This paper analyzes "Reflection," a prose poem that uses an extended simile between the flow of water and the course of human life. The essay examines how the poem's central metaphor — a rushing stream versus a still lake — conveys the idea that inner clarity and genuine understanding of others are largely unavailable to us while we remain caught up in the motion of living. The paper also considers the poem's Zen-like atmosphere, its implicit moral about self-forgiveness, and its suggestion that full comprehension arrives only as life approaches its end.
"Reflection" appears to be a simple prose paragraph, but the work is actually an extended simile between human life and the flow of water. The poem makes an analogy between observing a stream and observing human life. While we are absorbed in the immediate actions of our lives, we have difficulty appreciating our ultimate purpose and the beauty of the minute details of the things that make life meaningful. That is why observing life's course is like observing a stream: when life is moving fast, the reflections of the leaves of the nearby trees and the clouds in the sky are indistinct on the surface of the water.
This metaphor indicates how the people around us — symbolized by the sky and the trees — are hidden in terms of their motivations. We are obsessed with our own lives, obsessed with moving forward. Our own inner conflicts are also hidden by motion, symbolized by the stream's rush concealing what lies beneath the water. Even in a pure, clean life of goodness, the motion of existence confuses us and makes us think that certain things are more important than they actually are in the grand scheme of the world.
As the stream slows and we age, we begin to observe others more closely. This is symbolized by how the stream, when it becomes a lake, eventually can accurately mirror — rather than blur — the images of the leaves of the trees and the clouds. The lives and humanity of others become clearer as we approach our ultimate destination at the end of life. Only at the end of life, with the inner stillness we achieve, can we truly appreciate the subjectivity of others and the impermanence of our own existence.
"Poem's tone stresses calm reflection as life's purpose"
"True perspective arrives only near death"
The moral at the end of the poem states that we should not reproach ourselves for only "seeing through a glass darkly," to use Paul's words in Corinthians. "If so far we have been unable to see clearly or to reflect the eternal lineaments of truth, is it not because we too are still moving towards some end — because we are still alive?" As we move, our minds grow cluttered and the ultimate end and purpose of life is obscured, like the winding path of the stream. Until the end, our attempts at understanding will forever be incomplete. But rest assured: when we finally come to that end, we will understand.
You’re 63% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 2 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.