Caroline's essay

Caroline Burlingham

H. Salsich

English

July 7, 2009

 

Courageous Despair:

An Essay in Response to Anne Sexton’s Poem “Courage”

 

In reading Anne Sexton’s poem “Courage”, I realized that courage, at least in her life, was often the result of despair or bad experiences.   I also realized that courage can be stored away until the time is right and that it is powerful beyond belief.  Anne Sexton used her courage to breathe in all the insults and tragedies she suffered as a kid and then hide them in the darkest corner of her mind. Years later, she wrote this poem.

Through careful studies, I have found three main themes of the poem "Courage", all of which I can relate to real and fictional life. Primarily, courage isn’t easy.  Sexton states that, “Courage [is] a small coal that kept you swallowing.” There are times to use courage, and times you shouldn’t; a time when it is necessary, and a time when it is wanted. This is determined by how you plan to use the courage, whether it is needed or not, it must be used with caution.  This being said, courage is complicated.  As Sexton wrote in her poem, there is love and there is power and there is fear, but courage is incomparable (POLYSYNDETON). “If your buddy saved you and died himself in so doing, then his courage was not courage, it was love,” courage is courage, and there is nothing more to it. Lastly, I saw that in Sexton’s opinion, to have courage is to be free. No matter what people say, fear plays a huge role in our lives, but if you are able to handle that fear without retribution (FAST), you have courage. With courage, nothing can stop you, but it must be used gently. Through this poem, I have learned about the simple complexity that courage holds, and the role it plays in daily life.

This being said, the final lines of this poem tell us about courage and age, a race against the clock, but it also states that, “When death opens the backdoor you’ll put on your carpet slippers and stride out,” which tells us that even though you compete with Death, you are not a sore loser.  This last line reminds me of one of my favorite books entitled, “The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks, this being the remarkable similarities between the protagonist, Noah, and Anne Sexton’s morals and fears (LOOSE SENTENCE). “Courageous” is just one of the many words to use when describing Noah, but it is the small things that he fears. He is not afraid to hang from one arm at the top of a fairest wheel, but he spends his nights wondering if the love of his life will remember him in the morning. Anne Sexton, on the other hand, found courage in the small and unnoticed things in life, but again, she had fears. Through her poem, I was able to learn that she was not afraid of taking a first step or riding a bike, but dealing with her problems. Sexton may not have approached her problems like Noah, but she has covered them up with blankets and powders as a disguise.  I think that Noah could relate to this poem. He is not afraid of dying, but having to live without love (ANTITHESIS).  I think that he would agree with Sexton’s values and words, such as, “Love [is] as simple as shaving soap.” Sure, I have had brave moments, but I am still young and have not experienced the world like Anne Sexton and Noah have; which is why I respect them.

I have learned many things from this poem. I now know that courage is wise, courage is intricate (FAST), courage is small yet larger than life, and lastly, courage often walks side-by-side with fear (PARRALLELISM). Life takes many turns, and with courage, you can go either way with a smile on your face. As my mom often says, “Courage is in the eye of the beholder,” which, in my opinion, is a quote that Anne Sexton could understand.