Poetry Anaylsis

Perhaps

by Sylvia DuVernet

Perceptions: Poems for Young People of All Ages (pg 15)

Sylvia DuVernet was a poet from Hamilton, Ontario. She was interested in language, reading,writing, books and learning. Her family was encouraged by her to pursue higher education and to love learning. She lived authentically and pursued her interests with her own unique style. "Perhaps" was published, along with the other poems in Perceptions, in 1975. It discusses how one side may be right, but that does not necessarily mean the other side is wrong.

Perhaps I was wrong;

We all are sometimes,

But that doesn't mean 

You were right,

Does it?

The writer believes that they made a mistake and willingly admits to it. They then question if them being wrong makes the other person right. 

Perhaps you were right;

You are sometimes,

But that doesn't mean

I was wrong,

Does it?

I feel like the writer might be unsure about the situation, and is having difficulty seeing it black-and-white. They just see the grey area. They can't decide if they were wrong, if the other person was right, both, or neither. 

The Liberal Choice

The poll results from Canada's Federal Election on October 19th proved that the Liberal party had won over the majority of the country. In the Student Vote, my ballot went towards Lloyd Longfield representing the Liberal party here in Guelph. A common phrase associated with the Liberals has been, "vote for change," and I believe that's exactly what Canada needs.

Regarding the legal voting age, 16 may be a more reasonable age. With the support of media and technology, kids are being exposed at an earlier age to issues all around the world. The first time a kid might hear about politics. it will probably bore them. By the time they're 15 or 16, they will realize the importance of doing the research and making their vote count. It will be a decision affecting their future, after all. If 16 year olds could vote, it would be a vote for the government handling their drastic transition from high school to post secondary. By 18, we might not have the opportunity to do so.

A Human Economy

The video "The Adaptable Mind" that was shown last week was a smart way to approach Lourdes students regarding what comes after high school. It discussed what our generation will transition to in the near future. A human economy is approaching, and it is believed that there are five traits that will determine our success:

Curiosity 
Creativity
Initiative
Multi-disciplinary thinking
Empathy



For me, I feel like I'm sitting on the fence with most of the traits. Curiosity is the one that I feel most certain that I possess. Most people do. If the subject is intriguing enough to my mind, then I will continue with it and search more in-depth. A perfect example of this was the first time I watched the video. I thought the video would be a boring reminder to "keep it up Crusaders!" but once it started I was interested in what those five personality traits were. I realized I would have to pay attention to the entire 10 minutes, so I did.
As for the other traits, initiative would be my second highest, but not quite there just yet. My motivation can be persuaded depending on the topic. Personally, I think I need to work on the other three a lot. In the video, it was said that the best ideas come from daydreaming, which I surely agree with. But, my daydreaming has never helped me in with important opportunities or times where I could have pitched an idea. I want to try paying closer attention to my surroundings and different situations with different responses to help me grow. I hope that these traits develop even the slightest over time because I know I will need them in these next few years, and a long time after that.