Carpe Diem

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Carpe Diem

• Evan Minteer

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Thesis

• In both the song Live Like You Were Dying and
  the poem Life is fine, the composer describes a
  story of overcoming great a great challenge and
  facing it head on with a positive mentality,
  whether it be overcoming cancer as in McGraws
  song or overcoming social obstacles, such as in
  Hughes's life which he portrays through his poems.

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Live Like You Were Dying

• He said "I was in my early forties,"With a lot
  of life before me,"An' a moment came that
  stopped me on a dime."I spent most of the next
  days,"Looking at the x-rays,"An' talking 'bout
  the options an' talkin bout sweet time."I
  asked him when it sank in,That this might really
  be the real end?Hows it hit you when you get
  that kind of news?Man whatcha do? An' he said
  "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain
  climbing,"I went two point seven seconds on a
  bull named Fu Man Chu."And I loved deeper and I
  spoke sweeter,"And I gave forgiveness I'd been
  denying."An' he said "Some day, I hope you get
  the chance,"To live like you were dyin'." He
  said "I was finally the husband,"That most the
  time I wasnt."An' I became a friend a friend
  would like to have."And all of a sudden goin'
  fishin,"Wasnt such an imposition,"And I went
  three times that year I lost my Dad."Well, I
  finally read the Good Book,"And I took a good
  long hard look,"At what I'd do if I could do it
  all again,"And then 

• "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain
  climbing,"I went two point seven seconds on a
  bull named Fu Man Chu."And I loved deeper and I
  spoke sweeter,"And I gave forgiveness I'd been
  denying."An' he said "Some day, I hope you get
  the chance,"To live like you were dyin'." Like
  tomorrow was a gift,And you got eternity,To
  think about what youd do with it.An' what did
  you do with it?An' what can I do with it?An'
  what would I do with it? "Sky diving, I went
  rocky mountain climbing,"I went two point seven
  seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu."And then I
  loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,"And I watched
  Blue Eagle as it was flyin'."An' he said "Some
  day, I hope you get the chance,"To live like you
  were dyin'." "To live like you were dyin'.""To
  live like you were dyin'.""To live like you were
  dyin'.""To live like you were dyin'." 

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Life Is Fine

• I went down to the river,I set down on the
  bank.I tried to think but couldn't,So I jumped
  in and sank.I came up once and hollered!I came
  up twice and cried!If that water hadn't a-been
  so coldI might've sunk and died.     But it
  was      Cold in that water!      It was cold!I
  took the elevatorSixteen floors above the
  ground.I thought about my babyAnd thought I
  would jump down.I stood there and I hollered!I
  stood there and I cried!If it hadn't a-been so
  highI might've jumped and died.     But it
  was      High up there!      It was high!So
  since I'm still here livin',I guess I will live
  on.I could've died for love--But for livin' I
  was bornThough you may hear me holler,And you
  may see me cry--I'll be dogged, sweet baby,If
  you gonna see me die.     Life is
  fine!      Fine as wine!      Life is fine!

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Literary Devices

• McGraw
• Shifting Tone
• Repetition
• Simile
• Mood
• Hughes
• Repetition
• Refrain
• Shifting Tone
• Mood

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Tim McGraw

• Born May 1, 1967 in Delhi, Louisiana. The son of
  Betty Smith and Tug McGraw, Tim grew up thinking
  he was the son of Horace Smith, a trucker. When
  his mother divorced Smith when Tim was 9, Tim
  opened a box which contained his birth
  certificate when he and his mother were moving to
  Richland Parish. His fathers name was scribbled
  out, but his fathers occupation stated baseball
  player. His mother eventually confessed that she
  had a brief romance with Tug McGraw, who was a
  minor league pitcher at the time. Tug eventually
  became famous with the Mets and Phillies, yet
  refused to keep a close relationship with Tim.
  Tim was initially angry, but eventually got over
  his anger and forgave his father. Although raised
  in Louisiana, Tim spent much of his time on the
  road with his father, where he developed his
  taste for country music. After a brief stint in
  college, McGraw decided to test his musical
  abilities and move to Nashville, to see if he
  could make a name for himself in the music
  industry. McGraw has since become one of the most
  recognized country singers of his generation,
  winning multiple CMAs for his different albums
  and songs. McGraw dedicated the song to his
  father, Tug McGraw, who had died from a brain
  tumor earlier in the year. The affect the song
  has on the listener is a feeling of gratefulness,
  that one should be thankful for life itself, and
  that everyone should seize the day and make the
  most out of life.

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Langston Hughes

• Born February 1st, 1902 in Joplin Missouri. After
  he published his first poem The Negro Speaks of
  Rivers he attended Columbia University, but left
  after one year to work on a freight ship,
  travelling to Africa, Paris and Rome supporting
  himself all the while with odd jobs. When his
  poetry began to grow popular, he attended Lincoln
  University, where he published his first book of
  poems The Weary Blues, which launched his writing
  career. Hughes was also one of the founders of
  the Harlem Renaissance, and his writing style can
  be seen in many other famous African American
  poems, stories, plays and music. Hughes died on
  May 22, 1967. The poem Life is Fine is about how
  his life was bad, but he wanted to continue
  living, reflecting many troubles that he
  experienced because of segregation. The effect on
  the reader is also one of gratefulness, and that
  no matter what life puts in your way, one should
  still be happy and make the most out of life.

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Comparison

• Both of the poem and the song display a theme of
  carpe diem, and that one should make the most out
  of life. However, I believe that the song Live
  Like You Were Dying conveys this message the
  best, because McGraw, the artist, actually had a
  great motivation for writing the song with his
  father passing away. In the song, McGraw uses
  vivid imagery such as bull riding and sky diving
  as a means to demonstrate how life should be
  lived to the fullest. In the poem, Life is Fine,
  Hughes also speaks of living his life to the
  fullest, yet at the same time he references more
  of overcoming the obstacle before seizing the
  day, where as in the song McGraw speaks more just
  of making the most out of life, and overcoming
  the obstacle that way.

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Work Cited

• Wikipedia