Purpose In Life Analysis

Purpose’s Altitude: A Qualification on what Dreams Mean to Purpose in the American Life Through American Literature
It 's a school night on a Thursday. I was either a freshman in high school or still in middle school. I wake up on the Friday, eat breakfast and commence to throw myself into what was a terrible day. On this day I remember failing a test, missing a big homework assignment, getting into an argument with friends, and as I recall, even performing poorly in sports. It was a surefire long, and brutal day. At the end of the day, defeated and distraught, I retreated to the comfort of my bed, and am rescued by sleep. The next day I wake up on what it thought was a Saturday. I had actually dreamed in rich detail an entire awful day to …show more content…
Although he never even mentioned the word dream in this excerpt, some of what he wrote can relate to dreams. For example when he sees a mosquito he is “much affected by the faint hum” and its “invisible and unimaginable tour” comparing it to epic Greek poems such as “an Iliad and Odyssey in the air” (1). This relates to dreams because this mosquito is something that seems frivolous and meaningless but through personal interpretation can be applied to great meaning or inspiration of purpose. Thoreau is certainly inspired by this mosquito calling it “a standing advertisement of the everlasting vigor and fertility of the world,” as if it were a good example on how to take on the wide world and confusing life ahead. If a person can apply person from a dream, they can actually gain clarity in life. Thoreau compares the “elevation of purpose” to having a “a Spartan simplicity of life” (2). This makes the Spartans sound as though they were calm people, but it is commonly known that this is far from the truth. The spartans were bent on war, but war was their main focus in life. With this one main focus there were able to do what they felt they were born to do while enjoying it. The simplicity or clarity is found in knowing what they want to do in life and striving for it. Even the phrase “elevation of purpose” seems to say that purpose will raise life to new altitudes of …show more content…
She explains how there is a school of thought that believes that goals are not necessary in which she disagrees with. This school of thought is described by Thoreau as a man who has “profaned” the “auroral hour,” meaning that to have no goals is to have no purpose (1). To have no goals is to waste the hours of the day. Robinson also recognizes that having goals that aren’t “built from dreams” do not result in purpose in life. She also describes dreams as “goals with no legs” (top achievement). So while dreams are can very well be used gain clarity in life, they can not propel a person into purpose without being formulated into realistic goals and routines. In these confusing and stressful times, it’s important that we stick with what we know. Dreams are everything we know and are confused. They can help achieve clarity in life by connecting knowledge to the dreamer to the point where they can interpret their own meaning. The meaning clarifies the dreamer with knowing what they desire in life. A desire in life can result to having purpose in life, but only if action is taken. Purpose’s altitude can go as high as a dreamer’s imagination if