Approximately six billion people inhabit the earth, and with each person come a new philosophy on the meaning of life. Some are based on reason and logic while others are simply sewn together with ones dreams and imagination. The beauty is, no matter how fantastic each one is; it carries just as much weight as the most logical and scientifically sound. One such take on the meaning of life is that life itself is completely hopeless. Though this theory is rather unpopular, it can be derived through the critique of some great poetry. Renowned poets such as Thomas Hardy, A.E. Houseman, and William Wordsworth all have this depressed view of life present in their works.
In his work, "Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave?" Thomas Hardy's take on life can be clearly seen. The poem tells the story of a dog who is digging on a grave. Throughout the poem the dog has a conversation with the person in the grave. The deceased human wonders who is digging on his grave. In the end the human realizes that her dog has come back to visit her, "Ah, yes! You dig upon my grave / Why flashed it not on me/ That one true hear was left behind" (lns 25-27). However, the dog has simply wondered upon the grave to bury a bone. In this poem the reader can see that Hardy is truly very cynical about the purpose of life at all. In his mind there is no reason to live because no one remembers you anyway. In fact the dog did not even know its own master, "I am sorry, but I quite forgot/ It was your resting place" (lns 35-36). In effect Hardy believes that it does not matter what you do or who you are in your life, because after your death you are forgotten anyway.
The second poem in which the meaning of life is understood to be hopeless is a work by A.E. Houseman titled " To an Athlete Dying Young." The poem is about a young runner who has died at a young age. In the poem, Houseman's view can be seen in on stanza. "Now you will not swell the rout/ Of lads that wore their honors out,/ Runners whom renown outran/ And he name died before the man" (lns 17-20).
