MikeSellers45 Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 "The Debt" THIS is the debt I pay Just for one riotous day, Years of regret and grief, Sorrow without relief. Pay it I will to the end-- Until the grave, my friend, Gives me a true release-- Gives me the clasp of peace. Slight was the thing I bought, Smal was the debt I thought, Poor was the loan at best-- God! But the interest! I said the theme was that debt lasts an eternity but my teacher said that was wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSteve Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 The theme is regret. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J3553 Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 "The Debt"THIS is the debt I pay Just for one riotous day, Years of regret and grief, Sorrow without relief. Pay it I will to the end-- Until the grave, my friend, Gives me a true release-- Gives me the clasp of peace. Slight was the thing I bought, Smal was the debt I thought, Poor was the loan at best-- God! But the interest! I said the theme was that debt lasts an eternity but my teacher said that was wrong. well your teacher's a *****. ask your stupid teacher how interpreting this poem is going to help you in the future. then after she answers you, tell her SHE'S wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iheartskins Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 well your teacher's a *****. ask your stupid teacher how interpreting this poem is going to help you in the future. then after she answers you, tell her SHE'S wrong. It's call learning how to think critically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrypticVillain Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 well your teacher's a *****. ask your stupid teacher how interpreting this poem is going to help you in the future. then after she answers you, tell her SHE'S wrong. All I gotta say is why. I think it is about slavery, I can think of more but I do not want to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfitzo53 Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 well your teacher's a *****. ask your stupid teacher how interpreting this poem is going to help you in the future. then after she answers you, tell her SHE'S wrong. Bitter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#98QBKiller Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Sounds like someone that's just received a life sentence for doing something really dumb? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Monk Fan Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 It's call learning how to think critically. There was a scientist on NPR a few years ago interviewed about his study which found that corporations were best served by hiring English Lit majors over Business majors. The study found that English Lit majors learned how to think critically in a way most others didn't. The conclusion: you can easily teach an English major the specifics of the job, but it's hard to teach a Business major how to think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iheartskins Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 There was a scientist on NPR a few years ago interviewed about his study which found that corporations were best served by hiring English Lit majors over Business majors. The study found that English Lit majors learned how to think critically in a way most others didn't. The conclusion: you can easily teach an English major the specifics of the job, but it's hard to teach a Business major how to think. B.A., cum laude (by .01!), in English for me, baby. But, I also had a minor, and a credit shy of a major, for Economics. So should I be offended at the same time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSteve Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 There was a scientist on NPR a few years ago interviewed about his study which found that corporations were best served by hiring English Lit majors over Business majors. The study found that English Lit majors learned how to think critically in a way most others didn't. The conclusion: you can easily teach an English major the specifics of the job, but it's hard to teach a Business major how to think. I would think Philosophy would teach you how to think better than English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I would think Philosophy would teach you how to think better than English. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iheartskins Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I would think Philosophy would teach you how to think better than English. I actually agree with that. I think a lot of English Professors let their student get by with pure fluff papers. I never had a Philospophy (or heard of one) that allowed that to happen. In philosophy, it seems like there are much more defined answers whereas with a lot of English papers it was all what you thought and many professors were afraid to tell students that their ideas were crap. The truth is, if you can think, you can think irrespective of your major or whether you have a degree or diploma or whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeSellers45 Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 Thanks for your replies, but I think TheSteve as the right answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 THIS is the debt I payJust for one riotous day, Years of regret and grief, Sorrow without relief. Pay it I will to the end-- Until the grave, my friend, Gives me a true release-- Gives me the clasp of peace. Slight was the thing I bought, Smal was the debt I thought, Poor was the loan at best-- God! But the interest! I think the writer shot or otherwise killed someone. Purchased a weapon for a small amount, and in a moment of passion pulled the trigger, etc. There is no escaping the grief/guilt until death Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeSellers45 Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 That doesn't mean that is the theme of the poem though. Theme is the lesson about life or human nature, not what the poem is about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 That doesn't mean that is the theme of the poem though. Theme is the lesson about life or human nature, not what the poem is about. Well the theme of that poem is that the guy who wrote it needs to pick a new career. I could write something similar in about an hour. In all seriousness... I think thesteve nailed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 The poem is about remorse, plain and simple. Bottom line though, the essence of poetry is that it has no definitive meaning - it can mean anything to anyone. Anyone who argues otherwise is teaching something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Monk Fan Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 The poem is about remorse, plain and simple.Bottom line though, the essence of poetry is that it has no definitive meaning - it can mean anything to anyone. Anyone who argues otherwise is teaching something That is, unless you're a Deconstructionist, in which case no poem ever means anything. One more reason to hate the French. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumrunner6900 Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 It's his wedding day!:2cents: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexRS Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 well your teacher's a *****. ask your stupid teacher how interpreting this poem is going to help you in the future. then after she answers you, tell her SHE'S wrong. cultivating respect for Educators, I see... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexRS Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 There was a scientist on NPR a few years ago interviewed about his study which found that corporations were best served by hiring English Lit majors over Business majors. The study found that English Lit majors learned how to think critically in a way most others didn't. The conclusion: you can easily teach an English major the specifics of the job, but it's hard to teach a Business major how to think. The conclusion: you can easily teach the specifics of the job, but it's hard to teach how to think. :laugh: what do majors have to do with this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexRS Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I would think Philosophy would teach you how to think better than English. I really think this is a matter of who is being taught and how, not the actual major. There are many ways to cultivate ability to think. Maybe Philosphy being the "science of thought" would be better at teaching one to think than anything else... but I'd think there is a great "cannot see forest for trees" danger when studying Philosophy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexRS Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 "The Debt"THIS is the debt I pay Just for one riotous day, Years of regret and grief, Sorrow without relief. Pay it I will to the end-- Until the grave, my friend, Gives me a true release-- Gives me the clasp of peace. Slight was the thing I bought, Smal was the debt I thought, Poor was the loan at best-- God! But the interest! Maybe it is talking about life... Life is seemingly a small thing... Slight was the thing I bought, Smal was the debt I thought, We got it so easily (Slight was the thing I bought) and we do not reflect upon it's true value often (Smal was the debt I thought) Pay it I will to the end-- Until the grave, my friend, It is not something that can be paid off Years of regret and grief, Sorrow without relief. Unlimited badness Gives me a true release-- Gives me the clasp of peace. That is ultimately the life itself. By paying off debt i think the poem is talking about breaking through hardships of life in order to enjoy true peace. The poem also seems to imply that it is not possible ("until the grave"), thus "peace and release" is actually a process rather than a destination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Theme is the general idea or insight about life that a writer wishes to express. All of the elements of literary terms contribute to theme. The theme of that IMO, and as someone else has already stated, is "regret". The line "Years of regret and grief" is what the entire poem revolves around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexRS Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Theme is the general idea or insight about life that a writer wishes to express. All of the elements of literary terms contribute to theme. The theme of that IMO, and as someone else has already stated, is "regret". The line "Years of regret and grief" is what the entire poem revolves around. Why do you think it revoles around "Years of regret and grief?" What else suggests regret? And regret of what? Something that happened? How would you explain this? Slight was the thing I bought, Smal was the debt I thought, Poor was the loan at best-- God! But the interest! and where does release and peace come from? Gives me a true release-- Gives me the clasp of peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.