Critical Analysis Of 'I Taught Yourself To Live Simply'

The poem “I taught myself to live simply” is really a very complex poem. You have to really think about what the author is saying. The author would seem to have endured something major and significant in her life that makes her want to live alone with nature. Perhaps this poem was a form of escape from a troubled life that she was living. I believe the author desired to be alone and to not worry about what was happening in her life. Living alone in reality is a life that no one wants to live, in my personal experience nobody wants to live alone. But the author notes that God is always there to help you especially in our times of difficulty if we listen for his still small voice.

On another level, her life is so quiet and serene that she “taught myself to live simply and wisely, to look at the sky and pray to God”. She has quieted the noises

The silence quiets the noises of the world and it is only through that silence can the reader listen to God’s still small voice. It also makes me as a reader think of the possibility of what could happen, as well as keeping my mind on what is happening. Her house was so quiet that she barely could hear “Only the cry of a stork landing on the roof occasionally breaks the silence (I taught myself to live simply, line 13).” This line of the poem tells me how quiet the house she is in really is. She ends the poem saying she may not even hear you. You have to really be in deep thought to not hear anything going on around you. Sometimes living in this type of life would be good if you were needing to focus on things. You could hear God speak to you quite well in this environment. This might seem to be counter intuitive to the expectations of society, as many people simply do not want to live alone. But the author shows that a quiet house where the worries of the world are quieted and we can listen to God is sometimes the only way to get through a difficult