"The Problem With Travel"
By Ada Limón Every time I'm in an airport, I think I should drastically change my life: Kill the kid stuff, start to act my numbers, set fire to the clutter and creep below the radar like an escaped canine sneaking along the fence line. I'd be cable-knitted to the hilt, beautiful beyond buying, believe in the maker and fix my problems with prayer and property. Then, I think of you, home with the dog, the field full of purple pop-ups-- we're small and flawed, but I want to be who I am, going where I'm going, all over again. The poem “The Problem With Travel” is another fantastically well-written poem by Ada Limon. This poem about the opportunities that travel brings is extremely relatable. She talks about the way she feels in an airport and I think everyone knows what she’s talking about: it feels like you can go anywhere and be anybody. Once you realize you can go anywhere, your imagination is racing to create the perfect getaway but Limon pulls us all back into reality. No longer is a far away land the best place to be; home is. In the end, I don’t think most people would have the courage or the raw want to change every thing about their life. Through her use of details and imagery and also unique tone, the words of Ada Limon transform a relatable poem into that leaves the reader with a bit of advice. Through out the poem she discusses an airport and her imagination runs wild with all the things she would do. She is snapped back into reality with the thought of “you” and the realization that she has everything she wants. Although it’s not what she imagines and she thinks, “we’re small and flawed”, home is where she is supposed to be. By placing specific details and imagery into her poem, Limon paints a scene with words. For example, “ escaped canine sneaking against the fence line” and “field full of purple pop-ups” both allow the reader to interact with her poem in their own minds thus making it even more relatable. In addition, the tone the author uses is somewhat humors and imaginative. She uses phrases such as, “Kill the kid stuff” and “start to act my numbers” to make the beginning of the poem seem lighthearted before she digs deep into the love she has for herself, home, and “you”. The last three lines of this poem are my favorite because they sum up the message she was trying to express: “but I want to be who I am, going where I’m going, all over again”. It struck me that although we love the feeling we get while traveling that we could be anybody, outside of our imagination we know how much we love home and those we share it with. When the opportunity arises for us to reinvent ourselves, it can be easy to immediately see all of our flaws, yet upon deeper thinking we can come to the realization we are perfect just the way we are.
5 Comments
Davis from Smithfield
11/30/2016 05:22:36 am
I really enjoy your analysis of this poem. When I first read the poem I wasn't exactly sure what Limon was talking about, but after reading your analysis it made a lot more sense. Your description of his details and imagery is also very interesting. I like the line, "set fire to the clutter." Also I think all of us feel the way Limon does when we travel. I personally do because when you travel we really do feel like we can go anywhere.
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Sam
11/30/2016 05:55:35 am
I really enjoy your analysis of this poem. When I first read the poem I wasn't exactly sure what Limon was talking about, but after reading your analysis it made a lot more sense. Your description of his details and imagery is also very interesting. I like the line, "set fire to the clutter." Also I think all of us feel the way Limon does when we travel. I personally do because when you travel we really do feel like we can go anywhere
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Sam
11/30/2016 05:58:08 am
I think it is a great analysis. I like how you can distinguish that he sums up the entire poem in 3 lines. His entire poem talks about possibilities in traveling and how it can lead to freedom. This is so true because when I personally travel that is exactly how i feel
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Kelsey P
12/5/2016 06:35:41 am
I really loved reading this poem and your analysis. I got a similar feeling while I was reading this poem, and felt that the takeaway from it was that it is important to remember yourself and everything you love and appreciate where you are. Limon's words leave a sort of satisfied feeling within me, because I understand the advice he is giving. Good job on the analysis!
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5/9/2017 01:57:11 am
Ada Limón I like your story about "The Problem With Travel" it`s awesome.In starting I was just afraid of lines but I enjoy after it.Thanks dear for sharing keep posting more.
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