Analytical Appreciation of "New Beginning"

This poem has a lot of sentimental value to me, yet I believe speaks for a million other people. It is about starting again, in an entirely different environment. Leaving people you care about behind in life is often very upsetting, especially when one loves a person. Home is a "comfort zone" for everyone, so having to make new friends outside this "comfort zone" is highly daunting and leaves one on an insecure plane. It doesn't matter what sort of image one had in their "comfort zone", as one is now an outsider, wanting to be accepted, feeling vulnerable and insecure.

I wrote this poem in November, inspired by the unfortunate event of breaking up with my long term girlfriend. Back then, I believed that coming to university had ruined my life entirely, as what I knew and loved, from my "comfort zone", had now evaporated into eternal memories. I hid behind my confidence a lot of the time during this difficult period, always with a highly fortified "emotional guard". A sense of disgust and anger towards my new environment made it hard for me to accept people as "friends", hence the line, 'Alien dawning', so acquaintances were more apt for my state of mind. Whilst writing the poem it became clear to me that I should learn from my errors, i.e. my incapability to struggle and strive for what I want and love, hence the last two lines, 'I know my mistake! Thus my new beginning, unsure, still blind'.

In the first stanza I use pathetic fallacy, i.e. 'The cold, frosty…' portraying the cold and edgy emotions I endeavoured at the time. I believe this opening stanza nicely sets the tone for the rest of the poem, as it is fairly obtuse and not in tune, if you will. I particularly like the rhythm and rhyme of the third line, 'Fresh faces, fresh places', and believe it evokes the tensions felt when entering an unknown environment.

In the second stanza I try and use the theme of growth in nature to create an analogy of growth in group dynamics. 'The leaves start to grow, aliens become people' shows that the people in my environment are no longer strangers, thus social growth has begun. The third line, 'Call this the spring of my new beginning?' shows that this is the first stage of feeling comfortable in my new environment. However, it is clear that I am not comfortable at all in this situation. The next line, 'All will be well in winter when my seeds are covered' works well as an analogy showing that like the seasons reaching a peak (from spring to winter), so too will my acceptance and furthermore likeness of these strangers reach a peak.

The third stanza elaborates from the second, showing my worries and insecurities. The first two lines, 'People talk, People smile, but they do not yet listen. I do not trust my seeds to stand without support!' show that I have made "acquaintances", (people talk, people smile, but they do not yet listen) yet if I want them to be "real friends", I have to really prove myself to them, (I do not trust my seeds to stand without support). Personal insecurities flood through this stanza, where I portray my worries, namely what people think of me, 'scared of the pest'. Friendship is very important, but possibly the best friend you can ever have is someone you are in love with, 'the beauty is found in the flower'. I use the comparison of flower to describe a "lover", not only as it is a highly beautiful and flattering entity, but also as it stands at the very top of a stem, hence being the most vibrant and arguably, the most important part of the whole structure.

The fourth stanza is more of a reality check than anything, listing the important factors of creating true love. I particularly like second line, 'love, trust, respect' as it is punchy and straight to the point, creating great rhythm. As it has its own line, it really stands out, and I have done this to emphasise the importance of these three traits. By the end of this stanza it becomes clear that I have lost someone, and the rhythm and rhyme in the last line, 'For I neglected, became rejected' creates a powerful image, which could quite possibly make one's heart fall.

The final stanza follows on elaborating from the previous stanza, emphasising just how breathtaking love can be. If the three traits, love, trust and respect are always obeyed, then not even the moody winter can prevent love prevailing. I use the term 'white snow' as an oxymoron, white symbolising purity (which always prevails) and snow symbolising discontinuation (i.e. hibernation and lack of plant growth). Hence even in the tough times, 'moody winters', purity and love will always come through, 'the white snow, being pure, will protect the flower, keeping it warm'. The poem ends with a sense of remorse, 'I want to grow a new flower, knowing I've killed the old!', yet is match with a sense of optimism, 'thus my new beginning, unsure, still blind', which really shows that life does go on, even after such a tragic loss in one's life.

This poem does evoke many different emotions; hatred, confusion, loneliness etc. Everyone has gone through loss and change at some stage in their life's, which is why I believe many people can relate to this poem. I tried to engrave hope into the end of the poem, as I believe that for all of us, hope is an entity which makes us rise above the bad times, allowing us to soar high through the good times.