Courage - Anne Sexton - Complete poem information

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The poem "Courage" appears in Anne Sexton's eighth and final collection of original poems, The Avail Crying Toward God, published in 1975, a year after her suicide, by Houghton Mifflin. This is the seventh poem in the collection. Like many poems in the collection, "Courage" universalizes the speaker's experience. The poem drives through the first steps of a child, riding a bike for the first time, being spanked, being bullied for the first time, young adulthood, and experiencing war. Witnessing the death of a friend, facing death, showing the resilience of the human spirit, and emphasizing the strength of man to endure the most difficult situations. The poem carries on the unconventional definition of courage which is shown by everyone in the journey of a lifetime.

About the Author:

Anne Sexton (1928-1974) is one of the well-known poets of twentieth-century America, she was born Anne Gray Harvey on November 9, 1928, in Newton, Massachusetts, United States. At the age of 19, in 1948, she got married to Alfred Muller Sexton nicknamed 'Kayo'. She suffered from psychological issues during her life such as bipolar disorder and depression. She committed suicide on 4 October 1974. Sexton joined several Boston writing groups in 1957 and met many writers such as Maxine Kumin, Robert Lowell, George Starbuck, and Sylvia Plath. In her writing career, Sexton has published ten collections of poetry, a play, essays, and short stories. Her most popular collections include Bedlam and Part Way (1960), All My Pretty Ones (1963), the Pulitzer Prize winner Live or Die (1966), Transformations (1971), The Death Notebooks (1974), The Awful Rowing Toward God (1975) and a play 45 Mercy Street (1976). She was associated with the Royal Society of Literature and the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship; and also held a professorship at two reputed universities in America. The major literary techniques used by Anne Sexton in her poetic works brand her poetry unique and different. Sexton uses literary devices such as alliteration, metaphor, and irony. comparison, hyperbole, imagery, onomatopoeia, epithets, repetition, rhetorical questions, etc.

Summary

The poem "Courage" appears in Anne Sexton's eighth and last collection of original poems, The Awful Rowing Toward God. published by Houghton Mifflin, in 1975, a year after her suicide. It is the Seventh poem in the collection like many poems in the collection. " Courage" universalizes the speaker's experience. The poem drives through the child's first steps, riding, a bike for the first time, the first spanking, being bullied, young adulthood, experiencing a war, witnessing a friend's death, facing death, showing the resilience of the human spirit and emphasizing a human being's power to endure the most difficult circumstances. The poem goes over the unconventional definition of courage that is shown by everyone throughout life's journey.

The poem "Courage "states different ways in which an individual can show courage. According to Sexton Courage is displayed in everyday life events. The poem is divided into four sections. Each section Signifies a different phase in an individual's life. The first section stands for the childhood phase; the second for adulthood; the third stands for middle age and the last section of the poem denotes old age. The poet gives examples, in each life phase, of how an individual needs to show courage. With the use of imagery Sexton portrays a rich picture in this poem. The poem becomes confessional due to the use of personal pronouns "We" and "you". The poem is unrhymed and written in free verse; each of the four stanzas contains twelve lines of varying lengths.

The poem opens with a declarative Sentence; "It is in the small things we see it." One can assume the "it" in this sentence is courage. based on the title of the work. It is also important to point out that courage serves as the theme of the poem, as well. In the first stanza of the poem, the poet describes courage in the childhood phase. At the very outset of the poem, the poet lays down the theme of the poem.' The line it is in the small things we see it.' Sexton conveys a message that it is in the small things in everyday life one needs courage. In the second line, she compared the child's first step with an earthquake only to show how a child's first step can change the world the child. Here, the simile between a child's step and an earthquake is used to show just how life-changing and thunderous learning to walk can be. No, a child's first steps will not make the earth shake, but can it does change the world of the child. Then she uses a universal example of learning to ride a bike, stumbling up the sidewalk that needs courage. If someone is" wallowing up the sidewalk, they are riding along feeling the glory of their accomplishment. Here the poet is pointing out that courage is not to show bravery always or to do something special, but to accept difficult situations. Courage is not always necessary to accomplish a specific task; sometimes courage is facing something all on one's own, even though the event will not be at all enjoyable. In the last five lines of the first Stanza, sexton continues with the negative aspects of courage. She declares that people have all been oppressed in some way in their lives. Perhaps for being poor, not good looking, being fat, or acting strangely. When some bully at school calls the child" crybaby", fatty' or' crazy' the child feels lonely. But the child shows courage again and conceals the hurt. Here sexton reminds the reader that he or she drank the acid the poisonous substance that wears away at things but he or she concealed it. She used here the word' their acid for the horrible words of the oppressor.

