Sunday, June 22, 2014

In the poem "Laugh and Be Merry" what final advice does the poet give to the readers towards the end of the poem?

This poem concerns the way we should live our lives based
on the brevity of human life and the suffering that life involves. The speaker of this
poem urges us to "laugh and be merry" at the "joy of the earth," and spends time arguing
that this is the only response to our lives and God's creation because of the nature of
life. Our response then is to join in the "joy of the earth," the joy of God's creation
by living life in merriment and laughter and making the most of every second of our
time. The concluding stanza gives us the speaker's final advice to his
audience:


readability="12">

Laugh and be merry together, like brothers
akin,
Guesting awhile in the rooms of a beautiful inn,
Glad till the
dancing stops, and the lilt of the music ends.
Laugh till the game is played;
and be you merry, my
friends.



Note the simile that
he uses. Our lives are spent as if they were "guesting awhile in the rooms of a
beautiful inn." We are to laugh right up until the end of our lives, making the most of
all the enjoyment and pleasure of life, not worrying about any sufferings or trials and
living life to the full.

No comments:

Post a Comment

What accomplishments did Bill Clinton have as president?

Of course, Bill Clinton's presidency will be most clearly remembered for the fact that he was only the second president ever...