Essay written by an A-level English Literature private tutor + A* student.
Essay on Finding the meaning in life in THE JOURNAL OF A DISAPPOINTED MAN
Edexcel English Literature A-level
DANIELLA SPOTO
How is the challenge of nding meaning in or the meaning of life explored in ‘from the
journal of a disappointed man’
To a large extent Motion presents the challenge of nding meaning within life as ultimately futile.
Motion critiques the human need to believe that there is some overriding purpose in life, which is
beyond everyday commerce and consumerism; whether that be searching for meaning in religion
or looking elsewhere for meaning and strive to experience a sense of interconnectedness with
others. I believe Motion critiques society in this way to illustrate the idea that with great
expectations can come great disappointment as portrayed in the poem by the extended
metaphor of the ‘wooden pile’.
Motion presents the challenge of achieving meaning in life as impotent; as initially explored in the
title, ‘From the Journal of a Disappointed Man’. I would like to draw attention to the contrast of
de nite and inde nite articles used ‘the/..a’. Whilst the de nite article ‘the’ elevates the
importance of the ‘journal’ and conveys themes of introspection and the speakers private
thoughts and feelings the inde nite that follows this ‘a’ allows for a reader to generalise these
feelings to society as a whole. This is reinforced by the noun ‘man’ which could be a reference to
mankind rather than solely the speaker himself therefore portraying the disappointment which
smothers society due to the challenge of nding meaning in fruitless movements such as
nutritional or social movements. Furthermore the phonology of the four syllable adjective
‘disappointed’ allows for it to stand out, this allows the reader to immediately understand the
struggles that will be illustrated in the poem. It is important to know that the title of the poem was
taken from the title of a real journal with the same name- the author of which, died from a disease
at the age of thirty. ’Disappointed’ could therefore be interpreted as a euphemism for a life that
was tragically cut short by a disease and as a result of this his life was left unresolved, suggesting
the fragility of life. The multiple ideas conveyed by the title illustrate the search for meaning in life
to be futile. As life itself has proven to be unpredictable and fragile one must not waste it clinging
to great expectations.
Motion employs the extended metaphor of the ‘pile’ to create a true portrayal of the futility in the
search for meaning in life as it is a metaphor for lost hopes that were once great expectations.
The ‘pile’ is introduced in the rst stanza. The insigni cance of the mundane objects that make up
the pile is made clear through the list employed ‘chains, pulleys, cranes, ropes, and as I said, a
wooden pile’ the semantic eld of a worksite alludes to the repetitive nature of their work and
moreover could illustrate the challenge of nding meaning in life as a sort of labour. The list of
‘paraphernalia’ sets up a detached and apathetic tone for the poem and sets up the speaker to be
an observer further creating distance between himself and the ‘wooden pile’. Following the line of
interpretation that the ‘pile’ is a metaphor for the milestones people are expected to reach, the
enjambed line ‘swinging, over the water’ suggests the danger of the pile in reference to the
pressure society is under to ful l these expectations. Alternatively it could also imply the lost or
rather broken dreams of mankind. The extended metaphor illustrates not only the futility in the
tireless search for meaning in life but moreover the immense pressure on man to persevere and
succeed in their search.
Motions implementation of water imagery sets up the theme of the power of man versus the
power of nature, where the power of nature tends to prevail. Moreover Motion manipulates water
imagery to convey the human need to acquire meaning for their life that they can fall back onto if
all else fails; faith in a God for example. The speaker describes ‘a ladder by the waters edge’ and
despite ‘their strength and experience these men were up against a great di culty’. The ‘ladder’
carries connotations of the metaphorical career ladder that we are expected to climb however the
‘waters edge’ could refer to the unpredictability of nature. We can draw similarities from the water
imagery to modern life; whilst many strive for career success often familial or health complications
interfere as represented by the water and the ‘great di culty’ it proves. Motion reminds a reader
that milestones and expectations that are set for us are not always attainable, despite modern
society as engineered by man, the inevitability of nature and moreover the unpredictability of life
always prevails. Water imagery is seen towards the end of the poem ‘gaze down like a mystic into
the water’. Whilst water usually holds connotations of purity and clarity it is crucial to consider an
alternate interpretation. Images in water are ever-changing and similar in nature to an illusion due
to the warped re ection it presents. Moreover the gurative language makes this description more
noticeable, the word ‘mystic’ could be interpreted as linking ideas of an altered state of
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