In the second stanza, sexton swings the reader from childhood to adulthood with the use of a single word 'Later'. Here the poet shows how the Soldier's courage is displayed- against bombs and bullets. Unlike in the first Stanza, where everything is absolute, here Sexton uses the word " if "to talk to those who may have had to fight in a war, although one can assume that the battles sexton mentions here could be metaphors for the ones everyone fights in life. The poet acknowledges here that the war was fought in the absence of pride. One did not wave one's flag proudly. There was no flag-only a hat to cover the soldier's heart. The soldier does not nurse his weakness but keeps courage, like fiery coal, burning within him. Sexton talks about a different form of Courage i.e. love. Here the poet says that the act of saving a fellow soldier's life is not the act of bravery, but love. Here the poet says that the soldier may have been scared, but he or she refused to bring that fear to the top. Here she gives an example from her experience. : as like Charcoal is sometimes given to a patient who has ingested toxic materials for example, if one were to swallow a bunch of pills, a doctor may give the patient. Charcoal to help absorb the overdose of medication. Therefore, sexton is speaking metaphorically here; the soldier kept swallowing his courage to soak up all of the fear inside of himself. Sometimes courage takes different forms and in this case, the soldier died saving his life. He did this not because he was brave, but because he loved his friend.

In the third stanza, the poet swings the readers from young adulthood to middle age. In the first line of the third stanza, sexton says that the misery of individual life will come due to any reason. love, hate, depression, illness, divorce, etc. Any despair that one faces in life are endured alone. In the next three lines,, sexton states that one can change despair into opportunities Addressing the reader as' kinsman. She is proclaiming to the reader that she too, has shown courage and endured unthinkable tragedies, and because of that, she and the reader all of humanity, really are the same. In these lines, She tells the story that the person took their sorrow, and instead of letting it take over, they nursed it back to health. She personifies' sorrow' as one whose face is powdered, back is rubbed and given rest ("covered with a blanket ") and then resumes life with wings and is transformed. This is the sorrow endured and courage shown in difficult situations that Sexton did in her own life.

The final stanza is separate from the other three stanzas in that the reader has yet to experience some of the events being discussed. This stanza is about old age and coming to the realization that one will not live forever. sexton then lists how the reader will do this. She says that while the reader may beg for another day, month, or year each year they are given will be precious. In old age courage will be shown in -"Little ways" every spring will be like a sword sharpened, and near and dear ones will experience one's greater love. Though death is inevitable time on earth is bargained for and negotiated in old age when death's invitation comes the individual is ready and comfortable in' Carpet Slippers' to walk out with confidence into a different phase. This is not only the story of sexton but the story of all human beings.

Write Short Answer type Questions

Q.1:- Write about the tone of the poem.

