Laugh and Be Merry

Introduction

The poet, John masefield suggests that we should have a positive attitude in life. Life is short so we must enjoy the fruits of happiness. Every moment of our life should be enjoyed and cheered. The god created the moon and the stars for the pleasure of human being. So we should be inspired by god's meaningful creation. The poet compares the world with an inn where all human beings are temporary guests. We should enjoy life till it lasts and till the music of life ends.

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Text of the poem

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Idea of the poem

Core Meaning

The poem 'Laugh and be merry' by John Masefield probes the premise of living life to the full. The poet advises that we should have a constructive outlook in life. Life is brief and it is not to be frittered away in sorrow and despair. He advocates us to get pleasure from our lives in this world, since the universe itself is a manifestation of the joyousness of God. Each instant of our life should be savoured and rejoiced. God created the moon and the stars for the happiness of human being. So we should be enlivened by God's purposeful creation. The poet compares the world with an inn where all human beings are temporary guests. We should enjoy life till it comes to an end and till the music of life ends. Laugh and be merry for the world is a much better place with a happy song and to live in a world that is ready to blow in the teeth of wrong. We should be always conscious of the injustice and wrong doings of the world and strive to remedy them so that the world will remain a happy place to live in for all. We must not just rejoice but also be dynamic in tackling evil. Laugh and give no leave to sorrow or to worries for the life is short, a thread a length of span. Laugh from the depth of your heart and with optimism and be proud to belong to the everlasting and spectacular procession of the human race; a pageant with an impressive display in celebration of life. Call to mind the olden times, when God created Heaven and Earth for joy. Just as a poet experiences the joy of creating a poem and is enthralled in the process, God was enraptured by His creation of the universe; the heaven and earth. He made them both and filled them with the strong red wine; a worldwide symbol of joy in most poetry; of His mirth; joviality or cheerfulness, particularly when consorted with laughter. God has bestowed the universe with the splendid joy of the stars and the earth, we must laugh and drink from the deep blue cup of the sky; derive complete delight we can by observing the sky, the birds, clouds, stars, and so on. The sky is appears over us like an upturned cup and is blue in color; hence it is compared to a cup, probably to a cup of wine the symbol of joy. Each and every one is welcome to join the ecstatic song of the celestial figures. (It was a common belief in the ancient times that the astral figures created divine music as they revolve.) All through the outpouring of the Heavenly wine we can continue to laugh, strive and struggle, work and drink for the Almighty shows His indication of joy on His beloved green earth. We should live as if we are brothers akin (related by blood. Here we can see a hint at the significance of universal brotherhood. Masefield then compares our sojourn on the earth to the life in an inn or a hotel. We are like the guests in an inn, living briefly, staying for a short time. We check into (birth) and check out (death) from this splendid inn (the magnificent earth. Just like the guests in an inn stay for a short time, we stay for a short time on this earth. The guests enjoy to the full, the dance till the dancing stop and the music ends in the Ball room. Similarly we should enjoy our life to the last breath; and the song of life finishes. Life is compared to a game also. While playing we enjoy the game without fretting about victory or defeat. The game fills our mind with immense pleasure and thrill. Let us play the game of life cheerfully to the end.

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Alternative interpretations

In his poems John Masefield expresses a love of ordinary of and all of life in its reality. He encourages us to enjoy our lives in this world, because the universe is itself an expression of the joy of God. The strong rhythm of the lines in itself suggests a joyful dance. Laughter is the best medicine. Laugh and be merry for the world is a much better place with a happy song and to live in a world that is ready to blow in the teeth of wrong; we must not only rejoice but also be active in attacking evil. Laugh and give no place to sorrow or to worries for the time is brief, a thread a length of span; about nine inches: the distance between the tip of the thump and the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully spread out, i.e. life is short and like a thread is easily lost. Laugh sincerely and hopefully to be proud enough to belong to the old pageant of man; procession with a spectacular display in celebration of a holiday. Recall the ancient times, when God made Heaven and Earth for joy he took in a rhyme; identity in sound of some part: a word agreeing with another in terminal sound: verse or poetry having correspondence in the terminal sounds of the lines: a poem or piece of verse having such correspondence; He made them both and filled them with the strong red wine; a common symbol of joy in most poetry; of His mirth; gaiety or jollity, esp. when accompanied by laughter: amusement or laughter; because of the splendid joy.

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Context of the poem

About the Author

John Edward Masefield, OM (1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1930 until his death in 1967. He is remembered as the author of the classic children's novels The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, and poems, including "The Everlasting Mercy" and "Sea-Fever".Masefield was born in Ledbury in Herefordshire, to Caroline and George Masefield, a solicitor. His mother died giving birth to his sister when Masefield was only six, and he went to live with his aunt. His father died soon after following a mental breakdown.[1] After an unhappy education at the King's School in Warwick (now known as Warwick School), where he was a boarder between 1888 and 1891, he left to board HMS Conway, both to train for a life at sea, and to break his addiction to reading, of which his aunt thought little. He spent several years aboard this ship and found that he could spend much of his time reading and writing. It was aboard the Conway that Masefield's love for story-telling grew. While on the ship, he listened to the stories told about sea lore. He continued to read, and felt that he was to become a writer and story teller himself.

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Transacting the text

Meaning making

Pictures/ video clips are an interesting way of assisting students to comprehend a poem. A picture helps in creating a visual memory and can also help in understanding new words.

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Figures of speech

A figure of speech is the use of a word or words diverging from its usual meaning. It can also be a special repetition, arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning, or a phrase with a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it, as in idiom, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, or personification. Figures of speech often provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity. However, clarity may also suffer from their use, as any figure of speech introduces an ambiguity between literal and figurative interpretation. A figure of speech is sometimes called a rhetorical figure or a locution. To know more click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_of_speech

This being said, in the poem "Laugh and Be Merry", there are many examples of literary devices being used.

First, a metaphor is used when Masefield compares time to a length of thread.

Another example is "So we must laugh and drink from the deep blue cup of the sky" where a hyperbole is used. Masefield is exaggerating the fact that the sky can quench man's thirst from its cup. While readers know that the sky does not posses a cup from which they can drink from, the imagery is set in regards to the fact that the sky offers an abundance of things for the soul.

Personification is also used in the line "the jubilant song of the great stars sweeping by" given human characteristics (the ability to sing) is given to the stars.

In the line "be merry, remember" alliteration takes place. The consonant sound "m" is repeated in the words 'merry' and 'remember.' The line "So we must laugh and drink from the deep blue cup of the sky" depicts assonance in the same way, but using a vowel sound- the strong 'e' in both 'we' and 'deep.'

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Additional resources

Other works of John Masefield can be accessed here

Assessment

Ask the learners to write a short paragraph using the hints given below.

Hints:

• What is the poem about?
• Which is the most striking image and why?