Poetry #1

"your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you."
-Charles Bukowski - "The Laughing Heart"


1. From what poem/author does this commercial borrow (without credit)?
The commercial borrows from the poet Charles Bukowski and his poem "The Laughing Heart."

 2. Why might the use of this poem by a corporation be considered ironic?
The use of this poem by the corporation is ironic because it is a multi-million dollar company, it is a brand company that wants EVERYONE to purchase THEIR clothing. The poem speaks about individuality, of breaking free from the dullness and regularity of life, of being your marvelous self in all aspects. The poem does not speak of uniformity, of following a style, or a trend. It is very ironic because the company only seeks to entangle people with their business to get more money, while the poem speaks of freedom and having liberty.

 3. Does the poem reflect the reputation of the author? Why/why not?
The poem does not reflect the reputation of the author to any extent. Bukowski's other works are gruesome, he creates a literary world of sexual imagery and violence, nothing as uplifting in comparison to this poem. Although, this poem may have something to do with his early failure at getting published, which caused him to recede into a darkness, but eventually he found the light and soon found his marvelous self and continued to attempt to achieve his goal.

 4. How did you find the answers to #1 & #3? Describe your research process and your sources in detail.
Using the YouTube video that was posted along with the questions I was able to pick up on the first phrase, set it into a search engine and find the poem. The link I used to read the entire poem and know who the author was is http://thebestamericanpoetry.typepad.com/the_best_american_poetry/2008/11/the-laughing-he.html.
To find the answer to #3 I researched a small portion of Bukowski's life at this site http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/charles-bukowski