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Nicely written but can use more quotes

Najja Hennix

March 29. 2016

English 1121/D465

Textual Analysis

Stop and Smell the Roses

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “There is more to life than simply increasing its speed.” It used to annoy me when my grandmother would tell me to stop and smell the roses, but as I get older I truly understand what she was saying. I run through life just jumping hurdles. I am worried about my next test/work and I never stop and appreciate what I have in front of me. I am alive, young, healthy, and smart. These are all positive attributes I take for granted everyday. It is important to take time to relax and appreciate the beauty of life. This is what the poem Slow Dance by David L. Weatherford illustrates in terms of time/speeding, little moments, and appreciating life.

People speed through life. When you go day by day only worried about school or your troubles in life, you are not truly living. In almost each stance in Weatherford’s poem he talks about speeding through life. He says, “When they ask, “How are you?”

Do you hear the reply, Ever lost touch, Let a good friendship die Cause you never had time, When you run so fast to get somewhere You miss half the fun of getting there.” Life is not a race, and when you make it one you miss all the important moments.

Time stands still for nobody. Live each moment and enjoy it because when it passes you cannot get it back. My dad took me to see my grandmother one day but I did not really want to go. I would much rather rush home and watch television. So I rush through the visit. I did not care much what was going on just wanted to rushed and get home. My grandmother pasted away that night. I wish someone had told me to enjoy those moment and not rush through them. The poem paints a clear picture of people rushing through life and helps you appreciate the time you have.

The second theme Weatherford address is little moments. I remember my dad teaching me to ride a bike and me falling and him picking up and making me get right back on. As I think about it, I can feel the wind in my hair. I also can feel the pain in my knee from when I fell. I can see the look and my dad’s eyes telling me that I am ok. I also remember learning how to bake my great grandmother’s famous peanut butter cookies. I can smell the sweet smell of cookies in the air. I also can see us laughing when they did not come out to great. I love these little moments because they turned in to big memories.

Weatherford paints a picture of people letting moments past. Some examples of these are when he says, “Ever told your child, We’ll do it tomorrow? And in your haste, Not see his sorrow, have you ever watched kids On a merry-go-round? Or listened to the rain Slapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight? Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?” This relates to smelling the roses. Sometimes the small moments can have a big impact on you. We should not live breath-by-breath but live for the moments that take our breath away.

Lastly Weatherford poem has a strong theme on appreciating life. Each paragraph of the poem end with “You better slow down. Don’t dance so fast. Time is short. The music won’t last.” I believe that means if you spend to much time moving through life fast, one day it will be over, and what will you have to look back on? The faster you dance the less you will be able to actually enjoy the music. The poem ends with “When you worry and hurry through your day, It is like an unopened gift…. Thrown away. Life is not a race. Do take it slower Hear the music Before the song is over.” I think the ending is beautiful. What it means to me is that life means more when you slow down and appreciate it, contemplate it, and look for meaning. It is like the tale the tortoise and the hare. If a hare and a tortoise run a race, the hare might win, but the tortoise could go home and write an entire book on all of the interesting sights, sounds, and events that happened along the way while getting ready for the race, running the race, and observing everything around and in front of him. Even if the tortoise he would have deeper appreciation for the world around him.

The poem Slow Dance by David L. Weatherford illustrates in terms of time/speeding, little moments, and appreciating life. The poem paints a clear picture of people rushing through life and helps you appreciate the time you have. It shows the reader not live breath-by-breath but live for the moments that take our breath away. Lastly, tells you life is not a race, and when you make it one you miss all the important moments. I learned a lot from this poem and truly enjoyed it.