In A. E. Housman’s poem, “When I Was One-and-Twenty,” a wise man gives a young hero a piece of advice. However, he did not listen to these words because of his youth. Having gone through some negative experiences, in the end, he admitted that the man’s words were true. I think this poem reflects the worldview of young people who do not listen to others’ warnings and understand the truths that older people wanted to convey only through their own experience. Moreover, the piece also concerns the problems of love suffering.
As for my personal opinions on the reading, I think that “When I Was One-and-Twenty” accurately and truthfully reflects the aspirations of the young generation to which I belong. While reading the poem, I noticed how closely it correlates with my thoughts. The author describes two extremely significant issues of the youngsters. Firstly, Housman (2021) noted that the young hero does not listen to the words of a wise man. We can understand this from the words “no use to talk to me” (Housman, 2021, para. 1) and also thanks to his regret in the end. Secondly, the sage’s advice concerns love: he says that the hero needs to protect his heart more than any wealth and not give it away easily because it paid with “endless rue” (Housman, 2021, para. 2). These poem’s major themes are close to me because I had a similar experience with the lyric hero.
Like the author’s hero, I am used to gaining knowledge about the world through my experience. My mother taught me to think carefully about words and never speak in anger. I have always perceived these words as just the right speech, something that a mother must necessarily say to her child. When my friend offended me, I was so furious that I said terrible things to him. When time passed, I was ashamed of what I said, and this feeling was much worse than the initial resentment; only then I understood my mother’s words. She wanted to save me from mistakes, but I, like the twenty-one-year-old hero of the poem, did not realize it until I have gone through this experience myself.
Thus, the literary reading reminded me about this episode, and I felt sympathy for the lyrical hero. My experience influenced how I read the poem as I understood the hero’s regret and bitterness entirely. Having a similar attitude towards others’ words, I made several mistakes. Hence, although the author does not describe what exactly happened to the hero, I understood that he had gone through a private tragedy that made him regret that he did not heed the older man’s words.
Concerning the love theme, my tragic experience predetermined my response to the poem. I fell in love with one person who was not ready to reciprocate my feelings but did not tell me about it. It was clear that I was in love, but the other person did not drive me away and did not allow me to come closer. I was always the initiator of our meetings and dates, which this person could cancel at the last moment. I felt that I was not appreciated, but because of love, I continued to forgive everything. Such disregard for my efforts and feelings made me think that I was a terrible person who is not worthy of love. Now I know that true love is unconditional and implies respect. If a human treats someone who is in love with him badly, then he does not value him or her. I left that person, and despite the fact that I suffered for a long time, in the end, my psychological state became better.
Perhaps the message of a wise person and his words about the heart could be interpreted with respect to any relationships with people as the willingness to open heart might bring pain. Nevertheless, while reading the piece, I remembered my story and linked the poem with the theme of love, which is closely related to the words “rue” and “sighs” (Housman, 2021, para. 2). I regret that I confided in that person too quickly; this is why I associated the hero’s feelings with a romantic interest. Analyzing the poem, I felt a little depressed and at the same time joyful that this period of my life had passed.
To conclude, the author outlines the theme of the young generation who does not pay attention to wise words and the topic of suffering and regret associated with tragic love. Thus, the literary reading helps me to formulate my emotions with regard to some terrible experiences in my life. This poem reflects my life experience and caused strong feelings in me, becoming one of my favorite works.
References
Housman, A. E. (2021). When I Was One-and-Twenty. Poetry Foundation. Web.