Intrinsic Journey To Self In Drunken Boat, The City

Intrinsic Journeys
In order for an individual to grow into the best version of self, one has to participate in motions that force adjustment and change. The process of challenging oneself compels the change; this change is a necessity for growth. Throughout the collection of poems read during this course, many themes elude to the journey individuals take in order to achieve higher levels of being. Intrinsic revelations are made in “Drunken Boat” by Arthur Rimbaud, “The City” by Constantine Cavafy, and “Tonight I Can Write the Saddest Lines” by Pablo Neruda. Although the individuals have various starting points and different paths to finding self, the characters gained awareness through the voyage and were able to incorporate lessons learned
Arthur Rimbaud wrote “Drunken Boat” in such a way that many have the ability to interpret it differently depending on the experiences and beliefs of the reader. From the beginning, the poem involves an unknown subject; some believe the boat is traveling with a passenger, while others believe the boat is one and itself. For whichever subject is construed by the reader, a journey is depicted within the stanzas of the work. While a physical journey is actually being made, the author more importantly wants readers to understand the intrinsic journey. The subject starts young, immature, and entitled, determined to prove itself/himself as a contender in the world. Line 5, “I cared nothing for all my crews” (Rimbaud, n.d.), characterizes the cockiness and disrespect the character possessed. However, once hardships and uncertainties of life are encountered, the character must rise to
The journey within this text is the most emotional out of the ones displayed; however, it does not discount the advancement toward higher level of being as less than the other poems. During the poem, the subject is at a battle with the facts of reality and the fiction of emotion. He is in a personal war with the lost of a love for which he thought was true. Even though the character remains in the same tone and mood throughout the entire text, one can argue that he still made advancements in understanding who he is, how he was treated, and what he deserves. The concluded lines of the poem summarize this idea: “Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer, and these the last verses I write for her.” (Neruda, n.d.). These intrinsic battles he faced let him to realizations about his situation; he was able to unmask details of himself in order to move forward. The consciousnesses involved between the lines of this poem are imperative to the growth of this