Key Themes In Billy Collins Schoolsville

A Lifetime’s Theme Laughter, let downs, memories, and regrets are all aspects of life itself. Explaining these aspects is the hardest part. When is laughter present? When are let downs expected? Where can memories lead? How do these all affect someone in the long run? The poem “Schoolsville” does a great job of representing life itself. It points towards life in general and explains the comical, serious and memorable, then poignant parts of life. Laughter is something that pleases the mind. Throughout our entire lives, we search for things that make us feel, even for the slightest amount of time, happy. Billy Collins writes, “Chalk dust flurrying down in winter, / nights dark as a blackboard” (Page 535). He is referring to happy times as a teenager. Being more than happy when the snow comes and school is out. Having nothing but time to be out of the house at all times of the night. Through conscious decisions, we forget about life. Sometimes even forgetting about the future.
Though there are good memories, most memories will fall under a more serious category. Life gets hard with the loss of people that would stay forever. Sometimes this leads to a fall down; just to find out only one person has the ability to pick me back up. “I forgot all their last names first and their/ first names last in alphabetical order” (535). This quote reminds me of loss in life. The loss of family and of close friends to things that are unchangeable. The things that do not really mean anything are most memorable. While saying this, do not take special memories for granted. Every person has a meaning and no matter where life leads, those special or tragic memories will be stored for later