Ans:

The Poem "Courage" is written by Anne Sexton. It is the Sev enth poem in her collection. Like many other poems in the collection "courage universalizes the speaker's experience. The poem drives through the child's first steps, riding a bike for the first time, the first spanking, being bullied, young adulthood, experiencing a war, witnessing a friend's death, facing death, etc. The poem goes over the union conventional definition of courage that is shown by everyone throughout life's journey. The poem states different ways in which an individual can show courage. According to sexton courage is displayed in everyday life events. The poem is divided into four sections. Each section signifies a different phase in an individual's life. The first section stands for the childhood phase; the second for adulthood; the third stands for middle age and the last section of the poem denotes old age. The poet gives examples in each life phase of how an individual needs to show courage. With the use of imagery,, sexton portrays a rich picture in this poem. The poem becomes confessional due to the use of personal pronouns "We'd 'you'. The poem is unrhymed and written in free verse; each of the four stanzas contains twelve lines of varying lengths.

The poet, however, asserts a new perspective on the trait in her poem courage. Such a perspective opens up the reader to the idea that courage does not have to be a heroic feat instead, it can be shown in life's everyday occurrences. By using diction, juxtaposition, and repetition. sexton conveys her idea that courage is a characteristic of humanity that possesses the ability to exist at any time within any given individual and drive under various circumstances. Essentially, courage is not meant to be regarded as a special quality; rather, it is to be recognized simply for its existence in human life. With her use of diction,, Anne Sexton commu negates the idea that any individual can possess courage. By using the personal pronoun "you" frequently in her poem, She creates a means for every member of her audience to personally connect with the meaning of her writing. The use of "you" is crucial to sexton's efforts to convey that courage resides in all individuals.

The thematic idea that courage can exist in a constant state is supported by the combination of repetition with the previously discussed use of juxtaposition. The overall tone of the circumstances has also become more challenging compared to childhood, much like the tone set by the "bombs and bullets".Nevertheless, courage is present even if it must be transformed. Repetition reinforces the idea that time has passed by repeating the word "later". Each later emphasizes the shift of courage from one chapter of life to the next, while juxtaposition describes the ways Courage appears at each stage. Although each stage of life is depicted differently, Anne Sexton's repetition of later creates the feeling of consistency, making courage appear to be ever-present in life.

Though this poem mentions the rough experiences people go through, the overall tone is uplifting. This is because the poem mentions how life's troubles made the person better, and how brave he or she is now.

Q.2: What is the overall message of this poem?

Ans: The poem, 'courage' talks about a person's journey in life and the persistence of courage. Each stanza represents a major stage in the person's life journey and how courage is constantly being displayed through different acts and ways. The poem goes through the child's first steps, riding the bike for the first time, first spanking, being bullied, young adulthood, experiencing a war, witnessing a friend's death, and facing death.

According to the poet,, Courage is not in the big, heroic gestures that are often celebrated, but in all the little ways, we live courageously day by day. courage is, to the sexton, a domestic or ordinary virtue. By using diction, juxtaposition, and repetition, sexton conveys her idea that courage is a characteristic of humanity that possesses the ability to exist at any time within any given individual and drive under various circumstances. Essentially, Courage is not meant to be regarded as a special quality; rather, it is to be recognized simply for its existence in human life. With her use of diction, Anne sexton presents the idea that any individual can possess courage. The use of "you" is crucial to sexton's efforts to convey that courage resides in all individuals. By juxtaposing images that depict the different stages of life, Anne Sexton emphasizes that courage is present under varying conditions. She first introduces courage as being in "the child's first step" only to jump quickly to courage being shown in facing " the death of bombs and bullets" one stanza later. Learning how to walk and trying to survive are both dramatically different challenges in life. Despite these differences, courage is present in both situations, from a child's perspective, learning how to walk is equivalent in difficulty to an adult soldier trying to survive on the battlefield. According to the sexton, courage is also"shown in lifeffle ways.... (When) you'll bargain with the calendar". Facing death is in a different realm in comparison to learning how to walk or survive. Anne sexton even states death to be as simple as" put on your carslipperspers stridetrid out" which is a stark contrast to the child's first step being" as awesome as an earthquake". Such contrast in life's stages highlights courage's ability to exist under any circumstances.

