cover your heart.” This action clearly takes a lot of courage. To stand in front of bullets with only your faith as a guardian would be truly be bold. Furthermore, Sexton talks about facing death at the end of the poem. She says that when death comes to take you, you have to “put on your carpet slippers and stride out.” To me, this implies courage because of the word “stride” – a word that implies confidence rather than a more ambiguous [FAST] word such as “walk”. No matter how you look at it, Sexton has truly mastered the art of titling her work the way it deserves – proper and accurate.

My life has required much courage. To start, courage is found in my everyday life. When I wake up each morning, I rise to a new day, with new possibilities and difficulties to face. I must deal with them as they come, and not back away from them – a true form of courage. Also, I have recently ended my search for the hopefully perfect high school for next year. This whole process required a lot of courage because I had to break out of my comfort zone while looking for a place that I could be comfortable in [antithesis]. I had no choice but to make the most out of the visit and revisit days I spent at the schools because, if I did not, I could never be sure which choice would best suit the real me. Finally, I also know that death will eventually come to “open[] the … door” to my life and take me with it. It is inevitable and distressing, so we must live while we can and cherish the moment and never say never because the sky really is the limit [polysyndeton]. We all need to have the courage to “stride out” when we are called to die because we can, hopefully, look back on our life without regrets. The poem is laid out like a growing person’s life, so I, like this poem, will use my courage every single day to the best of my ability.

Analyzing this poem has made me understand how big a part courage plays in our daily lives. It could be as simple as owning up to a mistake, or as complex as standing up for something you believe in, while others feel differently. Either way, courage is a vital [FAST] motive for the way we live. Once we fully understand that, we can use it to our advantage because it is an inexhaustible resource and we will never be left without it.