Happiness and the origins of happiness
In the sonnet “Thin little leaves of wood fern, ribbed and toothed”, the narrator analyzes the elements and circumstances under which a person may find happiness. He compares the things he used to enjoy as a child with the activities which brings him happiness at the time when the poem was written and presents the transition as being an organic and natural one. The idea transmitted is that once a person ages, their interests change as well and the reason for their happiness becomes less superficial and more complex. If in his childhood, the narrator found pleasure playing in nature, as he became an adult he found happiness in meditating about nature and also thinking about his place in the world. The origins of happiness thus changed from being simple carnal pleasures to being intellectual ones.
The power of pain
The main theme in the poem "Roll on, sad world! not Mercury or Mars’’ is the way pain can affect a person and influence his or her life. In this poem the narrator admits he was hurt by the actions of an unnamed character and he feels as if no one can help him. The Gods Mercury and Mars are mentioned here as having power over the whole universe and yet having no influence over the pain a person may feel. The narrator felt as if his whole world stopped when he was hurt by the unnamed character and he refused to believe there was any hope for him. this poem is a deeply person one, used by the narrator to express his desolation and also his lack of hope for a better future.
Searching for meaning
The main theme in the poem "Once on a day, alone but not elate,’’ is the idea of searching for meaning in one’s life. The narrator describes in his poem the process through which he tried to find meaning in his life, either by standing alone and meditating, following the path set by others or using writing as a way to learn more about himself. The latter was the method which worked for him and in the end he found happiness and peace. But this was only short lived as he realized that the meaning he found was not real and was not something that will satisfy him long-term. Thus, he found himself in the situation to have to search again for a new meaning. The idea transmitted thus is that we, as humans, are never close to finding the true meaning in our lives. We sometimes get close to it but we never reach the point where we can actually touch it.
