Poetry: September, 1918

       In times of darkness, the little moments of happiness are truly treasured. In Amy Lowell's poem, "September, 1918," she describes the simple pleasures of living that occur during the Great War. Most notably, she writes about one afternoon where two little boys gathering berries under a tree at the park. She later states that after the war, "I shall take out this afternoon and turn in my finger, and remark the sweet taste of it upon my palate. . ." (713). Her decision to recollect this moment shows how powerful the simplicity of life can be. By expressing this idea, Lowell expresses how the simple pleasures one experience can bring the most happiness.

       The situation Lowell describes I can differently relate to. In my life and for my family, a dark period of time was when my cousin died at the age of 18. Everyone was devastated. But in a our period of grief, the whole family managed to come together for my father's birthday. It was unreal. For a night, everyone was happy, smiling, and celebrating life. At a time of death and its emotional turmoil, we managed to find happiness. And to this day that is a moment I look back and think about how good it felt to have. 

       The circumstances and situation Lowell writes about relate to power and privilege. Both power and privilege are illustrated by the narrator's ability to find certain moments to hold onto during the war. War, itself, represents the darkness she leaves. And she has the power and privilege to find a brief period of time that makes the darkness she lives in fade away. She would have a lack of power and privilege if she couldn't identify any simple joy of life during such an atrocious time.

       Overall, Lowell's poem reflects how simple moments can bring happiness in the most unpleasant of times. When war is associated with so much horror, death, and evilness, it can be hard to find moments of joy. However, she makes that point that the ordinarily simple pleasures of life can give you the privilege of happiness in dark times. And that power can be achieved by keeping your eyes open to all forms of happiness and peace, and having the knowledge you could find and hold onto that moment.