Motivation In Poetry Essay

Motivation helps a person to achieve one's desires and needs. It is responsible for one's direction to behavior or why they may want repeat their actions. Motivation can be seen in many poems and narratives. These examples would include a poems such as, ¨Dream Variation¨ by Langston Hughes, ¨Douglass¨ written by Paul Laurence Dunbar, and also in the narrative, ¨The Zigzag Road to Rights¨ from the textbook MyPerspectives. People are motivated to change due to fear, helplessness, and for the good of others.
Many things motivate a person, but the strongest motivator is fear. Fear is a primal instinct that helped our ancestors survive. If an individual survived a bad experience, it helps them to avoid them in the future. People can fear injury,

When a person feels helpless, it can affect them greatly because it could lead to depression. When an individual is mentally unstable, they become uninterested in activities and causing significant impairments in daily life. “...we have fall’n on evil days, such days as though, not even though dids’t know..” (lines 1, 2, Dunbar). The poem is referencing how evil days have clouded the country. The poet speaks to a man named “Douglass” and explains how the days had become evil and depressing. The countries struggle is similar to that of a tide, which he expresses as constantly battling between good and evil. Dunbar also refers to a pilot that must guide them into the future. The soldiers feel helpless due to the war lasting so long, so they want to be motivated by thinking of home and the good they are doing for their country. One must seek change in themselves once they realize how upsetting life may be and find ways to think positive. The confederates would sing catchy songs such as “Goober Peas” to brighten the mood. Helplessness might also help a person to realize they need to change for the good of others as