Final Analysis

     I have greatly enjoyed this class before we even started doing this poetry assignment. To be honest, in middle school, my teacher made me hate poetry. We studied it so much and did not even analyze it. But, now that I have studied and analyzed the poem The Bridge by Octavio Paz, my love for poetry has started to come back. The first time I read the poem, the first question I had was, What is this even about. I understood that he was about overcoming an obstacle but there was so much beauty to it that I never saw. At first, I thought that such a small poem wouldn't be too hard and would hide so much. I was wrong. The best things in life come in the smallest packages. This poem brought a lot of light to my eyes to see what the world perceives. The poem was education filled, that I do not someone would get from reading the poem once. "I’ll sleep beneath its arches." (Paz, 12). The poem was indeed confusing, but the ending adds so much to the understanding of the poem. My beginning question was answered and taught me so much more! 
      I learned that his poem represents how people look at the world. A bridge can lead people to places they never thought they would ever be. The author has the optimistic outlook that with every step you take, it can representative of a bridge. The choices you make can play a part of how and where your bridge ends. Also, the choices you make play a major part in how you perceive the world and what the world gives you. "Entering it / you enter yourself: / the world connects / and loses like a ring." (Paz, 4-7). In the whole second stanza, when entering yourself, you'll have to make choices which will change your outlook on like and how people see you. In life, you're going to come across obstacles that look impossible.
      Paz wrote this poem around the time he was Mexican ambassador to India. The poem could be related to an issue that was happening between India and Mexico at the time. During this time, the Green Revolution between Mexico and India was going on. The Green Revolution was based off big spending in modern scientific research for agriculture, which led to higher crop yields in the industrial countries. The Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation helped transfer and adapt these scientific advances to the conditions in developing countries.The first investments were in research on rice and wheat, two of the most important food crops for Mexico and India. The breeding of improved plant varieties, combined with the expanded use of fertilizers and pesticides, and irrigation, led to big yield increases in Asia and Latin America, beginning in the late 1960s. The term "Green Revolution” was used to describe this large growth in agriculture.
      When I first looked at the poem, I found it in a book filled with Octavio Paz's poems. There were hundred to choose from, but this one poem caught my attention. The title drew me in and wanted me to know more! The Bridge is what the poem was called. I was immediately intrigued and read through the poem. I thought the poem was lovely and wanted to know the true meaning behind the words. "Between now and now, / between I am and you are, / the word bridge." (Paz, 1-3). The poem started off with my confusion. I read it over and over again, trying to figure out what it was saying. I finally understood what he was saying I read through the poem a few times. Between now and now is what can happen if he makes that choice, if he does, then he can be in a different place and will be different. Between I am and you are is the difference between what you have done and what I have yet to do. The poem continued to be analyzed for every line, and each line meant another meaning which brought the whole picture together.
      When I first approached the poem, I only thought it was about over coming an obstacle. I was not 100% wrong. I now believe the poem is about overcoming that obstacle by communicating with others. In order to see the world for its true beauty, you'll need to communicate with others. Otherwise, your world would have no meaning. "I’ll sleep beneath its arches." (Paz, 12). When you are finally able to communicate, you'll feel peace. As though a rainbow is laying above you, you'll see the beauty and all the colors. You'll be at peace and home.