Nobody likes to lose something. Losses cause pain and disappointment, reminding about one’s powerlessness. However, very often the losses pass ahead of appreciation of what one has.
The topic of losing dearest people is one of the most popular in cinema, literature and arts. It inspires the author to express pain about what is irretrievable and to warn the audience. Expression of this issue in arts has been making the whole generations not indifferent to what they have. Today young people as well share their feeling about painful losses in their works of literature and art. But it is clear that it is impossible to invent the unique way how to avoid painful mistakes, as well as to return what have been lost. In his song “Everybody Knows”, John Legend says:
Cause everybody knows, that nobody really knows
How to make it work, or how to ease the hurt (John Legend).
The topic of losses is closely connected to the topic of appreciation and gratitude. This issue has been as well touched in modern American literature.
As it is sung in Burning Spear’s song, “Every other nation have their speaker, every other nation have their voice” (Burning Spear). Lucille Clifton deserves being considered not only the voice of the American citizens of color, but the voice of the whole diverse and multicultural American nation. Lucille’s poetical voice sounds sincerely, deeply and encouragingly. In fact, her human ideas sounding within the lines of her poems teach how to survive, to love yourself and the World around.
In “Homage to My Hips” (Lucille Clifton), Lucille declares, “Be what you want yourself to be, and appreciate what you have, and then the World will turn to you with open arms”. Lucille’s poems tell about how it was for her to be a black woman in the tough world, full of contradictions and pressure, and to keep self-esteem and faith in people.
Using metaphoric approach, Lucille Clifton talks about strong and reliable pillars of Love, Hope and Respect, which help to stand up against difficulties and to walk to the happiness and dream, not losing self-respect.
Juana Bordas’ “Salsa, Soul and Spirit” presents us the wisdom of the communities of color, kept by them during centuries, which can be a strong and harmonious uniting force. Taking it into consideration can bring the individuals together and help to build a strong prosperous society, united by the common spirit.
Bordas describes a principle of Gratitude, Hope and Forgiveness, which is a perfect tool to bring harmony to the individual’s life and to organization of community. It is similar to the “ubuntu” concept, kept by the African nationalities, and implies focus on “what you have” instead of “what you want” (Bordas 167). Keeping hope and forgiveness, one can overcome difficulties and go further. A hope for the prosperous future is the uniting force which can make people put their efforts together in order to reach the common aims , and it is not without reason that “ubuntu” concept says that every thought and every action of an individual impacts on the whole community’s life.
The last statement is very topical today, as the World community tends to underrate the goods and welfares given to it. This leads to huge losses of natural resources and catastrophic state of environment. When a careless master does not keep what he has, he goes bankrupt. Thus, careless treatment to the nature is rather dangerous for the mankind.
Piercing words of Alan Lightman’s poem “In Computers” make one think over the deadlock which the mankind has prepared for itself. Unfortunately, it is difficult to appreciate things that are natural and habitual until they are lost. Lightman managed to overcome this mantle and to limelight the prospect for the future, which looks like a strange brainchild of science fiction. The words “Nothing will be lost” (Dutcher 47), which end the poem, are full of painful irony and awaken deepest thoughts.
Lightman calls the reader to stop and think before the mankind is forced to remember the happy past with the help of the “magnets of computers”. Indeed, literature is a powerful force which makes one think about the burning issues that touch everybody.
Bibliography
Bordas, Juana. Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler, 2007. Print.
Burning Spear. Every Other Nation. Web. 2010.
Clifton, Lucille. Homage to My Hips. Web. 2010.
Dutcher, Roger, Jane Yolen, Robert Fraizer, Gene Wolfe, and Duane Ackerson. Alchemy of the Stars: Rhysling Award Winners Showcase. USA:
Science Fiction Poetry Association; in cooperation with Prime Books, 2005. Print.
Legend, John. Everybody Knows. Web. 2010.