Response to "The Young Man's Song"

The Young Man's Song
by W. B. Yeats
I whispered, "I am too young," And then, "I am old enough"; Wherefore I threw a penny To find out if I might love. "Go and love, go and love, young man, If the lady be young and fair," Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny, I am looped in the loops of her hair. Oh, love is the crooked thing, There is nobody wise enough To find out all that is in it, For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away, And the shadows eaten the moon. Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny, One cannot begin it too soon. Response To Poem:

In the first two lines the poem begins by stating that the author may be in that awkward stage between boy and man where he is still young but is finally old enough to begin to love. In lines three and four he questions his ability to love and 

whether or not he should. In line eight he admits in being caught up and with a woman's beauty and wrapped around her finger.

The first three lines of the second stanza demonstrate how love is never straightforward or simple and no one had enough intelligence or experience to find out everything about love and all it can be. If anyone tried to analyze and attempt to

figure out love it would take them all eternity which is why it is never to soon to begin loving as demonstrated in the fourth,fifth, sixth, and eighth lines of the second stanza. 

I think he asks a penny for advice rather than a actual human being because pennies have been around for hundreds of years and are wise and honest just like the man on printed on its surface. 

The main theme of this poem is that you can never start loving too soon because there is so much to learn about love and not a lot of time to retain all the knowledge or even be introduced to it all. I strongly agree with this poem because I also believe that we only have one life and we must live and love as much as we can before we die but we should also be cautious about who we love and whether we waste our time on them. This idea is demonstrated in the sixth line in the first stanza where the penny is telling the young man to love but only if the lady be young and fair. I think this means make sure who you chose to love is worth your time before you go and give them your heart. Sometimes you have to forget what you want to remember what you deserve in love and I think that one line says it all.

I can relate to this poem, not necessarily in a romantic way, but in a friendship and family sense. I have found through experience that it is far better to love than hate but love sometimes confuses me. No one knows exactly how to explain love or figure it out but its better to love as much and as soon as we can so that we can learn.

Poetry is dead.

I would have to disagree with the idea that poetry is dead, but I do think that we are killing it. If it is "dead" then why do most people recognize these names: Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Frost, and  Shakespeare? These authors wrote some of the most powerful pieces of literature read by millions around the world. I feel that our intellect and curiosity of writing is dying rather that poetry itself. Society these days is simply unable to grasp the meaning of a good poem and often overlook their true meanings. Poems are special pieces of literature because they express so much emotion while still leaving room for the reader to relate and remain curious. Many people wonder, “Why can’t the poet just say what they mean?” but I think that is the beauty of poetry; it’s art. Depending on what format you use and the tone you choose in order to convey a message, you can make the poem sad, happy, peaceful, exciting, chilling, beautiful, what ever you want! The words really jump off the page and spark emotion as you find the authors inspiration and get a glimpse of their inter most feelings. If other pieces of literature such as books, novels, articles, etc., are said to have such an impact and  value in our lives then how could the most inspirational and emotional piece of writing not have value to us? Poems are such a beautiful combination of writing and art that can never die unless killed by society’s lack of intelligence, intellect, and respect for good literature.