https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45937/solitude-56d225aad9924
About
Professor: Jessica Penner
Email: creative.writing.citytech2@gmail.com
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM. I’ll be available through Zoom and will send an invitation via email that you should keep all semester. Try to join my meeting at the start of the hour, not at the end—since I may be talking to other students or have another appointment after the hour is up. If those times don’t work with your schedule, we can schedule a different time. This means you’ll have to schedule an appointment in advance. I suggest you have multiple times in mind, since your schedule may not mesh with mine!
I like the poem Winter Is Coming. It teaches us a lesson – do whatever is necessary in order to survive. Just like wearing a mask during a pandemic seems like hiding from life, but it is necessary for survival, and when the pandemic (winter) is gone, the normal (spring) will be back.
I like “Winter is coming” because it teaches people to do the things they need to do to survive. Like the animals in the poems, if we as humans don’t do what we need to survive we will die and won’t see another day. The world will return to normal but until then we must do whatever is necessary to survive.
I enjoyed solitude because it conveys the shallowness of some people while also highlighting the impact of a solitary lifestyle. The author sets a bleak but agreeable mood showing that when you need help the most, you’ll be alone so get in line and deal with it.
This reminds me of tough love.