Sarah Kay's Poem

Incredibly Clever Title “One is never afraid of the unknown; one is afraid of the known coming to an end” (Jiddu Krishnamurti). Instead of fearing the unknown, Sarah Kay tries to prepare for the future. According to her poems the best thing to do is to protect those you care about, but also realize the future is unknown and no one can truly know what lies ahead. “In the Event of an Emergency” focuses on the topic of what should happen if something goes wrong, where to return things that have had an important impact on the life. “Hiroshima” instead focuses on living life to the fullest, leaving something great behind to be remembered by. “They Give Him a Medal When His Parachute Fails to Open” focuses on trying to save someone from making

The poems all see the fear as a positive rather than a negative. Even though “Hiroshima” focuses on the fear surrounding death, it uses that fear to give a positive message to the reader. “But just in case, I’m trying my hardest to get it right this time around” This poem tries to convince the reader to make the most out of their lives. Instead of allowing the fear to hold you back you should instead all the fear to boost you up. Since time of death is uncertain everyone should live everyday like it is their last. Rather than living life on the safe side you should live life on the edge because every day might be your last day. Sarah Kay wants to relay the message to everyone that every day is a gift. She efficiently gets this message across by utilizing the reality of Hiroshima. “But on the front step, a person who was sitting there blocked the rays from hitting the stone. The only thing left now is a permanent shadow of positive light” The people of Hiroshima didn’t see their deaths coming, instead they were wiped away from the earth in a matter of seconds. By integrating the story of Hiroshima into her poem Sarah Kay backs up her claim that life is a gift that can’t be wasted. In “In the Event of an Emergency” Sarah Kay discusses how the fear of the unknown can also be a positive thing. People can be prepared for the unknown which is a good thing. Sarah Kay uses the

It can be fearful to look at your own unknowns, so instead you may focus on others. This idea was most prevalent in “They Give Him a Medal When His Parachute Fails to Open”. This poem focuses on the relationship Sarah Kay has with her brother. It is obvious that they have always been close and she is used to being the person he falls back on. However, now she has to let him go. Even though she wants to protect him from any harm that may find him she realizes she has to let him face it on his own. She is letting go of her own fears in order for her brother to realize the limits of his fear. In “Hiroshima” she wants all of her readers to let go of their fears of the unknown. “When I meet you, in that moment, I’m no longer a part of your future. I start quickly becoming part of your past. But in that instant, I get to share your present. And you, you get to share mine. And that is the greatest present of all” She wants people to realize the power of the present. Instead of dwelling on the past of fearing the future, she wants everyone to live for the now. You can’t change the past nor can you predict the future, so only control what you can. Don’t fear something you don’t even know if you have to fear. The unknown may be the best thing ever, but if you hold back from living your life you may never realize what the unknown holds. Sarah Kay ties both of these ideas together in “In the Event