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Brought So Much, Gone So Fast

Oh! The delight we bring to the face of this earth

What we thought that we were worth

On a voyage, gratifying the greed of their needs

We are distributed in millions, millions indeed

Being born and tightly tucked between plastics with pellucid nothingness

Then flying to the unceasing edges of this earth, only to impress,

 

impress the mankind who, themselves, have proliferated our being

To see their uncanny, revolting smiles was quite a sightseeing

Like a child on Christmas Eve, impatiently awaiting for more things

More than we can bring

When we thought it was right to be crated in a box labelled “Amazon”

All to be deserted in a desolate corner to be gone

 

Perhaps it was better off with little of us

Perhaps it was better off when mankind consumed less of us

 

Here is the article that inspired my poem.

My reflection/discussion:

My poem:

Image Sources:

Castro. “Return Of Kings.” Return Of Kings, 17 July 2018, www.returnofkings.com/182842/how-consumerism-transformed-society-and-became-the-only-purpose-of-human-existence.

Posted on March 23, 2018. “Ecosocialism and Consumerism.” Climate & Capitalism, 27 Mar. 2018, climateandcapitalism.com/2018/03/23/ecosocialism-and-consumerism/.

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Poem Composition

Change is essential for life. Even if one resists it, change will be a significant, mind-changing experience. In Sylvia Plath’s closed lyric poem, “Mushrooms”, she metaphorically utilizes mushrooms to depict change which illustrates a new beginning for the oppressed society. On the superficial level, it is about mushrooms sprouting silently in the midst of night. However, through the octet rule in each stanza, imagery is well portrayed to illustrate change. The personification of the mushrooms “[taking] hold on the loam/acquire the air” (line 5-6) depicts the beginning of the sprouting. Figuratively, it is about the people who are oppressed by the “soil” are starting to fire up their actions in order to change. Plath also includes connotations such as “insist on” (line 10) to express that people are not willing to give up the movement they have created to break the societal barriers. The usage of enjambment allows the flow of the poem and maintain the octet rule of five syllables. By using repetition of “so many of us” (line 23-24), Plath emphasizes that numerous people are marginalized due to the social norms that society presents them with. They have to sacrifice for the times when opportunities, acceptance, and attitudes need to be changed; therefore, the space where change can happen will widen. The strenuous efforts oppressed people have experienced while going through the “leafy bedding” (line 12) of challenges and obstacles show their determination. The poet’s idiom of “our foot’s in the door” (line 33) suggests that people are genuinely striving for change in society that is associated with Jimmy and the Roses side in Oryx and Crake.Even though Jimmy is apathetic, he represents the small beginning for change. The Roses side illustrates the goal to achieve the intangibles. The majority of society is immersed in the tangibles that they lose the ability to think for themselves of what is morally correct. In a conformed society, change acts as a force that portrays the rebellious nature of humans; however, that is necessary when marginalization exists. Plath’s poem clearly demonstrates how fast and indispensable change is when people push for it, especially in a society like today’s.