Czeslaw Milosz: Poems Themes

Czeslaw Milosz: Poems Themes

Human reason

In the poem "Incantation’’ the narrator analyzes human reason and why it is the most powerful force known to man and in nature. According to the narrator, human reason is the only thing that it is not prejudiced and the only thing that does not care if a person is rich or poor of if a person is a King or a slave. The narrator links human reason with poetry and claims that the two go hand in hand, being similar. Through this thus the narrator transmits the idea that human reason is a powerful quality everyone should have and aspire to have.

Love

The poem "Love’’ analyzes what love truly is and how love can help us become better people. According to the narrator, to love someone of something means to look at the object of one’s love from a distance. The narrator thinks that only by locking at things from afar can a person truly understand what love really is. He also mentions how love can have a healing power and how many who loved healed themselves from ills they never knew they suffered from. This transmits that love is a powerful thing everyone should aspire to have.

The post-war world

Another common motif in the poems, especially in the poem entitled "Child of Europe’’, is presenting the way in which the population look at themselves after the end of the war. The narrator notes how many people looked at those who died or at those who were killed in different camps as being heroes. Those people were idolized by the rest and seen as saints while those who survived and who also went through the same conditions were seen just as the rest of the people. Those who survived sometimes felt remorse because they were not appreciated for the struggles they faced. The narrator highlights the way the surviving population was affected and also how it was not beneficial for the rest of the society.

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