The poetess swings the reader from childhood to adulthood with the use of a single word 'later'. Here the shows show how the soldier's courage is displayed-against bombs and bullets. The soldier does not nurse his weakness but keeps courage, like fiery coal, burning within him. The soldier's act of saving a fellow soldier's life is not an act of bravery, but love. Then the poet swings the readers from yoadulthoodhood to middle age. The poet says that the misery of an individual's life will come due to any reason; love, hate, depression, illness, divorce, etc. Any despair one faces in life are endured alone. The person took their sorrow, and instead of letting it take over, they nursed it back to health. This is the sorrow endured and courshownshow in difficsituationsions, which sexton did in her own life. The poet then discusses old age and the people's realization that one will not live forever. Though death is inevitable, time on the earth is bargained for and negotiated in old age. When death's invitation comes, the individual is ready, comfortable in 'carpet slippers' to walk out with confidence into a different phase.

Q.3:-Identify examples of personification in the poem.

Ans: The poem "Courage" appears in Anne Sexton's eighth and the last collection of original poems, The Awful Rowing Toward Gpublishedshed by Houghton Mifflin, in 1975, a year after her suicide. It is the seventh poem in the collection. Like many poems in the collection, "Courauniversalizesises the speaker's experience. The poem drives through the child's first steps, riding a bike for the first time, the first spanking, being bullied, young adulthood, experiencing witnessing ing a friend's death, facing death, showing the resilience of the human spirit,, and emphasizing a human beings power to endure the difficult cult circumstance. The poem goes over the unconventionalonal definition of Courage that is shown by everyone throughout life's Journey.

The poem "Courage" states different ways in which an individual can show courage. According to Sexton Courage is displayed in everyday life events. The poem is divided into four sections. Each section signifies a different phase in an individual's life. The first section Stands for the Childhood phase; the second for adulthood; the third stands for middle age; and the last section of the poem denotes old age. The poet gives examples, in each life phase, of how an individual needs to show courage. With the use of imagery Sexton portrays a rich picture in this poem.

The poet used personification in the poem to explain the message that it is in the small things of everyday life one needs courage. In the line, "The first spanking when your heart went on a Journey all alone". the poet used the poetic device, of personification. He gives the human quality of went on a journey to the 'heart' which is not really going on a journey all alone. But here the poet wants to suggest that when a child was punished by slaps on his bottom that time he felt hurt and felt like his/her heart went on a journey in a sad mood all alone. Here the poet suggests that in such a situation the child has also shown the courage to handle the situation. In the next lines, "Next, my Kinsman, powdered red your sorrow, you gave it a back rub- and then you covered it with a blanket", the poet uses personification to state that one can change despair into opportunities. Here addressing ing the reader Kinsmansman proclaims that She too, has shown courage and endured unthinkable tragedies and because of that, she and the reader, all of humanity, really are the same. In these lines, She tells the story that the person took their sorrow, and instead of letting it take over, they nursed it back to health. She personifies "Sorrow"--as one whose face is powdered, back is rubbed, and given recovered red with a blanket") and then resumes life with 'wings' and 'is transformed.

At the end of the poem the poet use personification in the line, "When death opens the back door, You'll put on your carpet slippers and stride out". In these lines, the poet gives the human quality to death as it will open the door. Through this, they want to convey that death is inevitable, and time on earth is bargained for and negotiated in old. age. When death's invitation comes, the individual is ready, comfortable in 'Carpet Slipers' to walk out with confidence, into a different phase.

Q.4:- What imagery is present in lines 15-182

Ans: The poem "courage " is written by Anne Sexton. It is the seventeenth poem in her collection," The Awful Rowing Toward God". The poem states different ways in which an individual can show courage. According to sexton courage is displayed in everyday life events. The poem is divided into four sections. Each section signifies a different phase in an individual's life. The first section stands for the childhood phase; the second for adulthood; the third stands for middle age; and the section ion of the poem denotes old age.

