The Importance of Solitude

Ode on Solitude

by Alexander Pope

 

Happy the man, whose wish and care

A few paternal acres bound,

Content to breathe his native air,

In his own ground.

 

Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread,

Whose flocks supply him with attire,

Whose trees in summer yield him shade,

In winter fire.

 

Blest, who can unconcern’dly find

Hours, days, and years slide soft away,

In health of body, peace of mind,

Quiet by day,

 

Sound sleep by night, study and ease,

Together mixed; sweet recreation;

And innocence, which most does please

With meditation.

 

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown,

Thus unlamented let me die,

Steal from the world, and not a stone

Tell where I lie.

I think that Pope does a wonderful job explaining why he values solitude.  He uses the life of a farmer to describe how peaceful and unstressful a life of solitude can be.  He also connects solitude with nature saying how his “flocks” supply him with his “attire” and the trees give him shade and “winter fire.”  He  then talks of how the farmer is healthy and mentions that at night he sleeps soundly.  I think that this is not the case for me because I grew up in the city.  It is a fast pace lifestyle.  Everyone eats at fast food places and beeps as soon as the light turns red.  We often forget to take some time to enjoy the simple things in life.  I think that this is the focus of the poem.

I especially like the line where Pope says that he is “content to breathe his native air, in his own ground.”  I like this line because I think a lot of people are quick to put down where they’re from and they can’t wait to leave when they get older.  I think Pope is trying to say that we should be proud of our background as humble as it might be and by the end of poem he conveys just how humble he wishes his lifestyle to be:  He says that he wants to die without having a tombstone or being mourned for.  This last stanza of the poem helped me tie in the total meaning of the poem.  I think that Pope is trying to convey that a person, who does not value solitude, is a people pleaser.  A people pleaser is someone who trys to make everyone like them and strives to be popular or famous.  If you are not a people pleaser, you can use moments of solitude in order to live a peaceful life that is void of stress.  I believe that this is what Pope is trying to tell his audience.