Dimitris Aleviz
Project 4 / Part IV: Persuasive Essay
November 30 / 2015
In this paper I argue that everything we have experienced belongs into a lifecycle just like
nature has, which is important to our collective memory because is connected with a variety
of different feelings such as sadness, fear and happiness.
I will demonstrate the relevancy of this topic by examining a poem that have been written
specifically for nature and various feelings. The reason that I chose only one poem instead of
many is because I would like to focus my whole arguments / counterarguments only into one,
in that way will give a clearer view to the readers.
Nature has always been there to represent various emotions/feelings. It’s really interesting to
focus on that because we grow up and we become who we are through our personal
experiences. Each one of us is different and this happens because we come from different
backgrounds and are shaped by various events. Human life-cycle is very similar to the
nature’s cycle. When we read poems that state this similarity we can identify a reflection of
our past and of who we are into what we are reading.
We notice into the following poem (last page), where we can identify a correlation between
flowers and happiness. As the poem states “A lovely field of happiness.
With flowers spread”. Flowers have a variety of different colors, which make people happy.
That’s why they often use them as a gift to someone or to simply decorate a space. On the
other hand, the flowers they could also be presented otherwise in order to give us the
completely opposite feeling. For example, if the poem would describe the flowers as withered
that would automatically pass something sad and at the same time nostalgic to its readers.
However, all of these different emotions such as happiness/sadness that a poem can express
are within a human’s life. Every person has its ups and downs during life, which belong into
the main idea of this essay that everything is within a cycle.
Clear blue skies and bright suns often represent peace and in terms of emotions the purity
and happiness of people. As the reading states “Skies, so clear and blue” and “The sun,
shining ever so brightly”, that naturally gives the idea to its readers that something positive is
happening. On the other hand, if the poem would describe the sky as dirty and smoggy that
would pass a completely different feeling to people. So most of the times is not what the
poem describes but rather how the situation or object is being described.
As the poem continuous it talks about the chirping birds and the hopping rabbits, which are
all symbols of happiness and it reminds us of the season spring probably because most of us
have experience that moment of the season and it now belongs into our collective memory.
These species are also being described as the creatures of joy. All these small expressions
help for the main meaning of the poem.
Almost in the middle of the poem the positive concept of it is changing and it turns into a
completely different one. That transition happens when the poem states that “A dark cloud
has come” at the 18th line. Everything that we had heard before has now changed, the flowers
have died and been replaced by weed, the sky is no longer clear and the sun no longer shines.
The poem turned into something completely opposite as human’s lives do. Each individual
has it’s ups and downs. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, which is the case of this
poem. Since it made this unexpected transition all the feelings that we had are now gone and
been replaced by sadness. All the things that are being described that changed are natural
(sun, sky, flowers etc.), which shows exactly what was said in the beginning of this essay,
everything belongs into a cycle.
As the poem continuous it states that it’s sunny and blue, but there will always be that one
small, dark cloud. That indicates that no matter how perfect things might be people will
always have a “bad” memory inside them (that one small dark cloud), which will either be as
a lesson or as fear to them. Everything happens for a reason and no matter what situation is it
we will always come out as the winners out of it because it will have taught as something. In
that case that’s what this cloud represents. It might not always be “sunny” or “rainy” but will
always exist some clouds in the air, which are our personal experiences that shape us.
In the beginning, the poem is very positive and happy but later it becomes the exact opposite
and we become confused of what’s happening and the purpose of it. Later though we are able
to identify an existence of a balance, that things aren’t necessarily black or white but it can
also be grey. In other words, this is our life that we call collective memory, which is based
into various feelings and it’s often combined with poetry to have a powerful result.
The Fields of Happiness
People say it is a field,
A lovely field of happiness.
With flowers spread,
Throughout this field.
Skies,
So clear and blue.
The sun,
Shining ever so brightly.
Birds chirping as if it was
The first of spring.
Rabbits hopping around
As if they could go on
For forever and eternity.
As the creatures enjoy,
Enjoy this wonderful place,
For it makes everything
Joyful, exciting, and happy.
A dark cloud has come,
Taken up the rays of sunlight.
With one cloud,
Brings many clouds.
The flowers,
Have now died
And weeds,
Have taken their place.
The skies
Are no longer clear and blue.
The sun
No longer shines with the rays,
The rays from the heavens above,
Instead it rains,
Rains as if it were meant to do so.
Birds no longer chirp as if it was
The first of spring.
Rabbits don't feel the need to hop,
For they won't go on,
For forever and eternity.
People say it's like a field,
A lovely field of happiness.
They don't understand,
For every field of flowers,
There is a single weed,
That one weed eventually spreads,
And takes over the flowers
Replacing them as if,
They have never existed.
For every time,
It is sunny and blue,
There will always be
That one small, dark cloud,
Hovering right near by.
There is no such
Thing as a lovely field of happiness,
Every field has its flaw.
It is a field everyone lives in,
Some point in life.
Once you are in this field,
There is no way of escaping,
There is no way in making it perfect,
For there will always be that one,
That one weed or cloud,
Standing in your way,
Of perfection and happiness
Biography:

"The Fields of Happiness." Family Friend Poems. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.