"Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It is the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for."
Gerard Manley Hopkins' "Spring and Fall" Lines 12-25
Reality is the epitome of Pandora's Box
It
it interesting how Gerard Manley Hopkins parallels the change in
seasons to the maturation process and its subsequent consequences
including loss of innocence. The poem is directed to Margaret, but
relays an important message in regards to our very lives. Life is short.
We are brought into this world, and in the blink of an eye, we leave
this fruitful life. People fall under various conditions, but the one
thing common amongst all is transition to adulthood, to reality, to
crashing realizations. I remember when I was a kid. I had no worries, I
loved finger painting, and I focused on my life. I was living the dream,
or perhaps, I was in a dream. One day I was watching Barney, and the next I was watching South Park.
I didn't know what sex was at the age of twelve, but in today's world,
even younger children know far worse. Over time, there is a loss of
innocence. Life takes people to different places, but there will always
be that opening of our eyes to the reality behind the naive childhood we
once had. Gerard Manley Hopkins knew that. He parallels the changing of
seasons to the transition we make from the idealistic, innocent
childhood to the dark, pessimistic, reality of life as an adult. The
picture above forges the same thematic element of the poem, contrasting a
baby, symbol of purity, innocence, and naivety to the vulgar,
provocative, explicit world that clouds the world. Both text and visual
provide the reader with the reality shock children feel as life lays its
shackles upon man, weighing him down with stress, conflict, and
crisis.
"I
wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same
when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a
little different."
(Carroll 22)
Who Am I?
Lewis
Carroll creates a dream-like world in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
filled with the fantasy, an alternate reality, an escape from the
indecision and identity crisis Alice faces in her life. As she embarks
upon her epic adventure in Wonderland, she faces a series of quirky
trials and tribulations, all the while on a journey to self-realization.
She hits a mental brick wall. She does not know what has changed, but
something is different. Something has changed. She is confused about her
identity as she shrinks in size, which parallels the confusion children
feel while transitioning to adulthood.The quote perfectly describes
this overall theme in the story. In essence, life goes by quick, and she
wonders to herself if she is different, if she changed, if things
changed. She does now know who she is, simply being unable to remember
if she is Alice, and as a result, she goes into mad confusion. She can't
make sense of what has happened, she can't give it any reason or rhyme.
She is trying to bridge the gap to her adult life, but she is not ready
to make such leap. She is a child at heart, a girl of purity, a person
of innocence. The real world is harsh, cold, and unforgiving. She does
not know where she fits, just as her shape and size do not fit. The
quote goes perfectly with the picture, presenting the idea of identity
crisis. Both question the idea of personality, characterization,
morality, uniqueness. Alice finds herself between a rock and a hard
place just as the man without a face can't seem to remember which was
his. Neither character knows his or her identity. Neither character
knows what to do.
I
find a very similar lesson to be learned from Hopkins and Carroll: the
continuous themes of lively childhood, innocence, and maturation. Both
the poem and story provide details that supplement the idea that
everyone must grow up eventually. Life comes fast, and within a moment,
everything can change. We must all grow up, whether we like it or not.
That bridge between both realms is vital. Many people get lose sight of
who they are, who they want to be, who they should be. The coming of age
is coming to terms with reality and accepting oneself for he or she is.
The world children live in is a lie, but they hold on to such dearly,
keeping the pieces together before reality shatters it all.
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