Analysis of the Poem sky by Manuel Bandeira
Often we have certain things or qualities in life without even realizing that this is the case. The child in the poem strives to touch the sky without seeing that he has it already in his hand. Show how the poem may be suggesting that many of us may already have what we have always desired without realizing it. (Suggested length: 1.5 pages, double- spaced)
The poem refers to the sky as an example of an illusion. When the sky is clear, the air molecules scatter the blue colored light more than they scatter red colored light; and that is why we perceive the sky to be entirely blue in daytime (Gibbs, 1997).
The child in the poem opens his hand toward the (apparently) blue sky but does not actually see anything blue in his hand; so he thinks he is not tall enough to reach it. Just like other great virtues so many people already have in their lives but are still trying to find them somewhere else.
Some people in my country leave their homes, families, friends and even the ones they are in love with, to start living in a new country; in a new strange place they have never been to. They say they want to “pursue [their] dreams”, to “find happiness”; and they add that they “won’t let feelings stay in the way of success.” Soon some of them realize, the real happiness has been sleeping in their own bed, eating with their family, and having a cup of coffee with their friends once in a while. Some of these people actually come back home after a while.
This issue can be put in a different way. Ashley Fern explains in her article The Truth Behind ‘You Don’t Know What You Have Until It’s Gone’: “People say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Truth is, you knew what you had, and you just never thought you’d lose it.” (Fern, 2013) When someone loses something that they have had for some time, it suddenly hurts; but while having it, they just do not pay enough attention.
Everyone has his or her “sky” in his or her lives. The most important thing to do is to appreciate it before it is gone. According to Angela Horn’s article “How We Appreciate Life More When We Stop Making Assumptions” assumption and gratitude are concepts that allow people appreciate life as something “wonderful” that has been presented to them.
Works Cited
1. Gibbs, Philip. “Why Is the Sky Blue?” May 1997, math.ucr.edu, Access Date: 27 October 2014.
2. Fern, Ashley. “The Truth Behind ‘You Don’t Know What You Have Until It’s Gone’” 26 June 2013, elitedaily.com, Access Date: 27 October 2014.
3. Horn, Angela. “How We Appreciate Life More When We Stop Making Assumptions”, tinybuddha.com, Access Date: 27 October 2014.
