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Alexa Golbus
English 2
Mrs. Carter
3 May 2013
Video Decisions for and Analysis of "Mezzo Cammin"
In the profound poem, Mezzo Cammin, the speaker recalls his unfulfilled past and his
unrealized dreams and aspirations. Mezzo Cammin was written by Henry Wadsworth
Longsfellow, but published posthumously. Mezzo cammin, a Latin phrase, translates to "midway
upon the journey of our life." In this poem, the speaker reminisces about his unaccomplished
goals and his regretful past. The speaker then provides justification as to why he fell short of
accomplishing his goals. The speaker eventually begins to be more at peace with his past, and
finally looks forward into his future, claiming that though he may have a sliver of hope left for
his future, death is an ever present threat looming over him.
In the first part of the poem, the speaker sorrowfully looks back on his past, and admits
that he did not achieve his goals in life. The speaker regretfully faces the fact that he has "let/
The years slip from [him] and [has] not fulfilled/ The aspiration of [his] youth" (1-3). He was
unable to achieve his dreams, and feels that it may be too late now, as "half [his] life is gone" (1).
For this section of the poem, it seemed appropriate to first display an image of a calendar pages,
to symbolize the speaker's life slipping away. A picture of an empty, abandoned, and rotting room
was then shown to symbolize the speaker's unfulfilled and abandoned aspirations of his past.
The speaker's aspirations were "To build/ Some tower of song" (3-4). The speaker refers to his
work as song, and wanted to create much influential and recognized work. The speaker wanted to
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have a marked contribution in society. It was fitting to show an image of a beautiful and large
tower for this section of the poem. The tower, which would be tall enough for all to see,
represents the speaker's dream of contributing something to society, which would be widely
recognized. The speaker wished to have people look up to him. This wish was symbolically
displayed as a tower, as people physically look up to view a tower.
In the next part of the poem, the speaker justifies and details his reasons for not
accomplishing his goals. He states that neither laziness, pleasure, nor worry about his "restless
passions that would not be stilled" (6) prevented him from achieving his dreams. A fiery heart is
symbolic of passion. A picture of a fiery heart was used to represent the "restless passions" (6)
that the speaker had. The speaker then explains that "Sorrow, and a care that almost killed,/ Kept
[him] from what [he] may accomplish yet" (7-8). Deep sorrow in his life, likely caused by a
tragic event occurring to someone that he cared about, prevented him from achieving his dreams.
An appropriate image, to represent this tragic event, and the speaker's resulting sorrow, is a
picture of a person mourning for a deceased loved one.
The speaker is "half-way up the hill" (9) and sees his past behind him. He becomes more
at peace with his past, as he realizes that he cannot change it. The speaker then looks ahead, and
sees his future, containing the looming threat of death, ahead of him. The speaker hears "an
autumnal blast" (13) above him. Autumn is the season directly before winter, which is symbolic
for death. However, an "autumnal blast" (13) indicates a change in seasons. A change in seasons
is symbolic of a change in life. Even as the speaker is nearing death, he stills has a small amount
of hope that his future, regardless how long, will be better than his past.
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In the final line of the poem, the speaker acknowledges the fact that death is nearing. He
realizes that "the cataract of Death" (14) is closing around him. The poet's wording elicits an
image of a black curtain, symbolic for death, slowly closing, until it has completely enclosed the
speaker. For this reason, an animated image of a black curtain slowly closing seemed appropriate
to accompany the phrase quoted above.
The first slide in my video has an image of a path lined with red poppies, a flower
associated with death. Ultimately, the speaker in this poem realizes that he is headed toward
death. His life is like a long journey along a path, in that it is difficult at times, is filled with hope
and regret, and opportunities and chances to fulfill his dreams. Ultimately and inevitably, the
path leads to death, regardless of the past.

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Works Cited
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Mezzo Cammin." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, 2014.
Web. 03 May 2014.