Longfellow begins his poem with the same exuberance and enthusiasm that continues throughout the poem.He discusses how we should live our life in constant anticipation for the next day,believing it will be better than today.
For every dawn brings up the sun of new opportunities.
life is real!life is earnest!
We all can see the dirty and unjust state of the world around us but all we do is sit and wonder if our country will ever be free,if our girls are safe,will we ever escape the clutches of poverty and tyranny?will the ever ever come? But instead of sitting in the fringes and wondering if we jumped into the ring,if we made our voices heard, if we stopped being puppets in the hands of politicians we could make some difference! Because its us! The youth who have the power in them to burn down the litter our world is burried in!
Be not like dumb driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife
Life is a battle where though meagerly protected we need to be in for the strife.
Remember we all have that seedling of greatness in us. Nurture it,hone it,show courage!
Trust no future however pleasant
And let the dead past bury its dead
In the womb of time lie the past,the present and the future.The past is dead,the present lives and the future is an unborn child. The past cant be changed.we have no specific knowledge how the future is going to turn out.so rather than whiling away precious time and the zeal of youthful days,regretting the past and imagining the future its wise to make the best use of every minute that we live.’Now’ is the time that makes all the difference.
Footprints that perhaps another
Sailing over life’s solemn main
Seeing shall take heart again
Each of us has a role model. But it doesnt do to just admire and venerate someone’s greatness. We must learn from the obstacles and hindrances they had to face, their stories of triumphs. We are all capable of doing something great.if we dont do anything to make us immortal in the memories of people and posterity then our lives are nothing different from trees,birds and insects that too come into existence and fade away unnoticed.Thus the poet urges us to leave footprints on the sands of time and be role models for those who look up to us
The Bible says
dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return
But Longfellow says that its the human body that is mortal.the soul lives on even after we cease to exist.
The poet says happiness or sorrow is not destiny but just a part of our life.we are the choreographers of our own future and contribute to the destiny of the world.so rather than being swept away by joy or dejection put your foot down today and start working in order to get whatever you aspire for as with every dusk we move one step closer to the grave. We need a heart strong enough to face failure and still carry on pursuing its goal
Like president Obama said
That out of many,we are one, that while we breathe we hope and where we are met with cynicism and doubt we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of people
YES WE CAN!