Poetry Essay "Alone" and "Everything is Going to be Alright"

Some differences are startling, to juxtapose two poems like “Alone” by Edgar Allen Poe and “Everything is Going to be Alright” by Derek Mahon is shocking to say the least. We all know that two artistic pieces are never crafted the same, but these two are knit from two completely different clothes to say the least. The tone, mood, style, diction, and purpose are so far apart yet both are so beautiful.

From the darker side of life, love, and poetry there is Poe and then there is the flip side of joy, wonders, and hope with Mahon in this case. Poe is an icon of the bleak genres; he sets the mood with his sad demeanor anyone can hear in his head and feel creep along his spine while reading. As for the voice one hears consciously from reading a poem with a title as optimistic as “Everything is Going to be Alright” the dissimilarities are obvious. This poem has a sweet sound to it and sets an atmosphere of sunshine and rainbows after the storm of worry.

            The handpicked words by these authors are stunning. From lines like, “I lie here in a riot of sunlight, watching the day break and the clouds flying. Everything is going to be all right.” To “My sorrow—I could not awaken. My heart to joy at the same tone—And all I lov’d—I lov’d alone--” These originate from different styles of authors. And great minds do think alike but innovation in literature comes from the want to be different not better. The two pieces show that a poem can be great independent of the subject it discusses.

In the realm of purpose and motivation these are both uplifting pieces of literature. That is if you enjoy knowing everything will be fine and the suffering of others. But really the ultimate reason Poe wrote poems like this is not solely to frighten people or generate sympathy; it is to show others the strife individuals face independent of class. He was a wealthy man in the Antebellum South where all was supposed to be happy for those above the masses yet his life or perception of it was not. Mahon’s reason is to remind everyone although we hear the constant misery of others in the twenty first century there is always something to look forward to. And even as one reaches their nadir things can improve and will continue to for individuals as society as a whole.

In the end two things can be wholly different and simultaneously great. No matter the author, topic, or the techniques they use poetry remains awesome. It is the one way human beings can connect and see the perspective of others more than we ever could in debate, a persuasive essay, or sob story. These things are what make poetry challenging to writers, varied to readers, and amazing to humanity.