Comparing Forever, By Paul Laurence Dunbar And Wait By Galway Kinnell

The poem, Forever, by Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Wait, by Galway Kinnell both portray the themes of time being the best teacher of lessons. As one grows older, time teaches a person lessons about the world, life, and other individuals. The poem Wait by Galway Kinnell has a slightly different take on time, with a background of love and this idea that time is carrying a person through the same uninteresting routine until love is found. On the other hand, Forever by Paul Laurence Dunbar has more of a straightforward message of sadness and remorse stating that the saddest hearts suffer the most. Dunbar’s poem expresses the difficulty of learning lessons after much time, and how forever is such a significant amount of time. Both poems also have

In Kinnell’s Wait, the general background is that time can bring love and fulfillment. It also relays that once love is found, time is no longer the purpose, it is the other person that carries us, but once lovers are separated, it becomes time again. Back in the line, “But trust the hours. Haven't they carried you everywhere, up to now?” (lines 3 and 4) it shows that time is carrying us until our lovers meet, the up until now. The poem goes on to say, “Personal events will become interesting again,” (line 5) and gives more examples in the following lives of how love can brighten our lives again. When lovers separate, it becomes a matter of time again. The line, “The desolation of lovers is the same: that enormous emptiness carved out of such tiny beings as we are ask to be filled; the need for the new love is faithfulness to the old.” (lines 11- 15) relates in this idea that the separation of lovers is the same as our individual emptiness asking to be filled, that we must stay true to the old for new things in our life. Kinnell follows this line by saying wait, and that sadness of heartbreak can become powerful enough to frame one's life. As for Dunbar’s poem, it just gives an overall attitude of learning hard lessons and wanting to forget the sad experiences and let time go on. Dunbar’s poem states, “ I had not known before That Never was so sad a word, So wrap me in forgetfulness- I have not heard.” (lines 13-16) portraying that a sad lesson was learned, maybe someone telling him something would never happen from the emphasis on the word never, and that he wants to forget it and move