"The Lake" A reflection paper
...and at perfect but at night, he would awake with a fear. The fear does not resemble terror or fright, but delight in that it is proof that life is not perfect, although sometimes it may seem so. When reading along I realized that this reflects my exact view on life. I’ve been around long enough that nothing is perfect and nothing will ever be perfect. I enjoy what I have and what I have to look forward to. I never expect too much, and I don’t set myself up for disappointment. I like the fact that life will surprise you with little things that through me off for a second then think “that’s life.” When reading The Lake that’s exactly the sensation I get. As I mentioned earlier, I feel that I Edgar Allan Poe is the poet I can most relate to. Being familiar with some of his work, I know that his writings usually have something involving love. After reading it for myself I believed it was about life and reality, but when thinking twice, Poe is instead reflecting love and reality. In his poem The Lake, Poe uses the lake and that which surrounds to symbolize his love. During a day at the lake it is comforting and has a feeling like no other. He is so in love with the lake because it is so perfect and surreal. Everything has its place and nothing changes. When fear awakes him in the middle of the night it is the darkness and a strange feeling. Although darkness in the woods is a common fear to overcome, Poe fears that his lake is not so perfect after all. The lake and peacefulness was to symbolize an Eden; however the lake is real, and like everything in reality the lake has its flaws. Poe’s fear was not that of losing his love, it was a fear that the place he loved was not perfect and couldn’t become an Eden. We expect many things in life to be as we see them from the outside. If we look at celebrities they seem like they have the perfect life but in actuality they don’t. If we were to pick a celebrity and change lives with them, we would all find that it is not the perfect life. Famous people have problems just like you and I. Celebrities have glamorous lives with great cars, expensive clothes and large houses. The papers and television are at fault for giving us that impression. Along with luxury, celebrities also have hardships they encounter. That’s what the National Enquirer is for. After high school graduation I came to Ashland remembering how great it looked the fall before when I took a tour. It’s when I finally started getting used to the school I realized that it is just made to look perfect just for that one moment. I was a tour guide In Ashland University admissions office. I know how the school sells itself. We bring high school students in for a day show them how beautiful our campus is, let them eat the “finest cafeteria food” and show them the largest dorms; not those closets they call rooms in Kilhefner hall. Edgar Allan Poe saw the lake as a perfect place to be, just as I saw Ashland. The lake and campus looked as if they were perfect for a point in time but in reality there is always something that makes us think twice. D...