The very title of the poem ‘I Believe’ conveys a great sense of
conviction. In the first three stanzas the poet gives expression to her
potential to accomplish tasks that appear to be herculean but she says with a
sense of robust confidence that she is capable of accomplishing them. She
speaks in a tone of exaggeration that she will accomplish the most impossible
tasks with grit and determination. These hyperbolic assertions give us an idea
of the way she is able to utilize the most of her potential to achieve what
appears to be incredible under normal circumstances. She intentionally raises
the pitch to a height impossible to drive home the message that we need to be
honest in our approach to the basic problems of life to deliver the results.
She imbues (inspires) us with the message of humanity and eventually states in
clear terms that we need to address ourselves to the tasks that should be
accomplished to work towards the betterment of our fellow men. She means
honestly that we should have the intention and willingness to make efforts to
promote the well being of our fellow men, making the world a better place to
live in. She gives us an idea of her prudence as well as her compassion when
she says that one has to make efforts and render services to the people of the
world in order to make it a better place to live in as this is the very place
where we live and nurse the most cherished of our aspirations.
In the short but very inspiring
poem the poetess distinguishes between capabilities and priorities. She talks
about the way she is able to harness her potential to do things which
apparently seem absurd. But this is indicative of the way she is able to use
the figment of her imagination when it comes to thinking of accomplishing the
most difficult tasks. She talks about her capabilities in a hyperbolic manner
but it speaks volume for the robustness of her confidence. She wants to give an
idea of the fact that man can have an absolute sway over the different
manifestations of nature provided he or she wants to achieve it. But behind the
portrayal of such a galvanic approach there is a message of reality that
relates to the mundane and pragmatic ways of life. There is a suggestion loud
in its nature that no matter how great the potential or capability of a human
being is, one has to keep in mind the nature of his or her commitment to the
very world he or she belongs to as a member of the human race. By virtue of
being a human being one has to take on oneself the very task of contributing to
the wellbeing of the world around him or her. She begins on a note of
exaggeration in order to highlight human stamina but tones it down with a
practical sense of life that is fairly collective from an altruistic (selfless)
point of view.
In the different stanzas the poet
lists the tasks she believes she can perform with ease. In a tone of
exaggeration, she goes on talking about her capabilities. She talks about her
belief of piercing the heavens by throwing a mere pebble with the result that
she would be able to see the angels playing there. It is interesting to note
that the poet wants to use a mere object like a pebble to achieve the great
task of penetrating the heavens to be able to see the angels enjoying their fun
and frolic. In the second stanza she talks about flying up to the infinite
spaces of the sky to be able to touch the delicate and fleecy clouds and feel
the stars. After conquering the loftiness of the heavens and sky, the poet
talks about how she can plunge to the depth of oceans and seas. In the third
stanza her action is one of diving into the depth of oceans and proving equal
to the deadliest of marine creatures such as sharks by swimming with them. Now
the poet wants to dig into the earth to make the most of the treasures lying
embedded in its cavity. Her confidence urges her to believe that she can claw
into the bowels of the earth to retrieve priceless gems and beautify herself
with them. Then there is a sudden shift in the poet’s scheme of things and her
conviction urges her to focus on her priorities as a human being. She talks about how she can make efforts to do
many things in the midst of human beings and thus promote the well being of the
mankind surrounded by the world’s treasures. Then the poetess goes on to say
emphatically that it is her firm belief that she will have to play her role as
a human being in an effective manner. The poetess imbibes the spirit of
philanthropy and wants to complete the role that has been assigned to her by
virtue of being a member of the human race. She stresses the importance of the
role of humanity, rendering services towards the people in the world where she
nurses her dreams and breathes.