The poet gives example, in each life phase, of how an individual needs to show courage. With the use of ima,gery sexton portrays a rich picture in this poem. The poem becomes confessional due to the use of personal pronouns 'we' and you. The poet describes courage in the childhood phase and conveys the message that it is in the small things of every day that one needs courage

In the second set, A nNZsexton swings the reader from childhood to adulthood with the use of a single word 'Later'. Here the poet shows how the soldier's courage is displayed against bombs and bullets. Here the poet uses the word if to talk to those who may have to fight right in a war, although one can assume that the battles the poet mentions here could be metaphors for the ones everyone fights in life. The packnowledgesdges here that the war was fought in the absence of pride. One did not wave one's flag proudly. There was no flag- only an HSTtoo cover the soldiers' hear

In the lines" you did it with only a hat to cover your heart. You did not fondle the weakness inside you though it was there" the poet used imagery. When the poet says ' a hat to cover your heart' the reader imagines the visual imagery that something is there which was covered or hidden by the hat. Then in the next line when the poet says ' you did not fondle weaknesses inside you though it was there'createsates the imagery that is something one can feel. Here the poet wants to say that soldier diwho ed did not feel the weakness when he was fighting against the enemy. though he feels it, he tries to hide his weakness by wearing a hat. The soldier does not nurse his weakness but keeps courage, like fiery coal, burning within hi

Answer the questions in about 300 word

Q.1:- 'Everyone faces trials in life. Discuss this in the light of the poem "courage".

Ans: The poem" courage " is written by ASextonxton. It appears in Anne sexton's eighth and last collection of original poems." The Awful Rowing Toward God". It is the seventh poem in the collection. The poem universalizes the speaker's experience. The poem drives through the child's first step, riding a bike for the first time, the first spanking, being bullied, young adulthood, experiencing a war, witnessing a friend's death, showing the resilience of the human spirit and emphasis on human man is the power to endure the most difficult circumstances.

The poem states different ways in which an individual can show courage. According to sexton courage is displayed in everyday life events. The poem is divided into four sections. Each section signifies a different phase in an individual's life. The first section stands for the childhood phase; the second for adulthood; the third stands for middle age; and the last section of the poem denotes old age. The poet gives examples in each life phase of how an individual needs to show courage. The poet wants to suggest that ' Everyone faces trials in life. With the help of the four phases in human life, she shows how the human being has his own. courage to face the difficulties of life.

At the beginning of the poem, the poet conveys the message that it is in the small things of everyday life one needs courage. The poet compared the child's first step with an earthquake only to show how a child's first step can change the word of the child. Then she uses a universal example of learning to ride a bike, stumbling up the sidewalk that needs courage. Here the poet is pointing out that courage is not to show bravery always or to do something special, but to accept difficult situations.

In the second stanza, a poet turns from the childhood-adulthood hood with the use of the single word 'Later'. Here the poet shows how the soldier's courage is displayed against bombs and bullets. The packnowledgesdges here that the war was fought in the absence of pride. There was no flag-only a hat to cover the soldier's heart. The soldier does not nurse his weaknesses but keeps courage, like fiery coal, burning within him. Here the poet talks about a different form of courage i.e. Love. The act of saving a felsoldier'siers life is not the act of bravery, but love. Then the poet turns from young adulthood to middle age. The poet says that the misery of an individual's life will come due to any reason: love, hate, depression, illness, divorce, etc. Any despair which ore faces in life is endured alone. In the final stanza, the poet talks about old age and coming to the realization that one will not live forever. The person when begging for another day, month, or yewhicheverever they are given will be precious. In old age courage will be shown in 'little ways', every spring will be like a sword sharpened, and the near and dear ones will experience one's greater love. Though death is inevitable, time on the earth is bargained for and negotiated in old age. We should be ready until wdeath'saths invitation comes and walk out with confidence nice comfort is able in' carpet slippers'. In this way,y the poet describes courage which is shown in different phrases off.