GEORGE GRAY - CATCH THE WIND OF DESTINY WHEREVER THEY DRIVE THE BOAT

Here are Andrea's and Sofia's reflections of Edgar Lee Masters' poem, George Gray

ANDREA: REGRET IN GEORGE GRAY

This epitaph by Edgar Lee Masters wants to underline the irremediable despair of those who didn’t have the courage to face life in order to fully live it. The poem is written in free verse , without any rhyme nor structures of stanzas.

I have studied many times

The marble which was chiseled for me--

A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.

In truth it pictures not my destination

But my life.

For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;

Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid;

Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.

Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.

And now I know that we must lift the sail

And catch the winds of destiny

Wherever they drive the boat.

To put meaning in one’s life may end in madness,

But life without meaning is the torture

Of restlessness and vague desire--

It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.

(Edgar Lee Masters, Spoon River Anthology)

With reference to the main theme,  I would like to quote some words of the American philosopher Thoreau who wrote:

”I went to the woods because I wished to leave deliberately…and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.”

On the contrary, in his life George Gray  was unable to follow this teaching  and chose to live an empty, emotionless life .

But now that he is dead, he regrets wasting every possibility offered to him in his life and recognizes that his greatest mistake was keeping “a furled sail” and not “catching the winds of destiny”, with the result of living a meaningless life.  Since our life is the only one we have and there is nothing else more precious he invites us to not make the same mistake.

This epitaph is based on a metaphor, depicted on the marble of George Gray’s tomb, a boat “at rest in a harbor” which represents him ”longing for the sea and yet afraid”.

In my opinion, this figure of speech allows the author to express the concept of regret very effectively.

To sum up, with this poem the poet aims at and tries to explain the fact that life is a unique opportunity and that we should not waste it, although sometimes we seem to forget. 

SOFIA - THE WORLD IS AS YOU DREAM IT

In the course of our life we often find ourselves facing difficulties. It doesn't matter if they are small or big, what matters is our attitude every time we have to face one. 

George Gray gives us some advice about it.

The poem 'George Gray' is an epitaph included in the famous 'Spoon River Anthology' by Edgar Lee Masters. The protagonist of this epitaph, George Gray, speaks in first person to tell about his past life. He lived a life of safety and comfort avoiding pain and adventures. On his gravestone,  a boat with a furled sail has been chiseled. In this poem the boat in the harbor is a metaphor for George Gray's life. We can compare George Gray to a boat that "longs for the sea and yet (is) afraid". His life has been characterized by laziness and immobility and now it is too late for him, since he is dead.  

For this reason he invites us not to make the same mistake. He invites us to take  sides in our life. We must look for a purpose, a meaning. We have to run risks and have the courage to face the difficulties and problems. Sloth is the worst shelter in which you can take refuge: this was George Gray's big mistake.

So if you wish a life without regrets, have the courage to make mistakes!

"Live a life you will remember." (Avicii- The Nights)