Introduction and Reflection on "What Would I Do"

"No symbols where none intended" -Samuel Beckett

          I chose this quote as the title for this blog, because it is one of my favorite Beckett quotes. Samuel Beckett was a very intelligent man, and one of my favorite things to do while reading Beckett is to try and find the humor hidden in what appears to be a depressing piece.

          The name included in the URL is also a quote from Beckett. I chose it from one of the poems we looked at yesterday called "What Would I Do". I found "What Would I Do" particularly interesting due to the change in attitude that takes place quite suddenly near the end of the poem. Beckett begins this poem by talking about the world. It is not a particularly cheery outlook on life, but it is a realistic way of looking at the world. He emphasizes the fact that life is temporary, and death is inevitable. He asks, “What would I do without this world Faceless incurious where to be lasts but an instant…” While the expected answer would be “nothing,” Beckett takes a different route. His answer is, “What I did yesterday and the day before.”

          What I get from this poem is that life goes on. Human nature is unchanging, and we are all just small parts of a larger entity. While small details may change, it really does not matter in the grand scheme of things.

          The whole piece has a haunting tone. It is not a piece that makes you jump for joy to say the least. However, it is beautiful and hard to forget.