Daffodils

The poem, “Daffodils”, written by Alicia Ostriker, is about the importance of war and the beauty of life. I was taken back when I read this poem because I live in my own little hippie world. For instance, I do not watch the news; so I have no idea of the worlds issues. I live for peace, happiness, and with the belief that everything will always be okay.
Ostriker describes the beauty and serenity that the world has to offer, even though there is a war going on, “The daffodils do look as if they dance/ And make some of us in the park want to dance /And breathe deeply and I know that/ Being able to eat and incorporate beauty like this”(Lines 16-19). This is to show that the beautiful things in the world are always available to us.
There are a lot of people who do not approve of the war. I am one of them, but if it is my family and my land that is threatened; my attitude would change, “It is our business to defend it/ Even the day our masters start a war?/ To defend the day we see the daffodils? (Ostriker lines 34-36). I would have no choice but to defend myself even if I do not believe in war.
Needless to say, everyday offers the best and the worst of things in the world. Ostrikers' poem compares this matter to poetry, “What explains poetry is that life is hard/ But better than the alternatives, /The no and the nothing” (Lines 22-24). I think that this is a beautiful truth of life. Life is difficult but also a path of learning experiences.

Works Cited
Ostriker, Alicia. “Daffodils”. Poetry Foundation. 2005. 16 June 2010. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=181769

Here is a website that I found inspiring for peace in todays world. I hope you enjoy.
http://www.peacerevolution2010.org/