Carpe Diem
Evan Minteer
Thesis

In both the song “Live Like You Were Dying”
and the poem “Life is fine”, the composer
describes a story of overcoming great a
great challenge and facing it head on with a
positive mentality, whether it be overcoming
cancer as in McGraw’s song or overcoming
social obstacles, such as in Hughes's life
which he portrays through his poems.
Live Like You Were Dying

He said: "I was in my early forties,
"With a lot of life before me,
"An' a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
"I spent most of the next days,
"Looking at the x-rays,
"An' talking 'bout the options an' talkin’ ‘bout sweet time."
I asked him when it sank in,
That this might really be the real end?
How’s it hit you when you get that kind of news?
Man whatcha do?
An' he said: "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain
climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man
Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."
He said "I was finally the husband,
"That most the time I wasn’t.
"An' I became a friend a friend would like to have.
"And all of a sudden goin' fishin’,
"Wasn’t such an imposition,
"And I went three times that year I lost my Dad.
"Well, I finally read the Good Book,
"And I took a good long hard look,
"At what I'd do if I could do it all again,
"And then:

"I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man
Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."
Like tomorrow was a gift,
And you got eternity,
To think about what you’d do with it.
An' what did you do with it?
An' what can I do with it?
An' what would I do with it?
"Sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man
Chu.
"And then I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I watched Blue Eagle as it was flyin'."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."
"To
"To
"To
"To
live
live
live
live
like
like
like
like
you
you
you
you
were
were
were
were
dyin'."
dyin'."
dyin'."
dyin'."
Life Is Fine

I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.
I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might've sunk and died.
But it was
Cold in that water!
It was cold!
I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.
I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might've jumped and died.
But it was
High up there!
It was high!
So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love-But for livin' I was born
Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry-I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.
Life is fine!
Fine as wine!
Life is fine!
Literary Devices


McGraw
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–
–
–
Shifting Tone
Repetition
Simile
Mood
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–
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–
Repetition
Refrain
Shifting Tone
Mood
Hughes
Tim McGraw

Born May 1, 1967 in Delhi, Louisiana. The son of Betty Smith and Tug
McGraw, Tim grew up thinking he was the son of Horace Smith, a trucker.
When his mother divorced Smith when Tim was 9, Tim opened a box which
contained his birth certificate when he and his mother were moving to
Richland Parish. His father’s name was scribbled out, but his father’s
occupation stated “baseball player.” His mother eventually confessed that she
had a brief romance with Tug McGraw, who was a minor league pitcher at the
time. Tug eventually became famous with the Mets and Phillies, yet refused to
keep a close relationship with Tim. Tim was initially angry, but eventually got
over his anger and forgave his father. Although raised in Louisiana, Tim spent
much of his time on the road with his father, where he developed his taste for
country music. After a brief stint in college, McGraw decided to test his
musical abilities and move to Nashville, to see if he could make a name for
himself in the music industry. McGraw has since become one of the most
recognized country singers of his generation, winning multiple CMA’s for his
different albums and songs. McGraw dedicated the song to his father, Tug
McGraw, who had died from a brain tumor earlier in the year. The affect the
song has on the listener is a feeling of gratefulness, that one should be
thankful for life itself, and that everyone should “seize the day” and make the
most out of life.
Langston Hughes

Born February 1st, 1902 in Joplin Missouri. After he published his
first poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” he attended Columbia
University, but left after one year to work on a freight ship, travelling
to Africa, Paris and Rome supporting himself all the while with odd
jobs. When his poetry began to grow popular, he attended Lincoln
University, where he published his first book of poems The Weary
Blues, which launched his writing career. Hughes was also one of the
founders of the Harlem Renaissance, and his writing style can be
seen in many other famous African American poems, stories, plays
and music. Hughes died on May 22, 1967. The poem Life is Fine is
about how his life was bad, but he wanted to continue living,
reflecting many troubles that he experienced because of segregation.
The effect on the reader is also one of gratefulness, and that no
matter what life puts in your way, one should still be happy and
make the most out of life.
Comparison

Both of the poem and the song display a theme of carpe
diem, and that one should make the most out of life.
However, I believe that the song Live Like You Were Dying
conveys this message the best, because McGraw, the artist,
actually had a great motivation for writing the song with his
father passing away. In the song, McGraw uses vivid imagery
such as bull riding and sky diving as a means to demonstrate
how life should be lived to the fullest. In the poem, Life is
Fine, Hughes also speaks of living his life to the fullest, yet at
the same time he references more of overcoming the obstacle
before seizing the day, where as in the song McGraw speaks
more just of making the most out of life, and overcoming the
obstacle that way.
Work Cited

Wikipedia