preview

Individualism In The Poem Identity

Decent Essays

Individuality is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that emphasizes the moral worth of an individual. It is vital to society because it impacts innovations, and maintains one’s identity, bringing diversity and uniqueness to the world. The poem, “Identity” by Julio Polanco and the short story, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber both discuss individuality and its importance in life. In the poem “Identity”, Julio Polanco agrees toward the subject of individualism leaving a message that it is essential to life and “don’t strive to be like others, be your own self ” because it makes life interesting, allowing the rights and thoughts of an individual to be stressed, and viewed to society. For example, Polanco used an extended metaphor throughout the whole poem to develop this theme of not striving to be like others, and being your true person, when showing what he’d rather be as a person, by comparing himself and the rest of humanity to a diversity of plants, and stating in the first line of the poem, “Let them be flowers… I’d rather be a tall, ugly weed (Polanco 1-2). This extended metaphor compares “they” to flowers, describing that “flowers” stands for our society, who all value beauty over freedom, and the speaker to an “ugly weed”, who chooses to be the opposite, which is ugly and free. Polanco uses weeds, plants that most people dislike, as a positive symbol of individuality. The use of this literary device shows this theme

Get Access