Flying at Night

“Flying At Night”: A Poets Understanding of Life as it is In a world as large and busy as our own, it is often hard for humanity to comprehend the many mysteries that are present in our lives. In reality many of these mysteries will remain unanswered until the end of time, however it is essential for humanity to view itself as only a very small part of existence in its entirety. This unique perspective on life is a major theme throughout Ted Kooser’s “Flying at Night”. In the eyes of the poet himself it is essential to begin to understand the many mysteries of life on earth. Throughout the poem, Kooser provides very good insight into things that humanity would not normally comprehend, let alone think about. In this insight many subjects such as death, outer space and life itself are all defined in relation to one another, which represents the connectivity that Kooser is trying to express in his poem. Throughout his poem, Kooser utilizes many aspects of poetry to convey and support his overall message. By using many poetic devices such as various sound devices, metaphors, similes and by including a distinct setting and mood in poem, Kooser is successfully able to enlighten his reader. Throughout “Flying at Night” Kooser utilizes the setting of an Airplane to present the reader with a very unique perspective that would not be attainable if the poet had used any other setting. The poet also chose the setting of an airplane because by constantly moving throughout the atmosphere, he is able to see a far greater view then if he had been on earth. The airplane not only allows Kooser to depict the entirety of the universe, but more importantly allows Kooser to connect the many aspects that make up the universe together. By flying at night, Kooser is able to see almost the entirety of what makes up everything known topoet man. He seems to be very intrigued by the stars throughout the poem and emphasizes their location: “Above us, stars,