Teddy's essay (beginning)

Once upon a time there was a little something called courage. This courage was something that Anne Sexton had throughout her life, all the way up to the time of her tragic death. In her poem, "Courage", she really breaks down the true meaning of courage and what it can help you accomplish and why you need to have courage to survive in this world, and also the difference between courage and love. This is a very powerful poem and has links to life, and links to death.

In Anne Sexton's poem, "Courage", the main theme is, as the title suggests, courage. Ms.Sexton writes in the beginning of her poem, "you drank their acid and concealed it", supporting the theme of courage. It takes great courage to endure the tuanting of other people, as Ms.Sexton writes in her poem. Anne Sexton was a very couragous person. As Ms.Sexton writes at the end of her poem, "When death opens the back door, you'll put on your carpet slippers, and stride out", it takes courage to die. This is another example of the theme courage in the poem. She says "you'll put on your carpet slippers and stride out", meaning you'll be calm. Another quote from Ms.Sexton's poem supporting the theme of courage is "if you endured great despair, then you did it alone". This quote talks about how it takes more courage to do something alone than to do something with a friend. This tells you to try doing things alone to test your true courage. This theme of courage can be found everywhere, even in your own life.

This poem relates to my life in three main ways. Ms.Sexton writes, "each spring will be a sword you'll sharpen". this is like people learning from their mistakes (although some people still have trouble with that) to prevent them from happening in the future. The more mistakes you make, the less often you'll make them. In the second stanza, Ms.Sexton writes, "you did not fondle the weakness inside you". You learn to let go of the bad "things". You focus on the good "things". Later in the poem she writes, "you powdered your sorrow, you gave it a back rub". You need to embrace your sorrow. You must learn from it. Your life is a poem, but only you know what it means.