Image seems to be everything in the
world today. What does she look like? Is he attractive? Does the house look
presentable? These are questions that are asked on a day-to-day basis in
today’s society. After reading the two selections from Leopardi, there are a few
areas that were memorable. Upon discussing the Christian religion, Leopardi
states that “She did not try in any way to help them hide their defects, but rather
insist that in the light of them they should entirely renounce life in their
prime of youth.” (Leopardi, p. 57) This statement stood out from the rest
because in today’s society, appearance and normality are critical parts of our daily
culture. The bulk of people’s worries consist of if they are attractive, well
liked, and are considered “normal”. Take this class of fourteen students; it is
a high possibility that the majority has worried about their image at some
point in time. In today’s society, image is the central worry.
In Leopardi’s writing, when the
mother said that she showed off the birth defects instead of hiding them it
really grabbed the audience’s attention. The paper then continued to say how
the mother would make sure her children knew about their defects so they were
not self conscious about them. It made them feel confident in being different. The lesson we learn from the mother is that is
important to look beyond someone’s image. Instead of focusing on image, we
should be focusing on what is on the inside. As we all know, that is hard to do
sometimes. Judgment gets the best of people in the world and sometimes makes it
impossible to give others a chance to show who they really are.
Leopardi made it clear that the
mother would do whatever she could to make the children aware and conscious
about their defects. The mother would not be satisfied with her children trying
to act “normal” but she was pleased with their failures because it taught them
a lesson. There is nothing wrong with being
different and standing out. Blending in with the crowd will not get you very far
in life.
You do bring up a very valid point in today's society. Everybody is always concerned about the way they look and how other people may view them. In your example I do believe that the mother was trying to show that everyone is different and has to embrace there differences. The mother instilled with them that they were different but that there was nothing wrong about it. As for your last paragraph where you mention how it is good to stand out, I do believe you could have expanded on this idea instead of ending your response the way you did.
ReplyDeleteReading the title of your post, I expected to read something about Leopardi's use of imagery as a poetic device. However, you went on to discuss image--a concept that is rather scarce in his poetry. I would go further and discuss what influence self-image had on Leopardi's work. We know from biographical excepts in the reader that Leopardi was unattractive, sickly, lonely, and "inexperienced" with women, as one excerpt put it. What affect did this have on his writing? After answering that question, I would do exactly as you have done: tie it back to how he was raised and what values were instilled upon him as a child. Though you have stated that Leopardi's mother raised her children not to be self-conscious about their defects, I would argue that this "lesson" didn't quite reach young Leopardi and that his own self-pity may be responsible for a number of his works.
ReplyDelete