An Unaccepting World

Composition

In a world abundant of people, I find myself alone
In a world where acceptance is a friendly interaction away, I find myself as an outcast

I was hopeful once
I was an optimist
Living a lonely life, but in anticipation of a future with companionship

My days were spent watching others through the shadows
My nights were spent in contemplation of how I was to gain the approval I desired

I quickly learned the ways of those I yearned to be like
Their manner of speaking
Their manner of acting
Their manner of being

Excitement filled my veins with every new piece of knowledge I acquired
Soon I would be accepted
Soon I would be acknowledged
Soon I would be “normal”

The day finally came
The day I emerged out of the shadows, ready to take on the world

A friend was all that I wanted
A friend was all that I needed
A friend was what I could have gotten
Perhaps in a different world this dream of mine could have become a reality
Perhaps I would have escaped my wretchedness and traded it for happiness

But a dream is all it was
They ran in horror at the very sight of me
They shouted insolent words that shattered my spirit
They rejected the improved version of myself I worked arduously to become

And there I was
Left to fend for my own in a world of people who abhorred me
Left with nothing but my melancholy
Left completely abandoned once again

Nothing had changed
Nothing at all

 

Review

Dear Reader,

       Loneliness, I believe, is something we all experience once or twice in our lifetime. It is also a very obviously seen theme in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I chose to write a free verse poem of which mirrored the sense of isolation the Creature in Shelley’s novel felt because I feel it is something everyone can relate to no matter what time period you are living in. Following the Creatures abandonment on behalf of Victor, it finds the DeLacey family; these humans of which it spends months watching and learning from in hopes to one day be accepted by them. We all know that this hope ends in utter chaos and rejection. My poem, “An Unaccepting World”, is a different approach to telling the Creatures pessimistic emotions due to its constant loneliness. In the same way, its purpose is to relate with a more recent audience and their similar feelings when living life in a world where acceptance is something everyone desires yet can be very difficult to gain. Personally, when reading Frankenstein, the aspect of which I related to the most was the Creatures sense of isolation. In a world full of people, it is very easy to feel alone just as the Creature did. Many times, we spend our time and effort trying to learn the correct way to be “normal” but in all reality, it will never enough. The difference between my piece and Shelley’s original novel is that my poem is a shorter version of the Creature’s efforts and hopes to be integrated into humanity. Another difference is the fact that I do not mention the Creature or anything relating to the novel anywhere within my piece, although the resemblance is quite obviously there. My reasoning behind this being that I feel it helps my poems audience relate to it on a more personal level rather than relating it solely on what it is originally based on, Mary Shelley’s novel. In addition to the poem, I have also included a drawing of what I envision my piece to depict. The two swings, one empty and the other with a girl, represent feeling lonely. The fact that the girl is swinging alone above the Earth portrays isolation from the rest of humanity. I sincerely hope that my interpretation of a widely seen theme within Frankenstein serves the purpose I intend.

With all my gratitude,

Juanita Espinoza