Comparing A Psalm Of Life And The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls

Ever since the beginning of time, man has always pondered a question: what is the meaning of life? In two of his works, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow attempted to describe what one should do with one’s life. Longfellow wrote “A Psalm of Life” early in his life; in this poem, Longfellow wants to encourage the reader to make a worthwhile contribution to the world. In the later stages of his life he wrote another poem called “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” in which the speaker focuses more on accepting death than living in the moment. Both poems have several similarities; at the same time, each poem has a different outlook on what one should do with his/her time on earth. One similarity that both poems share is the use the same symbol—footprints in the sand. In “A Psalm of Life,” Longfellow says, “And, departing, leave behind us/ Footprints in the sands of time” (Longfellow 28-29). The speaker talks about how the reader should leave his/her own mark on the world and make the most of the time we have. In comparison “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls,” Longfellow also uses the footprints in the sand. Longfellow remarks, “The little waves, with their soft, white hands, / Efface the footprint in the sands” (Longfellow

The themes of “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” are death and nature. In “The Tide Rises…,” nature is represented by the tide, and man is represented by “the traveler hastening toward the town.” After the man is gone, which can be interpreted as death, his footprints are washed away by the ever-persistent tide rising and falling. However, in “A Psalm of Life” the theme focuses on seizing the moment and accepting that life is short. “A Psalm of Life” is upbeat and encouraging which contrasts the mellow and accepting tone of “The Tide Rises…”. For example, in “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” Longfellow compares the reader’s heart to a beating drum. The two poems show two different outlooks on