Reading Responses to a Poem - Research Paper Example

The poem is a tribute to everyone who makes an effort to achieve the seemingly unachievable goal and never loses hope no matter how grave the circumstances are. Discussion Paul Simon utilizes complex and a strong pattern to describe his struggle as a young boy in the poem. The time Paul was a young boy; the NYC was flooded with immigrants from Europe during the Huge Immigration Movement. The mass movement of immigrants precipitated mass unemployment and soon the number of unemployed individuals outweighed the number of employed individuals.

The conditions of the commercial sector were pathetic and the employed individuals were forced to work in poor conditions with low wages. Throughout his early years, Paul had to endure hard circumstances to make the two ends meet and to achieve his dreams of endless fame by becoming one of the most famous musician of the world. (Eliot). In simple words, The Boxer depicts and addresses the dark aspects of the incredible life of Paul Simon and millions of others who have the courage to endure what it takes to be successful.

Many elements of the poem evoke and engaged my interest; particularly “the pocketful of mumbles” at the beginning of the poem sparks an interest by hinting that the writer is writing about himself. In my opinion, “the pocket full of mumbles” pays tribute to millions of individuals like Paul, who being the boxers and fighters, have at some point in their life been so beaten up by hardships of life that they have considered to let go of their dreams. Simon cleverly makes use of sophisticated arrangement throughout the poem to maintain interest of the reader till the last stanza.

The Poem describes a dual scenario, one of a little boy searching for a job and secondly, it describes the resistance and strength of a boxer. The second element of the poem which attracts my attention is “when I left home and family I was no more than a boy” discloses the fact that the writer indeed is writing about his own life thus, confirms my speculation at the beginning of the poem. The third element which captured my interest is “I come looking for a job but I get no offers” informs us about the tremendously importance of trying relentlessly time and time again even if the initial attempts are not rewarded.

The poem religiously supports the belief that efforts ultimately do get rewards in the end therefore, one should keep trying because the joy of savoring a hard earned success is known only to him who has the courage to struggle and fight mercilessly like a boxer in the ring. The Young boy is so lonely that he finds peace and tranquility in the whores of New York City. (Bennighof). In the later half, the poem describes the story of a boxer who is struggling against the viciousness of unscrupulous promoters and enduring the meanness of the city streets.

The boxer is depicted as a true fighter by his trade whose individuality has been shaped and influenced by his early years out on the streets as a poor boy. The element which attracts my attention is “he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down” which discloses the fact that the boxer is the young boy from the earlier part of the poem who has now grown into a fighter who has achieved his once seemingly unachievable dream but his heart still carries the wounds inflicted by the hardships he faced earlier.

Conclusion The poem begins by describing the scenario of the years after the